In a surprise that appears to have not gone unnoticed at 700 N Adams St in Tallahassee, State Senator Steve Oelrich (R-Cross Creek), former longtime Sheriff of Alachua County and seeking re-election to his 14th Senate District seat in 2010, endorsed Marco Rubio over Charlie Crist in the Republican primary contest for the US Senate. Senator Oelrich also broke with the Governor's decision to push increased funding for the moribund SunRail high-speed transportation project. These decisions may or may not have played a role in Governor Crist's decision today to veto a bill that would allow Santa Fe College to charge students a transportation fee for using Regional Transit System buses.

The 14th District is one of the few Senate districts in Florida that is truly competitive for both parties in its own right. Encompassing all of Alachua, Union, Bradford and Gilchrist Counties along with portions of Levy, Columbia, Putnam and Marion Counties, the lopsided Democratic strength of the Gainesville metro area is balanced by the strongly Republican outlying counties. Oelrich, who as mentioned above served as Alachua County Sheriff from 1992-2006, defeated Democratic incumbent Ed Jennings three years ago on the strength of name recognition and good old boy image that fits well with the non-Gainesville residents of District 14. With the legislature adjourned and elections 16 months away, every decision Oelrich makes from here on out will have an effect on his ability to fundraise and lay the groundwork for a win. Can he afford to upset Crist right now? Or is his banking on grassroots support in the district going to reap dividends for him? Time will tell as this interesting development continues to unfold...