Sen. George LeMieux said he long wondered how disgraced lawyer Scott Rothstein was so successful but never acted on it because he's not "the kind of person to try to pull down others."

"I’ve talked to him and know him," LeMieux, who ran a competing law firm, said last week. "I never understood how he was so successful,
but I wasn’t the kind of person to try to pull down others. I just hope
for the best and was always optimistic about him as I am about
everybody and thought there must be some other way he is making his
money."

"I hate to see it because I’m from Fort Lauderdale," LeMieux said of allegations Rothstein engaged in a $1 billion investment scheme. "It’s a black eye for my hometown. There is a culture of corruption in southeast Florida and perhaps other parts of Florida and we’ve got to root it out."

LeMieux, who will attend a RPOF fundraiser with Gov. Charlie Crist tomorrow in Fort Lauderdale, said he did not think the Rothstein stink will hurt his friend. "The people of Florida know their governor and they like their governor and they know he fights for them every day. I think ultimately that’s going to shape their opinion."

The Buzz recently noted that Rothstein attended LeMieux's swearing in ceremony in September. At the time we reported that Rothstein was not an invited guest. That is still accurate, LeMieux's office said when asked again, but a spokesman acknowledged that Rothstein had asked for a handful of tickets and was awarded two.