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Harris, Townsend At Family Impact Summit

Posted Sep 21, 2007 by William March

Updated Sep 21, 2007 at 05:16 PM

Katherine Harris, Florida’s most notorious former secretary of state, is making one of her first public appearances since her unsuccesful Senate race at a religious conservative conference at Bell Shoals Baptist Church this weekend.

Also speaking at the conference is Rebecca Odell Townsend, who became briefly famous during last year’s governor’s race when she publicly contended that she had borne a baby 18 years ago by Gov. Charlie Crist, then a young lawyer.

Townsend, a lawyer who gives speeches on the Constitution to social and religious conservative groups, wouldn’t talk to a reporter about her child after her appearance on a panel on religious freedom this morning. The child, who apparently was adopted soon after birth by a St. Petersburg family, is now an 18-year-old college student.

“I don’t know that she’s my daughter—I don’t have any comment,” Townsend said when approached by a reporter.

The girl’s adoptive family have provided reporters what appears to be proof that their daughter is the birth daughter Townsend gave up for adoption. The girl’s family have unsuccessfully sought to contact Crist about the matter. Townsend hadn’t previously questioned whether the St. Petersburg girl is her daughter.

The conference, called the Family Impact Summit, is taking place at Bell Shoals Baptist Church in Brandon. The speakers include several major figures in the national religious conservative movement. Today’s lunch speaker is Don Wildmon, founder of the American Family Association. Others will include Gary Bauer and Tony Perkins.
Harris, who heavily involved religion as a theme in her campaign for the Senate last year, will appear this afternoon on a panel concerning Christian citizenship.

Since she lost her attempt to unseat Democratic Rep. Bill Nelson, Harris has made few public appearances and has been reluctant to talk to reporters.