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Florida Notebook Down ... and out
Greer-Johnson call is Tallahassee theater It had been weeks since Jim Greer and Delmar Johnson had talked, and they had some catching up to do about who in the Republican Party of Florida was trying to bury them. “Do you think the party is actually going to try to do anything?” a clearly worried Greer, the party’s ex-chair, tells Johnson, his former executive director, on March 25. The phone conversation is captured on a tantalizing, 50-minute recording released by investigators last week. In it, the two discuss whether it was a mistake for Gov. Charlie
CHELSEA MATIASH/SUN SENTINEL
Claudio Barbosa, left, Nessa Brunton and Noraliza Luna joined about 250 Brazilian fans Friday at Club Cinema to watch the World Cup quarterfinal match between their team and the Netherlands. After the 2-1 loss, Barbosa said, “For us [Brazil fans], it is like someone’s family is dead.”
Flori-Duh
When things turn catty A spat over prescription drugs turned ugly Wednesday when Rachel Switzer lost a cat fight with her live-in girlfriend, reports the St. Petersburg Times. Switzer had refused to give Kristin Stiehler, her live-in girlfriend of six months, some Roxicodone pills. When the fight ended, Switzer had cat feces on her face, hair and ears and cat litter coating her hair, police said. Stiehler was charged with domestic battery by strangulation.
School lesson gets out of hand Teresa Volkman, who teaches at Silver Sands Middle School in Port Orange, was fined $5,000 for professional misconduct. She was disciplined over a November 2008 incident in which she directed a student in a sixth-grade geography class to lead another student with a bungee cord used as a leash. On a professional standards report, Volkman wrote, “I guess I have been watching too much ‘Dog Whisperer’ on TV,” reports ClickOrlando.com.
—Barbara Hijek
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Crist’s U.S. Senate campaign to House Speaker-designate attack Marco Rubio over Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park; RPOF credit card spending, Senate President-designate and reveal the governor was Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt considering an independent Island; Thrasher and McColrun in March — three days lum — the “four horsemen” as before he went on Fox News they are called in the recording and declared he was not leav— all claimed the contract was ing the GOP. Johnson laments never “executed.” his lack of job opportunities. Aaron “What do you think they’re And both repeatedly assure Deslatte going to do about this agreeeach other that neither is ment, just hope that I never Capitol View working with investigators. bring it up?” Greer says, reAs we know, Johnson was ferring to the severance deal. working with investigators. In Greer tells Johnson, “I’m fact, they were listening to the call. And kind of at the point now if they’d just shut after Johnson agreed to testify against his up and stop attacking you and I, I’d forget former boss, Greer was indicted in May about the money. … Just go away.” on six counts of money laundering, fraud Greer did not go away. After the RPOF and theft for allegedly pocketing a cut of announced in April it had forwarded the the party’s major-donor fundraising. case to state investigators, Greer filed a But the recording is also a most intrigu- civil suit over the $123,000 in severance, ing bit of Tallahassee theater. The tenta- accusing RPOF leaders of signing the cles of Greer’s indictment reach into the severance deal and then pretending they GOP primary for governor, in which Rick didn’t. His suit is on hold while the Scott is accusing Bill McCollum of playing criminal case is proceeding. an insider role in covering up Greer’s Greer then asks Johnson if they should alleged misdeeds. But in their conversa- “bring everyone down … I can’t believe tion, Johnson and Greer make it clear they did this to us,” he said. they view McCollum has the ringleader of A week later, Greer started sending the effort to oust them. irate text messages to Johnson, accusing “I think McCollum played a much him of “not telling me the truth” and bigger role behind the scenes than we insisting that “we did nothing wrong.” realize,” Johnson told Greer. Lisa Greer left an angry voicemail for Greer mentions that Orange County Johnson on March 31, the day before GOP Chairman Lew Oliver was telling McCollum’s office announced it had people RPOF Chairman John Thrasher asked state investigators to look into was planning to have them both “hauled Greer. “I can’t believe you came into my off in handcuffs.” home,” she said. “You’re the godfather of And Greer, whose personal financial my child and acted like everything was problems are detailed throughout evi- fine.” dence released by the state, repeatedly returns to the subject of the $123,000 in Aaron Deslatte can be reached at adeslatte severance he maintains he was owed for @orlandosentinel.com or 850-222-5564. leaving the party chairmanship.