Florida’s Governor and oft mentioned possible Republican VP choice Charlie Crist quietly signed into law a bill that allows a private Tampa-based anti-gay marriage group to solicit money from Florida drivers on official state forms.

He signed the bill giving Family First the opportunity to ask drivers to donate $1 every time they apply for a driver's license, car tag or renewal. Family First will be listed on the back of the forms along with groups that promote manatee protection and blindness prevention.

But who is Family First (as if you couldn’t guess by the name)?  Their mission is listed on their website as follows: “The mission of Family First is to strengthen the family by establishing family as a top priority in people's lives and by promoting principles for building marriages and raising children."

Translation: Family First actively promotes religious-based “traditional” marriage.  Its founder, Mark Merrill, has been an outspoken critic of marriage equality and a funder for the so-called “Marriage Protection” Amendment on Florida’s ballot in November, as well as other anti-LGBT laws and protections around the state.

The bill, sponsored by Republican Mike Fasano of New Port Richey, passed the Senate on a 21-15 vote. The American Civil Liberties Union called on Crist to veto the bill, saying it violated the separation of church and state.  Guess who Crist sided with?

So now people can help fund anti-LGBT initiatives with the check of a box at the DMV.  This is hardly an example of the “live and let live” attitude that Crist claims to live by.