Locals' reaction to Gov. Crist speech: So-so
Among local legislators, there were mixed reviews of Gov. Charlie Crist’s upbeat State of the State speech.
“There wasn’t much about the dark cloud that’s hanging over Tallahassee – this budget,” said Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, usually a gung-ho Crist supporter. “He’s an optimist, and I love working with him, but (budget cutting) is going to take some hard decisions.”
Rep. Susan Bucher, a West Palm Beach Democrat, said: “He ought to go out and talk to real people. People are hurting badly.”
Standing next to Bucher in the House chambers after Crist's speech, Democrat Shelley Vana of Lantana said she liked the governor’s priorities, but wondered if ideas like a new health care program would fly in a tight budget year among Republican leaders.
Sen. Ted Deutch, D-Boca Raton, summed up the speech as a “bite-sized program here, a bite-sized program there.” He said the state needs bigger ideas to solve its financial crisis.
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