Franklin Sands Quits State Demo Job
BY BUDDY NEVINS
State Rep. Franklin Sands put his money where his mouth is this weekend.
The Weston Democrat gave up a lucrative state party post to concentrate on his other jobs – state legislator and School Board candidate.
Sands called State Democratic Chair Rod Smith on Saturday to tell him of his decision to quit as the party’s southeast Florida coordinator, according to his campaign spokesman David Brown.
Franklin Sands in the Florida House
Brown said that there were “so many important issues that the state faces,” Sands believed it was important to focus on his legislative job. He will also have more time to campaign for School Board, Brown conceded.
A legislator since 2004 who is term limited out next year, Sands needed the state party job. He lost $4.2 million — most of his savings – in the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scam and was forced to go back to work.
The work he found was the party job.
It is not known exactly what the state party job paid. The party has refused to reveal the figure and it is not reflected in the latest financial disclosure statements.
But it was disclosed for February and March – $14,000. That would indicate he made $84,000 annually.
It is believed he was either being paid through another party contract. Or he was being paid a percentage of the money he raised by the party. Or through some obscure committee. Or all three methods.
Why the secret is another question? I guess it is no longer relevant.
The coordinator’s job was created by the state party after the poor Broward turnout in the 2010 election. Some activists believe that the turnout cost Democratic gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink the election. They blamed Broward Party Chair Mitch Ceasar.
Fearful that Ceasar’s management would cost Barack Obama the election in Florida next year, the state party decided to work around the long-time Broward chair. It named Sands local coordinator, or essentially a shadow Broward chair.
Sands’ job included, among other things, managing a get-out-the-vote campaign, which in the past Ceasar ran by himself.
Ceasar was said to be livid about the Sands appointment, but kept his mouth shut publicly.
It is not known at this point who will replace Sands, if anybody.
As the former House Minority Leader, Sands is a Democratic elder statesman among Democrats in the Legislature. He is expected to have an influential role in shaping the Democratic position on redistricting and the budget.
In addition, Sands announced in October he was running for the School Board countywide seat now held by Republican Katie Leach. Leach is quitting that seat to run for a district seat.
November 20th, 2011 at 12:43 pm
Any David Brown candidate will have me working hard against them.
November 20th, 2011 at 1:47 pm
Why would Franklyn Sands want to be on the School Board after the status of serving in the state House?
November 20th, 2011 at 4:19 pm
“Why would Franklyn Sands want to be on the School Board after the status of serving in the state House?”
1. A job is a job.
2. He needs the $$?
3. Free health insurance?
4. Once a pol, always a pol.
November 20th, 2011 at 6:18 pm
missed one
#5 To be able to help his lobbyist son Alex Heckler
November 20th, 2011 at 10:39 pm
Alan Grayson would be the perfect person to be Broward coordinator, if we could only get him to relocate from centrist Orlando to progressive South Florida.
November 21st, 2011 at 9:16 am
I have never ONCE ever heard a positive thing said about Mitch Ceasar, and yet, there he still sits. I suspect that Ceasar really wants Republicans to win. Somehow, that must help his lobbying business.
November 21st, 2011 at 9:26 am
I agree with AMWakeUpCall. It is time for Mitch Ceasar to go. He lost the 2010 election and does nothing but use the chair position to get lobbying jobs. He is a waste of space and has done more to make the DEC irrelevant than all the Republicans in Broward County. Time to go.
November 21st, 2011 at 10:46 am
Franklin Sands is one of the nicest most most genuine people in politics in the State of Florida. Assumptions about his motives are off base, as he truly cares for those he serves and will be a fantastic advocate for Broward School children. His legislative and administrative skills will serve the Board well and I believe he will be a bright spot breaking through the foul and ugly mists
of vapours that seem to strangle us.
November 21st, 2011 at 11:12 am
In past times I worked with Franklin on the School Board, Facilities Task Force, his energy and knowledge , served all of Browards Schools.
November 21st, 2011 at 11:39 am
It seems that Buddy’s Blog is taking over for the SunSentinel’s political column. More activity is being generated and Browardbeat is becoming the blog for discourse between actual parties and alias’s , as well. Nevertheless, I find this refreshing and Buddy your blog is filling a vacuum for discussion. Bravo.
FROM BUDDY:
Thank you for your kind words about my little hobby.
I encourage you to read the Sun-Sentinel and Miami Herald’s political columns. Even if the Sun-Sentinel at times follows my lead, they have a different approach to stories and deserve to be read. Another reason to read them: Brittany Wallman, Tony Man and the others need a job. 🙂
November 21st, 2011 at 12:39 pm
I..thought your piece was pure fluff..written by Mr. Brown. Everyone knew weeks ago that Sands was to be fired in the next several weeks.His fate was sealed after folks spoke to FDP Chair Rod Smith at the Orlando State Democratic Convention,relating to his incompetence.He resigned to “save face.”Additionally,by his own comments Sands was NEVER in charge of Get Out The Vote for Broward as he entered his “job” with no expertise…which is the same way he left the job..no knowledge. Besides Sands has said that he was in charge of 6 counties,That would take a real expert in GOTV.You refer to him as an individual who will play a great role in Legislative decisions in this,his last session. However,he never has had a real voice,so how does he possess one now? Finally,only a few perennial dissidents blamed Ceasar for the Broward performance of 2010.I believe that was referred to nationally as an “enthusiasm gap.” I may not agree with Chairman Ceasar on everything..but he is certainly not guilty of being unprepared for the 2012 election. Sands was inserted as a political “payoff” by Rod Smith.
November 21st, 2011 at 3:15 pm
Bo For Justice, who is really Mitch Ceasar writing under a different name, knows that Sands was given a job because he was incompetent.
Just the facts, mam. Broward had a 61,550 vote margin for Alex Sink in 2010. Miami Dade had 69,720 and Palm Beach had 71,788. Sink lost the state by 61,550.
Since Broward has a larger Democratic margin then either of those counties, what was wrong? Easy answer is Mitch Ceasar. Ceasar is the chair of the Democratic Party. Ceasar failed to deliver in his job, to enable Democrats to win. Ceasar should do the right thing and resign.
November 21st, 2011 at 4:40 pm
Bo was obviously not at the convention meeting. One by one activists got up to say they would never work with Ceasar. The meeting was not about Sands, it was about why Democrats failed in 2010 with Ceasar in charge. Bo needs to get his facts straight. The enthusiasm gap was because Broward Dems had no enthusiasm because the party in Broward, and it’s leadership, did not generate any.
November 21st, 2011 at 5:00 pm
Alex Sink, was a very weak Democratic challenger. She didn’t seem to work the West Palm, Dade and Broward areas very effectively. Former Governor and U.S. Senator Bob Graham or Broward’s own Bob Butterworth, I think, would have won. The Broward and Dade voters would have been enthusiastic about these proven leaders. Sometimes the scape-goat is the candidate not a party leader.
November 22nd, 2011 at 8:16 pm
If Sink was so weak, how come she only lost by a 1% margin?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Sink
Sink was a great candidate & would have been a great Governor. Scott is a total disaster – Florida is suffering more damage from Ol’ Baldy than it did from Hurricane Andrew.