One of Gov. Charlie Crist's most die-hard support bases, the police chiefs, just took a swipe at his veto of a court fee bill that would have added $1 to the $3 charge for court costs.
Florida Police Chiefs Association President Skip Clark, Juno Beach's top cop, on Monday called the bill "very little to ask for" and said his organization was "very disappointed" the governor went through with the veto.
The fees go to a trust fund that pays for law enforcement and corrections officer training. Crist vetoed it a couple weeks ago because he said he didn't want to raise costs for already-struggling families.
The group also levels a charge that Crist has been denying for months, namely that the property tax constitutional amendment headed to voters Jan. 29 will cut law enforcement services.
"The unresolved property tax issue, if passed, will result in severe budget cuts to police departments statewide, making the need for a $1 increase even more critical," Clark said in the statement.