Arrest of Crist Ally Has Tallahassee Nervous

Alan Mendelsohn

The arrest of prominent Florida Ophthalmologist Alan Mendelsohn on fraud charges this past Wednesday has rocked the Tallahassee establishment.  Mendelsohn had long been active in Florida politics and had previously served as the Treasurer of the Florida Medical Association's Political Action Committee.  He is accused of diverting money to fund personal expenses, including the upkeep of his mistress.

To say that Mendelsohn was an arrogant power broker would be a vast understatement.  A well-connected donor who delivered hundreds of thousands of dollars to politicians over the years, Mendelsohn was more than willing to brag of his power in Tallahassee.  While the Republican Party of Florida and Republican candidates were the overwhelming beneficiary of Mendelsohn's fundraising expertise, he also supported some Democratic candidates, including Hollywood State Senator Eleanor Sobel, for whom he raised over $50,000 in one day.

The fraud charges against Mendelsohn were the result of an investigation that involved Mutual Benefits Chief Joel Steinger.  Steinger's company was under investigation by the State of Florida, an investigation that Mendelsohn is accused of agreeing to help make "go away" through the use of his political connections.  After Steinger co-operated with investigators, Mendelsohn implicated Charlie Crist, saying that he had made a deal with Crist's office to drop the investigation into Mutual Benefits.  Despite wearing a wire and placing a call to Crist Chief of Staff George LeMieux (now US Senator), Mendelsohn was apparently unable to deliver proof of his allegations.

The political ramifications are likely to be significant as Mendelsohn's ties to entrenched Tallahassee lawmakers is something that will likely become a campaign issue in 2010.  Former Senate President Ken Pruitt and Charlie Crist both intervened on Mendelsohn's behalf after his son was denied admission to medical school at the University of Florida, a decision that was later overturned by Dr. Bruce Kone, the dean of UF's College of Medicine.

There are a few statewide reporters who have have been reporting on the Mendelsohn case for some time.  Bob Norman, a reporter with the Broward-Palm Beach New Times, first wrote about the case here and wrote a follow-up piece after Mendelsohn's arrest.  Gary Fineout, an award-winning journalist who now runs his own blog, has covered the case extensively and Sun-Sentinel reporter Aaron Deslatte has provided a breakdown of the politicians involved with Mendelsohn.

Tags: Aaron Deslatte, Alan Mendelsohn, Bob Norman, Bruce Kone, Charlie Crist, Democratic Party of Florida, Eleanor Sobel, Florida Medical Association, Gary Fineout, George LeMieux, Joel Steinger, Marco Rubio, Mutual Benefits, Republican Party of Florida, Tallahassee, University of Florida

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 4th, 2009 at 6:00 AM and is filed under State Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.