NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT…. Book-writing, especially on dry topics with limited appeal in a text never reaches stores, isn’t usually this lucrative.
New Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos finished writing a book on politics for Brevard Community College four years ago, getting $152,000 in taxpayer money for the effort.
But those who want to read “Florida Legislative History and Processes” won’t find it at any bookstore or library — the single available copy of the 175-page, double-spaced manuscript can only be read at the school.
College administrators swear that’s about to change, but they also acknowledge the 2003 arrangement negotiated by then-president Thomas Gamble with Haridopolos — then teaching at Brevard — was highly unusual and expensive.
The book also doesn’t come close to meeting the original contract’s call for a publishable, textbook-quality look at the development of the Florida Legislature, state constitution, the governor’s office and judiciary from pre-statehood until present.
This is the same president of the Florida State Senate who was admonished last week by a state ethics panel for failing to fully disclose his financial interests between 2004 through 2008.
Mike Haridopolos is also one of the Republicans’ leading U.S. Senate candidates in 2012, known for his prolific fundraising skills.
Speaking of suspect Florida Republicans, Rep. David Rivera (R) continues to be the subject of multiple investigations, including criminal probes. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said yesterday he’s “very concerned” about the ongoing scandals, but Republican leaders aren’t prepared to do anything about Rivera’s current situation.
