What Do They Think The Job Entails?

The Pensacola News Journal reports on the latest attempt by a Republican to avoid responsibility: ‘Taj Mahal’ courthouse flap finds new target

TALLAHASSEE — State Sen. Mike Haridopolos on Thursday demanded the resignation of the head of the state’s property management agency because of “runaway spending” on the politically charged 1st District Court of Appeal courthouse.

Haridopolos, a Merritt Island Republican who will become president of the Senate in November, said Linda South, secretary of the state’s Department of Management Services, should resign for failing to properly oversee the $49 million project.

“It’s just an abomination. This was just the final straw,” Haridopolos said. “Secretary South has failed to do her job, and it’s time for her to go. I’m really surprised the governor, given her behavior, hasn’t already asked her for her resignation.”
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n 2007, the Legislature passed a last-minute amendment to an appropriations bill that included authority for the sale of $33.5 million in bonds to pay for the bulk of construction on the courthouse. Haridopolos voted for the bill.

“We in the Legislature appropriate an amount of money. The oversight is in the executive branch,” Haridopolos said. “When people came in and they said this is what the cost will be, we weighed the pros and cons, and we voted for it.”

The problem is not that the project is over budget, it’s that the budget was too large. The legislature approved the spending, so they approved the project, including the exotic wood paneling and granite counter tops. The executive is administering the project according the wishes of the legislature. Everyone who voted for it is responsible for it. There is no one else to blame, they own the problem.