Lawton Chiles was from Lakeland. His son is expected to be the Democrat nominee for governor in 2006, and Attorney General Charles Crist is expected to seek the Republican nod: he is part of the Greer organization and from the St. Petersburg area, if not the city itself. I think Chiles will take that governorship back with ease because of this disastrous Republican split over Terri. It may be that Jeb's lieutenant governor, a woman, can get the GOP nod from Crist, but I don't think she can win against someone named Chiles.
Anyway, I should not be discussing FL gubernatorial politics on this sad day. Now if Terri had been rescued, the whole political atmosphere would be 180 degrees different, I think, though the popular polls said not so.
The Republicans need an outsider to run down there.