Florida GOP head gets vote of confidence

Dogged by spending controversies, party rifts and even calls for his ouster, state Republican Party chairman Jim Greer received a welcome vote of confidence from his executive board on Thursday.

But even that vote "in the interest of party unity" wasn't unanimous, with two dissenting board members making the final count 25-2. And as that vote was being cast, news was circulating that a prominent GOP fundraiser was calling for Greer to step down.

The party's executive board met during the quarterly meeting of the Republican Party of Florida in Tallahassee, where state lawmakers, party leaders and local committee members mixed and mingled at the downtown Doubletree Hotel.

National party committeeman Paul Senft made the motion to demonstrate "for public clarification" their support of Greer and other top party officials, as well as to commend their "leadership and vision for our party's future."

Nationwide, rifts in the Republican Party -- like the sort that cost the party New York's congressional District 23 -- are moving state GOPs to pass such "unity" resolutions, said Senft, of Polk County.

"We can't throw the party under the bus," Senft said.

After the vote in Greer's favor, Peter Feaman of Palm Beach County and Bob Starr of Charlotte County offered little detail about their dissention. Both said, however, that they felt Senft's motion was inappropriate.

Greer, chosen for his post three years ago by Gov. Charlie Crist, has stoked the anger of some party members this year with his attempts to steer the party to back Crist over former House Speaker Marco Rubio in the U.S. Senate primary. Some have also complained about extravagant spending and allegedly improper use of party credit cards.

Fundraiser and former finance chairman Al Hoffman cited the spending issues in the letter he fired off a letter to Greer.

"It is time for you to resign in order to end the excessive, irresponsible, unethical and perhaps illegal spending that has marked your administration," wrote Hoffman, of North Palm Beach.

News reports showed that former state House Speaker Ray Sansom, given a party credit card because of his position, had used his to spend heavily on what appeared to be personal items. Sansom and Greer also used party credit cards while accompanying Crist on a 2008 trade mission to London.

Greer withdrew the cards and publicly cut up his own, but that didn't fix the damage. The controversy dampened party fundraising, some party officials say.

Thursday, Greer called Hoffman "misinformed," wished him a Happy New Year and touted the confidence vote he received.

"Those that do have information on all the issues that [Hoffman] continues to raise have seen that there's no substance to it, that it's not warranted," he said, adding that anyone who thought he might lose or resign his position was dabbling in "fantasies and dreams."

"I wasn't going anywhere," he said.