Peter Schorsch
Sixty Days for 10.12.17 — A prime-time look at the 2018 Legislative Session
The Last 24
Gov. Rick Scott, a possible GOP U.S. Senate candidate in 2018, announced he is seeking close to $200 million in tax and fee cuts for his last year in the Governor’s Office.
Sen. Jack Latvala asked to be relieved of his chairmanship of the chamber’s Appropriations Committee, a request that Senate President Joe Negron quickly obliged.
A bill committing Florida to spending $100 million a year on land acquisition and preservation through the Florida Forever Trust Fund cleared its first committee stop.
Quote of the Day
“We all need to understand the facts. We need to know exactly what happened. If anybody has done anything wrong, we need to hold them accountable.” — Gov. Scott, commenting Monday on ongoing revelations of sexual misconduct involving state lawmakers.
Bill Day’s Latest
3 Questions
Perhaps no one has been more upset or more outspoken about sexual misconduct at the Capitol than House Democratic Leader Janet Cruz of Tampa. To be clear, Cruz says she has no evidence that accusations against Sen. Latvala are true. But the stories that keep coming out are making her skin crawl, she tells Florida Politics.
Q: What upsets you the most about what you’ve read?
JC: (When) you feel sexually harassed, you can go in most cases to HR and you can feel that there’s a safety net there. Where do these young women go? Or young men? I’ve seen young men be harassed by some women in the Capitol … Then I asked myself what have you done? What are you doing to make sure that these young women are safe? That’s part of my mission and my mantra for this session is to make sure that all of these women, whether they’re aides, whether they’re lobbyists, whatever they are, feel that they have someone that they can go to, without fear of repercussion.
Q: Do you believe Latvala or his accusers?
JC: I’ve known Jack Latvala for a long time, and he’s never personally been disrespectful to me. But I think that until the allegations are proven or disproven that he probably made a good decision to sit back and let the investigation clear his name if he believes that will be the case.
Q: How jaded are you getting to the stories that keep coming out?
JC: I’m not stunned about anything that comes out. I was on the House floor [in 2012], and I watched a member profess his love and talk about getting married to a woman who was sitting in the family section, who was his former aide, and who had been married. So where was the outrage then?
Lobby Up
Lobbyist Paul Hawkes, formerly a 1st District Court of Appeal judge and now with Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney in Tallahassee, has added the Florida Greyhound Association as a client.
“Paul will be working on protecting live greyhound racing and the over 3,000 jobs it provides in Florida,” the group said in a statement.
“The Florida Greyhound Association represents the trainers, greyhound owners, kennel operators and the over 8,000 beautiful greyhounds in Florida.”
Hawkes has been a prosecutor, a GOP legislator for Citrus County, and a top aide to former Gov. Jeb Bush and two Republican House Speakers, Dan Webster and Tom Feeney.
He’s also a friend of House Speaker Richard Corcoran, a Land O’ Lakes Republican.
Hawkes also has represented The Stronach Group, which operates South Florida’s Gulfstream Park.
Breakthrough Insights
The Next 24
Gov. Scott and the Florida Cabinet will meet. They are expected to consider a lawsuit against Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. over losses to the state pension fund. The meeting begins at 9 a.m., Cabinet meeting room, the Capitol.
The Florida Public Service Commission will take up a series of utility issues at 9:30 a.m., Betty Easley Conference Center, 4075 Esplanade Way, Tallahassee.
The House Judiciary Committee will consider a proposal (HB 9) that seeks to crack down on “sanctuary” cities, an issue that involves whether local governments cooperate with federal officials in enforcing immigration laws. That’s at 9:30 a.m., 404 House Office Building, the Capitol.
The Senate Banking and Insurance Committee will take up a bill (SB 98) that would place restrictions on the health-insurance practice of “prior authorization.” It’s at 10 a.m., 110 Senate Office Building, the Capitol.
The Senate Community Affairs Committee will take up a bill (SB 432) that deals with community redevelopment agencies and will receive presentations about the agencies from the auditor general and the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability. That’s at 10 a.m., 301 Senate Office Building, the Capitol.
The Senate Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee will consider a bill (SB 404) that would designate Florida cracker cattle as the “official Florida heritage cattle breed.” It’s at 10 a.m., 401 Senate Office Building, the Capitol.
The Senate Health Policy Committee will take up a proposal (SB 440) that would allow veterans to receive services through the state Medicaid managed-care system as an alternative to the federal Veterans Health Administration system. That’s at 10 a.m., 412 Knott Building, the Capitol.
Staff members for Sen. Denise Grimsley, a Sebring Republican, will hold “mobile” office hours in DeSoto County beginning at 10:30 a.m., County Administration Building, 201 East Oak St., Arcadia.
Sen. Audrey Gibson, a Jacksonville Democrat, and House Democratic Leader Janet Cruz of Tampa will hold a press conference to discuss measures they are filing to help Floridians with diabetes 2. That’s at noon, on the 4th floor rotunda of the Capitol.
Sen. Dana Young and Rep. Shawn Harrison, both Tampa Republicans, will hold a news conference to announce new legislation targeting deceptive maritime salvage practices, or what they call “modern-day piracy.” That’s at 1:30 p.m., on the 4th floor of the Capitol outside the doors to the Senate Chambers.
The House Commerce Committee will consider a bill (HB 19) that would repeal the state’s no-fault auto insurance system. It’s at 1:30 p.m., 212 Knott Building the Capitol.
The House Government Accountability Committee will take up a bill (HB 67) that would lead to the creation of a slavery memorial at the Florida Capitol. That’s at 1:30 p.m., Morris Hall, House Office Building, the Capitol.
The House Public Integrity & Ethics Committee will consider a proposal (HB 5) that would bar lawmakers and statewide elected officials from lobbying the Legislature or state agencies for six years after they leave office. It’s at 1:30 p.m., 404 House Office Building, the Capitol.
Secretary of State Ken Detzner and Maria Matthews, director of the state Division of Elections, will make a presentation to the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee. That’s at 2 p.m., 412 Knott Building, the Capitol.
The Senate Judiciary Committee will take up a proposal (SB 134) that would allow people with concealed-weapons licenses to store firearms with security officers at courthouses. It’s at 2 p.m., 110 Senate Office Building, the Capitol.
The House Ways & Means Committee will consider a proposed constitutional amendment (PCB WMC 18-01) that would make it harder to raise state taxes and fees. That’s at 4 p.m., Morris Hall, House Office Building, the Capitol.
