Scott ally Beruff to lead Constitution Revision Commission

By DARA KAM
THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

THE CAPITAL, TALLAHASSEE, March 1, 2017......... Gov. Rick Scott has tapped Bradenton home builder Carlos Beruff to chair the Constitution Revision Commission, a powerful post for the governor's political ally who last year lost a Republican primary bid for the U.S. Senate to incumbent Marco Rubio.

Announcing the appointment Wednesday, Scott praised Beruff --- a wealthy businessman born in Miami to Cuban emigres --- for living "the American dream in our great state."

"My goal for the CRC (the commission) is to fight for policies that will ensure a strong future for Florida, and I know Carlos also shares this vision. As we undertake this historic review, I am hopeful that this commission will propose policies that build a legacy upon which the families and businesses in our great state will thrive for generations to come," Scott said in a statement.

The commission, which meets every 20 years, is charged with crafting constitutional changes for voters to consider on the 2018 ballot.

Beruff, 59, will be the first chairman who is not a lawyer and the first Republican to head the panel. Talbot "Sandy" D'Alemberte --- a onetime president of the American Bar Association who also served as president of Florida State University --- was chairman of the first commission in 1977. Attorney Dexter Douglass, a close ally of the late Democratic Gov. Lawton Chiles, held the post 20 years later.

Scott policy director Jeff Woodburn, a lawyer who has worked in various capacities for Scott since shortly after the governor took office in 2011, will take over as the commission's executive director, Scott's office also announced Wednesday.

Woodburn "has one of the sharpest policy minds of any person in this state," and his "legal and policy expertise will be of tremendous value" to the commission, Beruff said in the announcement.

This year is the first time the commission will meet since Republicans took full control of the Legislature and the governor's mansion in 1998.

Scott, who is closely aligned with President Donald Trump and is mulling a run against U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, could find himself on the November 2018 ballot alongside constitutional-amendment proposals that could help propel turnout among his GOP base.

During his U.S. Senate race last year against Rubio, Beruff --- a conservative who dumped nearly $10 million into his campaign --- earned comparisons to then-candidate Trump. Beruff was an early supporter of Trump.

Beruff earned national headlines for calling then-President Barack Obama "an animal," a characterization Beruff denied was racist.

And Beruff had harsh words for Rubio, who said during his unsuccessful 2016 presidential campaign that he wouldn't run again for the Senate but later backtracked on the pledge.

Rubio's Senate primary victory drew a harsh rebuke from Beruff.

"I made the miscalculation of taking Mr. Rubio at his word that he wouldn't seek re-election if he lost the presidential primary,” Beruff wrote. "I guess I was silly to believe the words of a Washington politician."

Beruff also chaired a commission created by Scott to look into public hospitals' funding and spending and was appointed by the governor in 2008 to the Sarasota Manatee Airport Authority Board, a position he still holds.

Scott will name his other 14 selections to the commission "in the coming days," according to Wednesday's statement.

In addition to the governor's appointees, House Speaker Richard Corcoran and Senate President Joe Negron --- who has already announced his selections --- each have the power to name nine members. Florida Supreme Court Justice Jorge Labarga recently named his three selections. Attorney General Pam Bondi is an automatic member of the 37-member panel.