Gov. Charlie Crist (I-FL) is taking care of his state’s beaches in the wake of the Gulf Coast oil spill. Or, to be more precise, he’s taking care of the business leaders who make billions of dollars a year thanks to the state’s miles of coastline — none of which has been touched by a drop of Deepwater Horizon oil.
According to the AP, Crist has asked BP to pony up $35 million to pay for new ads touting how not oil-covered his state’s beaches are:
Crist said the additional funds are needed immediately to buoy the state’s $65 billion tourism industry that has taken a hit because of national images of oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico following the explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig on April 20.
Where did Crist get the idea? The state hospitality industry. It’s another example of Crist pulling his friends closer now that he’s running all alone in the Senate race.
How Crist decided to ask BP to give Florida $35 million dollars to talk about clean beachesm, from the AP:
Earlier Wednesday, tourism officials called on Crist to use his influence and position to pressure the Houston-based company to quickly assist hospitality industry owners reeling from cancellations and lost bookings from visitors wary of making summer plans amid national media reports of the BP spill.
It’s could be true that the spill has hurt business in Florida. But it’s also true that since the first rumblings of that he might leave the GOP to continue his bid for Senate, Crist has done what he can to reach out to anyone who might be willing to back his campaign now that he’s separated from the GOP (and it’s pool of cash).
Last month, he vetoed an education bill passed by Republicans in the state legislature that was heralded as the embodiment of the GOP approach to improving higher education. The move endeared him to teachers, who are a powerful lobby with deep pockets. Crist would love to turn them to his side, and there are signs that might be happening.
Currently he’s considering another big veto — this time of a bill favored by anti-abortion groups. That’s a move that might gain him some more new friends among pro-choice voters.
Whether BP decides to start shilling for Florida’s beaches or not, keeping the state’s multi-billion dollar tourism industry happy cold help Crist clean up when he’s trying to raise money for his Senate race.
Evan McMorris-Santoro
Evan McMorris-Santoro has covered politics for TPM since 2009. Before that, he was a reporter at National Journal’s Hotline covering election 2008. He started his career covering local politics at newspapers in TN and his native NC.
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