A big wrinkle has cropped up in Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn's deliberations about running for governor in 2018.

His name is John "For the People" Morgan, the publicity-loving personal injury lawyer who, fresh off of spearheading the legalization of medical marijuana in Florida, is now thinking about running for governor in 2018.

"There are some things I would like see done here in my state. Our state. I have a pretty clear vision of what Florida's next governor should do," the multimillionaire from the Orlando area wrote online last week, saying he has received an outpouring of support.

Other Democrats seriously looking at the race include Buckhorn, whose term ends in the spring of 2019; outgoing U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham of Tallahassee, the daughter of former Gov. Bob Graham; and Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine, who made his fortune in the cruise industry.

Republican prospects include Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam (Morgan says he'd like to do away with the positions of lieutenant governor and agriculture commissioner because they don't do much); incoming Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran of Land O'Lakes; and former Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford.

"He's been a loyal Democrat, and he puts his money where his mouth is," Buckhorn, 58, said of Morgan. "Whether or not at this point in his life taking on that task is something he's interested in, I don't know. Certainly it is a different skill set required to be governor. But then again, after last Tuesday's results I think the conventional rules are out the window. So ultimately the voters have to decide whether competence matters and whether experience matters."

Morgan and Levine potentially could put tens of millions of dollars into a governor's race, as Rick Scott did when he came out of nowhere in 2010. Graham, 53, and Buckhorn don't have that luxury. The Tampa mayor said he expects to make a decision in the first quarter of 2017.

Legislative jockeying

Corcoran has little interest in continuing the tradition/charade of recent legislative presiding officers who acted like they were BFFs on the same page heading into a legislative session. Corcoran and incoming Senate President Joe Negron, R-Stuart, appeared together Thursday at the Sayfie Review's 2016 Leadership Forum in Orlando, where clear dividing lines and tensions were on display.

"I don't think the speaker-designate will get along very well with the president-elect," Democratic state Sen. Jeremy Ring, a likely candidate for chief financial officer in 2018, said after listening to the two Republican leaders cordially talk about their priorities and philosophies for the next session.

The incoming speaker vowed to clamp down on spending. The next Senate president said limiting spending is important, but so is investing in Florida's quality of life.

"We should be frugal, we should be reasonable, but our state does need infrastructure," said Negron, noting that Floridians have among the lowest tax burdens and that he is proud of his role in helping fund a senior center in his community. "Cultural funding, museums, libraries, making sure we have places where people can meet, I do think those are important" in attracting millennials to Florida.

"That's going to be a big difference between the two chambers of the next two years," retorted Corcoran, who lamented that "every single legislator spends money like a teenager in a mall with a first time credit card."

When Negron suggested that give and take is important between the two chambers, Corcoran neither nodded nor spoke in agreement. Negron said improving Lake Okeechobee, increasing higher education funding and graduation rates and trying to provide more Floridians access to health insurance through Medicaid are among his priorities.

Corcoran was less specific. "We're going to govern unabashedly principled and unabashedly conservative," he said. "That creates tensions, that creates internal strife."

He predicted a great two years ahead and added, half-jokingly, "There's still Jack Latvala. I haven't figured that part out yet," referring to the wily, moderate Pinellas Republican senator who is likely to give Corcoran plenty of heartburn this year.

Back in St. Petersburg

Overlooked amid the stunning election results earlier this month was good news for St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman's re-election prospects. His strongest potential challenger next year is former Mayor Rick Baker, who played a leading role in David Jolly's unsuccessful congressional campaign against Charlie Crist.

In a virtual dress rehearsal of what a Baker campaign would look like, Baker brought out his once formidable political machine for St. Petersburg's black community. Former police chief and deputy mayor Goliath Davis, now a resident of Gadsden County 300 miles away, and top Davis deputies Al White and Cedric Gordon, worked hard to help Jolly with black voters.

They didn't achieve much. Jolly drew about 19 percent of the vote in 11 precincts we analyzed in largely African-American neighborhoods.