Senate won’t reinstate Snipes
The Florida Senate has declined to take action on former Broward County elections head Brenda Snipes’ suspension, paving the way for an ally of Republican Gov. Rick Scott to fill the remainder of her term, according to a memo on Thursday from Senate President Bill Galvano.
Snipes had announced she would resign her post effective Jan. 4, amid an outcry over stumbles by her office during Florida’s recount.
A day after Scott suspended her from office on Nov. 30, Snipes she said she would withdraw her resignation. Citing “misfeasance, incompetence and neglect of duty,” Scott installed Pete Antonacci, his former top lawyer, to fill the remainder of Snipes’ term, which ends after the 2020 presidential election.
Under Florida law, the Senate — which is controlled by Republicans — is charged with deciding whether a suspended public official should be removed from office or reinstated.
Galvano, R-Bradenton, said legal precedent in Florida has established that Snipes cannot take back her resignation once a successor has been named by the governor.
“I pointed out there’s an opportunity that if Dr. Snipes feels like there’s some remedy that she would like to seek there’s the judicial avenue that’s open to her,” he said. “From a Senate standpoint, the issue is moot come Jan. 5.”
Snipes’ attorney, Burnadette Norris-Weeks, said she was in meetings and could not comment. Efforts to reach Snipes on her cellphone were unsuccessful.
Jeremiah Hawkes, the Florida Senate’s top lawyer, based much of his opinion off a 1934 advisory opinion issued by the Florida Supreme Court. That Second chance: FIU’s Jones reflective after shooting
“That first night, I asked God, ‘Why me?’” Jones said in an interview with The Associated Press. “I did. You know I did. I just wished I could rewind time, man. Why me? I don’t ever do anything to anybody. I’m a good dude. I respect everybody. I’m a respectful man. My momma raised me right. I’ve never done anything to anybody. I just want to play football, graduate, get my degree and help my family.
“I have that chance now. A second chance.”
He’s already taking of that second chance.
In four games since returning, Jones — the brother of Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook — has three touchdowns, two receiving and one rushing. He ran for 158 yards in those games on 37 carries, and the Panthers (8-4) have a chance to set a In this 2016 file photo, Florida International running back Anthony Jones catches a pass during practice at Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium, in Miami.
MIAMI The scar snakes down the right side of Anthony Jones’ neck, serving as a constant reminder of something the FIU running back doesn’t exactly remember nor will he ever forget.
Had the bullet gone an inch or two in a different direction, he could have died.
Instead, he’s about to go play for FIU in the Bahamas Bowl next week.
Shot in the back on Sept. 6, Jones has been back on the field for several weeks already and is now speaking out about the fateful day when he and FIU offensive lineman Mershawn Miller were hurt in a drive-by shooting outside a home they were visiting in the city of Opa-Locka, a few miles north of downtown Miami.
The wounds have healed. The scar is dissipating. He’s still here. advantage
84-year-old case involved a clerk of the circuit court who tried to take back a resignation submitted to the governor. The court opined that was not permissible once a replacement had been appointed.
State Sen. Oscar Braynon, D-Miami Gardens, said he thinks that Snipes should have been given a chance to change her mind on her resignation and defend herself. He viewed the Senate president’s decision not to intervene as an indication that the Senate doesn’t think she should be removed.
“I think she should have had her day to explain herself,” he said.
In a news conference early on Dec. 1, Snipes and her attorney vowed to fight the suspension and questioned whether it had been politically motivated. Snipes could still file a lawsuit to contest the suspension.
Antonacci, a registered Republican, will likely oversee the next presidential election in one of the state’s most Democratic counties. Asked for his thoughts on the Senate’s memo, he said he didn’t think it was his place to comment.
Scott will leave office on Jan. 8 to be sworn in as U.S. senator. His successor — Republican Gov.elect Ron DeSantis — also has been critical of Snipes, telling Fox News there was “no way” he was going to let her preside over another election.
Richard Hornsby, an Orlando attorney who writes about Florida constitutional law, said he thinks Snipes could face an uphill legal battle.
“She boxed herself in when she submitted her resignation when Scott was still in office,” he said.