In Case You Missed It: Atwater Bilking Taxpayers for $7,000/Month

For Immediate Release: April 14, 2008

TALLAHASSEE - Republican State Sen. Jeff Atwater is paying a retired outsourcer with no discernable legislative experience a bundle of taxpayer dollars to aid in his transition to Senate president, more than six months prior to taking control - with little certainty that he'll survive his reelection this fall.

In case you missed the latest in a string of scandalous deals cut by Florida Republicans, news broke late in the day Friday, a good time for Atwater to reveal the controversial hiring - if he didn't think the public was stupid. No, in reality, Atwater boastfully announced the hiring of Robert "Budd" Kneip as his new legislative aide at the rate of $7,000 a month.

As legislators contend with massive budget shortfalls, the compensation package Atwater plotted for Kneip avoided the ax. Still unclear is how the wealthy Kneip merits receiving the extravagant pay.

The Post explains how the position is normally "appointed after the legislative leader assumes his role in the fall." Shockingly, Atwater admitted to the paper that Kneip "doesn't have the experience in this process" and will be paid for on the job training. [Palm Beach Post, 4/12/08] The bare legislative background is quite odd for a Chief of Staff, Kneip confessed he'd "rely heavily on the Senate staff already in place." [South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 4/12/08]

Atwater, facing the campaign of his life, also has been under fire for illicit ties to insurance lobbyists and a major pay-for-play scandal in Palm Beach County.

"Jeff Atwater is desperately trying to appear confident that he'll be the next Senate President, but everybody knows he's in deep trouble. He's already been snarled in corruption, and now taxpayers in Florida know he's ripping them off to further his career," Florida Democratic Party spokesman Mark Bubriski said. "Jeff Atwater best not get too comfortable in Tallahassee. The voters are watching."

South Florida Sun-Sentinel: Incoming Florida Senate president Jeff Atwater names South Florida businessman as next Senate chief of staff
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/sfl-flfchiefofstaff0412sbapr12,0,5834192.story

Palm Beach Post: Lawyer running against Atwater criticizes untrained aide's salary
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/search/content/state/epaper/2008/04/12/a17a_atwater_0412.html

Palm Beach Post: Defacto senate prez aide earning $7,000 a month
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/floridapolitics/entries/2008/
04/11/defacto_senate_prez_aide_earni.html

MORE ON JEFF ATWATER

Jeff Atwater, in line to become the next Senate President, is up for reelection in November and the campaign has sent him into full-on panic mode for the past year. Rumors abound that he's threatened lobbyists with retribution for helping Democrats. "Some lobbyists report being invited to meet with Atwater at RPOF headquarters in recent weeks, where they were reminded how much their clients gave in recent cycles," the St. Petersburg Times reported in August.

Atwater pressured other senators in a failed effort keep former Democratic Sen. Skip Campbell from opposing him. He's done a complete 180 degrees on the insurance industry - jumping out of bed with them to vocally criticize them (but holding on to more than $250,000 of their money...). He continues to rake in millions from special interests and still has not come clean about his ties to the Enrique Tomeu scandal, which has already sent some players to jail.

Dems blame Atwater for insurance woes
Palm Beach Post Blog, 4/1/08
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/
floridapolitics/entries/2008/04/01/dems_blame_atwater_for_insuran.html

Dems Attack Atwater
St. Petersburg Times Blog, 4/1/08
http://blogs.tampabay.com/buzz/2008/04/dems-attack-atw.html

Atwater's Retail Federation Bundling...
St. Petersburg Times Blog, 1/12/08
http://blogs.tampabay.com/buzz/2008/01/retail-federati.html

Enrique Tomeu/Palm Beach Aggregates Scandal
Palm Beach Post Archive
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/news/special_reports/masilotti/

Tomeu Scandal Cast of Characters (includes Atwater)
Palm Beach Post Archive
http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/palmbeachpost/multimedia/tomeu/Tomeu.html

Atwater's Campaign Riches
St. Petersburg Times Blog, 8/1/07
http://blogs.tampabay.com/buzz/2007/08/atwaters-campai.html