by Monica Chamness
Staff Writer
Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist visited members of the Federal Bar Association Tuesday at the Omni to talk about what they can expect during his tenure. Receiving the highest priority are civil rights, identity theft and gasoline prices.
State legislation is circulating to lessen the stringent definition of inequality to be on par with the federal guidelines.
“In order for the United States attorney general to bring a civil rights action, all that is required is to show a pattern or practice of discrimination,” said Crist. “The Florida attorney general must show an actual act, threat, intimidation or coercion.”
Crist cited incidents such as refusal of service because of race and automatically adding tips to the bills of one race and not another.
The last example was “why I believe change is needed in our statutes,” said Crist.
Monday, Crist testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee. He said the only dissenting vote was from the representative from the Florida Chamber of Commerce, who argued the perils of more government involvement.
Identity theft is another area of concern for Crist.
“It is the fastest growing crime in our state and the fastest growing crime in America,” he said.
Legislation has been proposed to stiffen the penalties for identity theft and will be debated during the current legislative session.
The steep price of gasoline was also addressed. A full-blown investigation is not in the works but the state executive branch has been informally inquiring into the matter as a result of complaints from constituents.
“The price of gas has never been higher in the history of our state,” he said, adding representatives from six of the major oil companies were invited to Tallahassee to explain their position.
“They gave three basic reasons: the strike in Venezuela, the cold up north and the threat of war with Iraq,” said Crist. “While that might have an impact on the price of fuel, the jitters about Iraq have not, to the best of my knowledge, raised the cost of food or the price of clothes.”