Ryan Nicol
Several Florida gubernatorial candidates were on hand at The Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood on Wednesday for a forum hosted by the Florida League of Mayors
Many of the state’s mayors were on hand for the forum, which was also held in cooperation with the Florida League of Cities and Leadership Florida.
Unsurprisingly, many of the questions honed in on how the candidates would work with mayors on local issues.
The main focus was on so-called “Home Rule powers.” Those powers come from Article VIII, Section 2(b), and essentially allow cities to enact local ordinances without prior state approval.
But advocates, including many of those mayors in attendance, worry those powers are being stomped over by the state government through the passage of pre-emption laws which seek to take authority away from local governments on various issues.
The conference came on the same day a new poll was released from SEA Polling and Strategic Design, showing Philip Levine with a lead over Gwen Graham. Both once again appeared at the head of the pack of candidates, with Andrew Gillum, Jeff Greene, and Chris King lagging behind.
There’s also the issue of the state passing mandates without providing proper funding. Local governments point to legislation passed after the Parkland shooting, which required resource officers in schools throughout the state.
Some local governments say that not enough state money was allocated to make that happen, which means local jurisdictions are stuck footing the remainder of the bill.
That dilemma was raised to each of the candidates present at Wednesday’s forum: Gillum, Graham, Greene, and Levine. King did not attend. Neither did Republicans Ron DeSantis and Adam Putnam.
“Florida has an $89 billion budget,” Graham said. “On Nov. 7, I will be appointing an audit committee to tear through that budget, see where we’re spending our resources.”
Graham went on to promise to redirect funds toward more important areas, such as the funding of resource officers.
The other candidates agreed.
“Education in this state is a question of priorities,” Greene said. He too argued more of the state budget should be focused on education so as to help local communities bear some of the burden.
The candidates were also asked about the issue of Home Rule generally, and all promised to be a Governor that would respect local autonomy more so than their Republican predecessors.
“The reason why local governments exist is so that those local governments can reflect the values of the constituencies who elect them,” Gillum added.
“I believe that we’ve got to protect Home Rule because it’s foundational to the Democratic society that we live in. It’s the American way.”
Gillum highlighted his time as Tallahassee Mayor dealing with some of these issues, as did former Miami Beach Mayor Levine.
“The biggest issue I encountered, my God I encountered it all the time, was pre-emption,” Levine recalled.
He spoke about how Miami Beach dealt with Airbnb during his tenure as Mayor.
“The people of Miami Beach decided they don’t want it. But we have those folks up there in Tallahassee that want to dictate and tell us that we should have it.
He detailed his efforts to install steep fines for residents participating in short-term rentals, while arguing other cities should have the right to make the decision that’s best for them.
Graham one-upped her opponents, walking into the forum with a button reading, “I love Home Rule.”
“We’ve got to get back to respecting Home Rule and respecting all that you do in your cities,” she said to the lawmakers in attendance.
“Let cities work.”
