FROM THE "WHATEVER HAPPENED TO..." FILE

Remember Bud Chiles, son of the late former U.S. Senator and Governor Lawton Chiles? He began a campaign for governor earlier this year but had to withdraw because of a archaric constitutional requirement that requires a candidate to live in the state for seven consecutive years prior to the election. The younger Chiles had returned to Florida in 2003 after working for the international charity Hope Worldwide in New York.

Lakeland Ledger political columnist Bill Rufty spoke with Bud recently, and learned that he is moving from his Orlando home to Tallahassee. Chiles has gotten a knack as a developer, purchasing existing marinas in the Big Bend area of the Panhandle and adding residential developments to them. He also owns the upscale Governor's Inn hotel in Tallahassee, which he plans to convert into condos.

But will we see Bud Chiles back in Florida politics? He tells Rufty:

"I'm kind of just going to see what unfolds...I have to make a living, and moving up to Tallahassee is kind of like moving home. I definitely will be involved in my dad's foundation and in community organizations.

BTW: He can't run for governor or another Cabinet level office until 2010.