Northeast Florida Senators to feature heavily on Appropriations Committee

Northeast Florida Sens. Aaron Bean, Rob Bradley, Audrey Gibson, and Travis Hutson all have new committee assignments. Happily for Northeast Florida, the first three listed will be in a position to have say over the upper house’s purse strings in the coming Session.

Bean will be one of three First Coast Delegation Members on the Appropriations Committee, with leadership roles on two subcommittees: the chair of Criminal and Civil Justice, and the vice-chair of General Government. Representing part of Duval and all of Nassau County, Bean will also sit on the Community Affairs, Criminal Justice, and Ethics and Elections committees.

Bradley likewise retains a presence on the Appropriations Committee, chairing the Subcommittee on the Environment and Natural Resources. He will be the vice-chair of the Committee on Environmental Protection and Conservation, befitting the mostly rural nature of his district, which runs south from Orange Park through 11 counties. He will have input into water management districts, which could have a salutary impact on the interests of Jacksonville and Northeast Florida in the perpetual water wars over the St. Johns River.

Bradley will also be on Rules, Criminal Justice, and a committee with an unwieldy title: Military and Veterans Affairs, Space and Domestic Security.

On that last committee, the Orange Park Republican will be very familiar with the chair: Jacksonville Democrat Gibson. She will join her two Northeast Florida colleagues on Appropriations, potentially creating a bloc that could bode well for regional interests. She will also be on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development.

Other committee assignments for Gibson: Commerce and Tourism, Judiciary, Regulated Industries, and the Joint Legislative Auditing Committee.

Hutson, who represents St. Johns, Flagler, and part of Volusia, will chair the powerful Regulated Industries Committee, a vital role. He will also sit on the Appropriations subcommittee for the Environment and Natural Resources.

Additionally, Hutson will have seats on three committees: Commerce and Tourism, Environmental Protection and Conservation, and Health Policy.