Staff Reports
Sixty Days — A prime-time look at the 2019 Legislative Session:
The Last 24
Gov. Ron DeSantis says the state needs to staff up to combat the spread of coronavirus, and that’ll take some cash. The ask comes in the final leg of the Legislative Session when lawmakers hammer out the differences in their spending plans for the coming fiscal year. There are significant differences between the House and Senate budgets — VISIT FLORIDA, Florida Forever and affordable housing among them — though DeSantis said House Speaker José Oliva and Senate President Bill Galvano were “receptive” to the funding request, which followed the CDC’s confirmation of two “presumptively positive” cases of coronavirus in the Sunshine State. Here’s your nightly rundown.
Coronavirus confidence. House Appropriations Chairman Travis Cummings said he isn’t worried about budgeting for coronavirus.
E-Verify. The Senate Rules Committee OK’d a bill requiring private businesses to use the E-Verify system to check employee’s job eligibility, sending it to the chamber floor.
Age of arrest. Sen. Randolph Bracy put forward an amendment to the Senate’s criminal justice reform package forbidding arrests of juveniles under the age of 10 except in serious cases.
Safeguards added. In the wake of the FCADV scandal, the House amended an ethics bill to bolster financial responsibilities for members of public boards.
Eight is enough. A proposal that eventually could impose term limits on all school board members is set up for a Senate vote.
Cleared for landing. A bill allowing the use of drones to mitigate wildfires and eradicate invasive plants and animals garnered unanimous support from the Rules Committee on its way to the Senate floor.
Toll roads. Lawmakers are advancing bills that would pump cash into communities in the path of the toll road expansion project approved in the 2019 Legislative Session.
Fin ban. An effort to outlaw the import and export of shark fins in Florida is ready for the Senate floor.
SLIP studies. A House bill that would require local governments to study the potential impacts of sea-level rise is headed to the House floor.
‘Loser pays.’ The Senate Rules Committee cleared a developer-backed property rights bill, though it was rewritten to preserve a local government exemption from a provision requiring plaintiffs to pay attorney fees if they lose a case.
Confirmation checkpoint. The Senate Ethics and Elections Committee greenlit Parkland father Ryan Petty’s appointment to the State Board of Education. Next stop: full Senate.
Quote of the Day
“I have spoken with both Senate President Bill Galvano and Speaker José Oliva. They were receptive to [working] with my office to make sure the needs are met.” — Ron DeSantis, regarding funding to combat the spread of coronavirus.
Your Metz Husband Daughton-sponsored question of the day is: What moniker was given to the 1980 exodus of Cubans to Florida?
As always, click here to tweet your answer to @MHDFirm. The first person with the correct answer will get a shoutout in tomorrow’s 60 Days!
Last time, we asked: How many votes are required to waive the rule requiring House amendments to be germane to the underlying bill?
Answer: Unanimous. See 12.8(d)
Congrats to Koby Adams (@gators1983), who was the first to tweet the correct answer!
Thanks to everyone for participating — remember, the more you play, the better your chances of winning!
Bill Day’s Latest
3 Questions
U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan had a plane ticket to fly from his district to Washington D.C. on Monday. Then he learned at least one of the first presumptive positive tests for coronavirus in Florida was a patient in his district. Instead, he spent the day meeting with officials and preparing for a budget fight regarding response to a public health threat.
Florida Politics: You’ve followed coronavirus reports since before the positive test in your district. What has been your interest?
Buchanan: Over the last four or five days, we have had a lot of discussion about this in Washington, D.C. I will point out I was the first person in Congress to call for a public health emergency days before the President called one, and that’s because I have seen us go through two or three things like this before, Ebola, etc. And I was the first to call for restricting flights into the United States from China in terms of the House. I did that because with flu-like if a younger person who is in good health gets flu symptoms, you are still probably going to be in normal health. If you are a more senior person, there are more complications just with the flu. That is where we lose Americans to that. Because we have so many seniors in Florida, we have to be more cautious and get out in front of these things. That’s preferable to being shocked at what happens.
FP: You have called for an emergency funding request to be sent to the President this week. How much should be requested and how confident are you in getting it? Should states like Florida kick in money as well?
