A Crist shout, and part of the endgame

May 02nd, 2008 | Category: Florida Politics Blog

House Speaker Marco Rubio got a timely shout Friday wee hours from Gov. Charlie Crist, sources tell The Buzz. Crist told Rubio he would not veto a $1-million-plus appropriation for the new corporation that House leaders insist on as part of a compromise on offering insurance plans to the uninsured.

Crist has consistently said the corporation is an unnecessary additional layer of bureaucracy, but the House additionally has agreed to pass Crist’s market-based

insurance proposals later Friday. As a aftermath of the Crist shout, sources tell the Buzz, the House will soon show renewed interest in two of the governor’s other priorities: hospital certificate-of-need regulation and easing licensing requirements for dentists.

"Everything’s coming together," said Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp, a former House member, as he headed into the Senate spouses’ lounge for a last-day lunch.