High court strikes down Crist’s bid for grand jury
TALLAHASSEE – The Florida Supreme Court on Monday denied Gov. Charlie Crist’s request to impanel a statewide grand jury to investigate public corruption.
In a 6-1 decision, the court said the governor’s petition did not meet the minimum allegations required by statute and failed to specify general crimes. Justice Charles Canady, one of four Crist appointees on the court, was the lone dissenter.
The governor’s office filed an amended petition almost immediately.
Crist, who is leaving office after one term to seek the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate, made his request Oct. 14, just two weeks after a top campaign contributor, Dr. Alan Mendelsohn of Hollywood, surrendered to the FBI on charges he ran a fraudulent multimillion-dollar fundraising and lobbying operation.
Three prominent politicians in Florida’s second-most populous county, Democrat-controlled Broward County, were arrested in September on federal corruption charges, accused of accepting thousands of dollars in cash from undercover FBI agents posing as businessmen seeking illegal favors.
Crist said he’s removed 30 public officials from office for wrongdoing during his three years as governor.
More Stories
USF professors weigh in after US strikes on Iran nuclear sites
Kyle Burke has seen the U.S. enter multiple Middle Eastern conflicts, such as Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003. Still, he said he wasn’t surprised when he saw the U.S. enter another in June. Burke, a USF history professor, has been studying and teaching U.S. foreign relations for nearly two decades. “I had a […]
USF’s presidential search slowed in spring, now resumes with new firm
The USF presidential search committee announced this month its plans to move forward with a new search firm in its pursuit of a new university president. In May, USF spokesperson Althea Johnson told The Oracle that USF would move forward with its presidential search after its initial search firm — SP&A Executive Search — finished […]
USF rocket team takes flight in NASA competition despite challenges
In a field in Alabama, USF Society of Aeronautics and Rocketry members waited for Prometheus — the rocket they’d spent nine months crafting — to take flight. USF’s SOAR was among the 53 teams that launched their rockets for the NASA Student Launch in Huntsville on May 4. The USF team placed 18th after launching […]
USF international students navigate travel under new visa limitations
With a ban restricting visa issuance and entry into the U.S. in effect, USF student Arshia Esmaeilian said he is afraid his parents might not be able to see him graduate next year unless the ban is lifted. “I didn’t really ask for this,” said Esmaeilian, a senior chemistry major. “It’s just something I have […]
USF’s Marshall Student Center to reduce hours amid budget constraints
USF’s Marshall Student Center will operate under reduced hours starting in the upcoming fall semester. New operating hours will go into effect starting on Aug. 17 as listed below: Monday–Thursday: Changing from 7 a.m.–midnight to 8 a.m.–11 p.m. Friday: Changing from 7 a.m.–1 a.m. to 8 a.m.–midnight Saturday: Changing from 8 a.m.–1 a.m. to 8 […]
USF, Crisis Center step up hurricane prep as anxiety lingers from last season
With the arrival of hurricane season in Tampa, USF students – particularly those new to South Florida – may be experiencing increased stress or anxiety after the 2024 season. Running from June 1 to Nov. 30, hurricane season marks the period when tropical storms form and intensify in the Atlantic Ocean, according to the National […]