Buchanan: I think we have a good chance of getting $6 or $8 billion. I have looked at it and feel that number is justifiable. And if we don’t need it, we don’t need it. If they set aside $8 billion, and if this turns out not to be a huge issue and it settles down by summer, then good; that money goes back into the Treasury. But we need our hospitals and health facilities to have the resources they need to have testing and answers. That’s good for Tampa Bay and the country. I don’t like the idea that for a lot of tests, people in the Sarasota-Manatee area have to go to Tampa or out of our region. I’d like a quicker turnaround in our own local hospitals if someone thinks they have the flu or they have this. I think all the states could kick in. Many will say they are already kicking in, but whatever they are doing, they probably need to do more. The federal government will put the most in, but I like to think others will chip in as well. I’m confident we will get something and am meeting with Steve Scalise about it tomorrow. I would say something like this needs to be bipartisan. I’m the co-chair of the Florida Delegation, and I know we will get Florida on this, but we need Republicans and Democrats working together.
FP: You met Monday with Doctors Hospital CEO Robert Meade. How confident are you that procedures are in place to treat the patient in your district while also containing the illness?
Buchanan: I think he (Meade) feels that they have the resources to deal with this situation or frankly anyone else’s. They have 50 hospitals in Florida so they are a big company with a lot of capability. I was under the understanding their patient is doing pretty good.
Lobby Up
The “Florida Swing” is here.
The Sunshine State’s time in the PGA Tour spotlight kicked off over the weekend with the Honda Classic — congrats to Sungjae Im for his first career victory.
But Honda is only the beginning. The Arnold Palmer Invitational starts Thursday at Bay Hill Club in Orlando, followed by the Players Championship at TPC-Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach next weekend and Valspar Championship at Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor a week later.
Florida is kind of a big deal in the pro golf world, the inverse is true is well — golf pumps $11 billion into the state economy every year. To keep business rolling, the golf industry has built a considerable lobby at the Capitol.
A team of advocates numbering in the double digits represents the PGA Tour, including Jeff Sharkey and Taylor Biehl of Capitol Alliance Group; Brian Ballard, Brady Benford, Chris Dorworth and Matthew Forrest of Ballard Partners; and Jeremy Kudon and Michelle McGann of Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe.
Also on tap are the full slate of lobbyists at The Fiorentino Group: Marty Fiorentino, John Delaney, Davis Bean, Joseph Mobley, Mark Pinto and Shannan Schuessler. The firm also handles the lobbying needs of the World Golf Hall of Fame & Museum, a Saint Augustine-based attraction featuring exhibits honoring stars from all eras of the sport.
There’s also the Florida Golf Course Superintendents Association, a trade group that advocates for sustainable turf management. They’ve got David Shepp of The Southern Group running point.
Breakthrough Insights
The Next 24
Democratic Reps. Fentrice Driskell, Anna Eskamani, Javier Fernandez and Jennifer Webb will join representatives from several grassroots organizations for a press conference urging the House to vote down bills that would make it harder to get constitutional amendments on the ballot. It begins at 9:30 a.m. in the 4th-floor Rotunda of the Capitol.
The Senate will hold a floor session at 10 a.m.
Webb and Republican Rep. Jackie Toledo will join faith leaders for a news conference calling on the Legislature to pass the Competitive Workforce Act, which would add protections for LGBTQ persons to state anti-discrimination laws. It begins at 10:30 a.m. in the 4th-floor Rotunda of the Capitol.
The House will hold a floor session at 11:30 a.m.
Deputy Commissioner of Consumer Affairs Mary Barzee Flores of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services will hold a news conference to highlight consumer safety at the gas pump, including tips to avoid credit card skimmers and mitigating COVID-19/coronavirus risk. The event will include a demonstration of a gas pump skimmer inspection. It begins at 1 p.m. at the GATE Gas Station located at 208 North Magnolia Drive in Tallahassee.
Also, the following committees will meet.
— The House Education Committee meets at 9 a.m. in Reed Hall in the House Office Building.
— The Senate Appropriations Committee meets at 1 p.m. in Room 412 of the Knott Building.
— The House Rules Committee will meet in Room 404 of the House Office Building. The meeting will begin 15 minutes after the floor session adjourns.
Full committee agendas, including bills to be considered, are available on the House and Senate websites.
