Peter Schorsch
Sixty Days — A prime-time read of what’s going down for Florida’s 2018 Legislative Session.
The Last 24
Gov. Rick Scott is opening a front in the 2018 ad war against likely Senate opponent Bill Nelson by making a nearly $2 million ad buy.
House Speaker Richard Corcoran beefed up his social media presence and launched a website, adding to buzz that he may run for governor in 2018.
Despite concerns about its effectiveness, a House panel Wednesday unanimously cleared legislation to tweak state law on making threats online.
Sen. Dorothy Hukill filed a bill called the Community College Competitiveness Act of 2018, to “support the over 800,000 full- and part-time students of Florida’s nationally-recognized college system.”
The Department of Corrections asked for over $19 million to treat inmates who have the Hepatitis C virus.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum said he’d propose a statewide minimum starting salary for teachers of $50,000.
Quote of the Day
“If you are 16 or 17 and you’re in love, and you’re going to wind up with this person for the rest of your life, there’s not a problem with having to wait a year or two to get married.” — Rep. Lori Berman, a Lantana Democrat, on child marriage bans moving in the Legislature for the 2018 Session.
Bill Day’s Latest
3 Questions
If you’ve been following freshman state Rep. Randy Fine’s Facebook feed, or if you happened to be in last committee week’s House Natural Resources and Public Lands Subcommittee, you know he’s on a tear regarding utility failures during Hurricane Irma. A look at the Brevard County Republican’s background — focused on software, not sewage — doesn’t give a clear indication why he’s so amped up about this. So what’s going on?
Q: What have you learned?
RF: We learned during a recent committee meeting that since Irma, there have been more than 400 releases of raw sewage into Florida’s waterways. That works out to one every two hours. That’s completely unacceptable. To put it in perspective, in Brevard County alone, two utilities released 28 million gallons over 23 days. That works out to 1,400 average sized swimming pools worth of raw sewage in just one water body (the Indian River Lagoon) alone. It is jaw-dropping.
Q: What got you so fired up?
RF: For starters, I have two boys — Jacob, 9, and David, 6 — and I don’t want them to grow up next to an open sewer. Looking out for them, and their cohort, is the entire reason I decided to get into politics. And when I compare how government has managed this, it shows a giant difference between the real world and the political one. In business, you set priorities and don’t tackle the next item on your list until the top priority is completed. All too often, it seems government doesn’t prioritize, and as a result, does a half-assed job at everything.
Q: How would you have them prioritize?
RF: Seems to me that making sure kids can have a drink of water, that we can flush the toilet safely, and our rivers and streams aren’t open sewers are at the top of the list. These are “public goods” — things that every Floridian needs. I think that we as a legislature need to rethink our priorities and ensure that, wherever possible, we spend taxpayer resources on things that benefit the entire state, as opposed to forced value transfers from one taxpayer to another. It certainly will be a priority of mine for as long as I am here.
Lobby Up
Fresh off his exit from GrayRobinson, first reported by Florida Politics in August, Richard Reeves has launched his own firm aimed at local, state, and federal public agencies.
Reeves said he was looking to forge his own path when he left GR and made it official last month when he announced the solo venture, RLR Consulting.
“I have a proven track record of working successfully with individuals and issues across the political spectrum, and I look forward to promoting good public policy before the legislative and executive branches,” he said.
Reeves got his start in Florida politics under Bill Nelson back when he was in the U.S. House, and followed the longtime lawmaker up the ranks until he won his U.S. Senate seat in 2000.
He was also on the ground floor of U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio’s campaign to be Florida House Speaker before joining Capital Insight, which folded into GrayRobinson in 2016.
Reeves’ client roster now includes the City of West Palm Beach, Florida Virtual School, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, and a number of other groups that kept him on after he announced his exit from GrayRobinson two months ago.
Breakthrough Insights
The Next 24
The Florida Commission on Hurricane Loss Projection Methodology is scheduled to meet at 9 a.m., Hermitage Centre, 1801 Hermitage Blvd., Tallahassee.
The Senate Agriculture Committee will continue a discussion about the impacts of hurricanes Irma and Nate on Florida agriculture at 10 a.m., 301 Senate Office Building.
The Senate Military and Veterans Affairs, Space and Domestic Security Committee will receive a presentation from the Florida National Guard about Hurricane Irma preparedness and response efforts at 10 a.m., 37 Senate Office Building.
The House Select Committee on Hurricane Response and Preparedness will receive presentations on issues such as evacuations, petroleum supplies and electric utilities at 10:30 a.m., 404 House Office Building.
The Florida Supreme Court is expected to release weekly opinions at 11 a.m.
The Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund Advisory Council is scheduled to meet at 1:30 p.m., Hermitage Centre, 1801 Hermitage Blvd., Tallahassee.
Sen. Dorothy Hukill, a Port Orange Republican, will speak at the Florida Chamber of Commerce Insurance Summit next week. Her panel begins next Thursday, 2:05 p.m., Ritz Carlton Grand Lakes, 4040 Central Florida Parkway, Orlando.
Republican U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis is expected to discuss tax reform during an Americans for Prosperity-Florida event. That’s at 6:30 p.m., Marriott Fort Lauderdale North, 6650 North Andrews Ave., Fort Lauderdale.
