SHAKEUP IN CABINET RACES

It was announced Wednesday that Eric Copeland, an attorney from Miami, has decided to withdraw from the race for Chief Financial Officer and instead challenge Republican incumbant Charles Bronson for his job as Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

In a prepared statement, Copeland saluted Bronson for his job representing the state's agriculture interests. “But that’s only half the job. There are more than 16 million consumers in Florida, and they need a real passionate advocate, which is what I am.”

Copeland's decision avoids a primary battle in the CFO race against Alex Sink, a retired banker who is better known as the wife of 2002 Democratic gubernatorial nominee Bill McBride.

Information from the St. Petersburg Times' political blog The Buzz was used in preparing this posting.