Greetings everyone from the early chill of the state capital. The temperature dipped down to 27 degrees in Tallahassee last night thus, contradicting two schools of thought: 1. The Florida legislature is full of enough hot air to raise the relative temperature and, 2. We are experiencing the phenomenon called global warming.
Now the dust has settled from the November 4th elections, the climate in Tallahassee hasn't really changed all that much. The Republican Party maintained the super majority in the Florida House of Representatives (76 Republicans to 44 Democrats) as well as the Florida Senate (26 Republicans to 14 Democrats). So, the ball is still in the court of the Republican Party to help re-invigorate Florida's stagnant economy. Although the R's have the overwhelming majority, many of the races around the state were very close and could have gone either way (R or D). This isn't surprising given Florida Governor Charlie Crist has managed to stay in the middle of the political spectrum, and enjoys ample popularity within the state and nationally.
So, here is what's at stake in Florida: The state's economy is in the ditch. Despite the best efforts of our leaders to reform property taxes and insurance, citizens just are not getting the warm and fuzzy feelings. Secondly, with a recent Florida Supreme Court ruling, Florida's businesses have more reasons to get antsy as the 4 consecutive quarters of Workers Comp premium reductions could disappear as early as March 2009. *FYI- Florida Supreme Court overturned caps on attorney's fees in Worker Comp lawsuits. Early indications are premiums could increase by as much as 18.6%, negating the progress made since 2003. So, homeowners and business owners are seriously concerned about the economic forecasts.
Secondly, tourism and home sales are down! Since Florida's economy is primarily dependent on sale-tax collections and documentary stamp revenues, legislators are going to have to re-invent the terminology of doing a lot more with a lot less. There has been a lot of chatter around a potential special legislative session in December to further reduce state budget allocations for the 2008-09 Fiscal Year. And to add a little more flavor to the mix, I have been told by people higher in the food chain that state agencies may be asked to cut another 10% for Fiscal Year 2009-10. For those of you at home keeping score, that is a little over a 20% cut in budget allocations in roughly 2 years. Scary stuff, right?
Now aside from the doom and gloom of the state's economy which the Republicans are desperately trying to salvage and the need to make good public policy which we all support, there is one other seemingly minor, but, in fact, HUGE item at stake..... What, you may ask? R-E-A-P-P-O-R-T-I-O-N-M-E-N-T. "Reapportionment"! The forgotten crown jewel. In line with the updated census numbers, Florida's Legislature is required to reapportion legislative districts. And, as you may expect, the majority party will have the most representation and sayso on how the "new" legislative districts are drawn. The Democrats would love nothing more than to pick-up enough seats in the state legislature to ensure they are in the majority in 2010. By the same token, the Republicans do not want to give any ground because they want the lead on drawing the new districts. For those who have never witnessed reapportionment, the process gives a whole to meaning to: "Everybody is equal, some more equal than others!"
With all of this drama going on, it is almost forgetful that we have a new Speaker of the House and President of the Senate. Officially elected Tuesday during "Organizational Session," Sen. Jeff Atwater R-Royal Palm Beach was elected by his peers to preside over the Florida Senate during (2009-10) legislative sessions. Rep. Ray Sansom R-Destin was selected by his colleagues in the Florida House to preside over the lower chamber. Also assuming their leadership roles, the Minority Party elected Sen. Al Lawson D-Tallahassee and Rep. Franklin Sands D-Weston to the highest positions within their party.
Congressional Florida was home to some very interesting races. All were very heavily contested. We saw a friend get caught with his pants down and two other incumbents from presumably "safe" districts fall to their challengers. When all the votes were counted the Democratic Party picked up one additional seat in Florida's delegation. The specific races were: Incumbent Tom Feeney (R-24) lost to Democratic challenger Suzanne Cosmos, incumbent Ric Keller (R-8) lost to Democratic challenger Alan Grayson and incumbent Tim Mahoney (D-16) lost to Republican challenger Tom Rooney.
In other Washington news, Florida's very own Congressman Adam Putnam (R-12) resigned his powerful leadership position as Republican Policy Chairman, the number three position in the party. Although rumors galore have circulated about Putnam's decision, it seems appropriate to only put weight into the words of the Congressman himself. In a recent interview, Putnam stated he "wanted the opportunity to work across the aisle on legislation to help his constituents, his state and country."
Lastly, on Tuesday, November 18th, Sen Carey Baker (R-Eustis) officially announced his intentions to run for the position of Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services, a seat to be vacated by term limit incumbent Charles H. Bronson in 2010.
So, there was a lot of talk about change. Maybe some will happen. Maybe change is nothing more than a re-visiting of policies and ideas we shared 15 years ago? Regardless, this is our sandbox and we had all better figure out how we are gonna play in it together.
Stay tuned to Tallahassee talk for more insight, facts, puns, ribs and information.
Until next time,
Jim
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
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