Staff Reports
Sixty Days — A prime-time look at the 2019 Legislative Session:
The Last 24
If coronavirus didn’t put your spring break in jeopardy, the Legislature will. Senate Budget Chief Rob Bradley first broke the news, telling senators there is a “very good chance” they’ll be on the clock past the scheduled end of Session on March 13. House Speaker José Oliva removed any ambiguity, calling an extension “inevitable.” The overtime warning comes as the House and Senate are hammering out the differences in their proposed budgets — big-ticket items include VISIT FLORIDA, gambling negotiations and state employee pay raises. Whether the extra period will last days or a matter of hours, as it did in the 2019 Legislative Session, is anyone’s guess. Here’s your nightly rundown.
Coronavirus cash. Senate President Bill Galvano said he was considering setting aside $10 million to $20 million to fund state-level efforts to combat coronavirus.
‘Best and Brightest.’ The Senate voted to repeal the maligned “Best and Brightest” teacher bonus program, allowing them to shift the cash toward teacher pay raises.
Ballot amendments. Democratic House members joined citizen initiative proponents in the Capitol Tuesday to denounce legislation that would make it harder to amend the state’s constitution.
Home rule wins. A bill preempting short-term zoning for rentals was not heard in the final Rules Committee meeting, effectively killing it for the year.
Cap back? A THC cap on medical marijuana for minors was a non-starter in the Senate Monday, but it’s back in the House thanks to an amendment filed by Rep. Ray Rodrigues.
Even money. HB 395 sponsor Rep. Alex Andrade said there’s a 50-50 chance that lawmakers will pass the transportation omnibus, which would make nearly two dozen changes to state transportation law.
Sentencing reform. Bills that would allow inmates serving harsher sentences than currently prescribed by law are likely dead for the 2020 Legislative Session.
Union busting. In the face of questions from labor unions and Democratic lawmakers, Rep. Jamie Grant defended his bill to require union members to renew their memberships every year.
Jury duty. The Senate voted unanimously in favor of a bill that would limit the punishment for skipping jury duty to three days in jail.
Public financing. The House set up for a floor vote a Constitutional amendment that seeks to end the public campaign-financing system available to statewide political candidates.
Warning labels. Rep. Will Robinson‘s bill to put warning labels on lottery tickets inched closer to passing the House Tuesday after earning preliminary approval.
Wrongful incarceration. The Senate unanimously approved a claims bill that would send $2.15 million to Clifford Williams of Jacksonville, who spent 43 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit.
Quote of the Day
“I think we have a chance to exceed what we did last Session, and I think — the people in Florida — they want to see us doing big things on education, environment, economic development, all these great things, and if you do that three days after the end of Session and have to extend a few days, that’s not going to be the end of the world.” — Gov. Ron DeSantis, on the prospect of a longer Legislative Session.
Your Metz Husband Daughton-sponsored question of the day is: Who was the first female Majority Leader of the Florida House of Representatives?
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: What moniker was given to the 1980 exodus of Cubans to Florida?
Answer: The Mariel Boatlift.
Congrats to Lauren Bankert Steif (@laurenbankert), 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
Dylan Santalo, president of the Florida Latinx Hispanic American Student Union, visited the Capitol last week, speaking up for students seeking equal opportunity in the state. He advocated for (SB 678/HB 515) that aimed to provide more native language testing in Florida schools, but the group also spoke against E-Verify requirements.
Florida Politics: Your group has expressed concerns about E-Verify requirements being considered this Session. What threat does it pose to students?
Santalo: Hispanic and Latinx students across higher education have spoken out. Our friends and family are facing a threat here. With increased access to education, we need to give students the abilities to excel at any of their dreams. That’s important not just for students but our families. That’s why we are advocating in Tallahassee in support of legislation and opposing other pieces of legislation.
FP: Your top priority is a native language assessment bill. Can you explain why that’s critical for your student members?
Santalo: The Senate author is Annette Taddeo and the House sponsor in Ana Maria Rodriguez. As a whole, the entry-level examinations like the SAT and ACT are in place to test the mental capabilities of students. It is known that many students, and for many people in Florida, English is not their native language. It’s important to providing equal and fair access to education to all students, and to have them excel in any and all endeavors in education.
FP: Many students growing up in Florida end up speaking English as a second language. Are native language tests important in those cases as well?
It is important. We are trying to break those barriers, and this is a societal thing. If you are a native non-English speaker, and [another language] is what you are hearing, that’s their particular language. Yes, they are learning another language and many are in ESOL programs that provide for them to learn. However, we do want them to excel and move past barriers and focus on mental capabilities. This legislation will give them the opportunity to enter into higher education.
Lobby Up
TallyMadness is counting down.
The online competition to decide who is Florida’s best lobbyist under 40 years old entered the second round, with the remaining contenders competing for a spot in the Sweet 16.
Notably, many in-house lobbyists prevailed over big-firm competition in the first round — Chris Cantens, Jake Farmer, BillieAnn Gay, Christian Minor, Chelsea Murphy, Vitoria Price, Andrew Rutledge, Samantha Sexton, Justin Thames and Skylar Zander all advanced.
That could change soon, as several are pitted against each other in the second round.
Still, well-known firms are still represented. The best positioned of all is Capital City Consulting, with Megan Fay, Ashley Kalifeh and Andrew Ketchel all making the second-round bracket.
GrayRobinson’s Jessica Love and Joseph Salzverg made the cut, as did Brian Bautista and Sydney Ridley of The Southern Group.
The match between Metz Husband & Daughton’s Alli Liby-Schoonover and Suskey Consulting’s RJ Myers is one to keep your eyes on. Both dominated in the first round, and their head-to-head is sure to be one of the most contested this round.
The second round ends on March 5 at midnight.
Breakthrough Insights
The Next 24
The Senate will hold a floor session at 10 a.m.
The Florida Public Service Commission will host a Bay County event to inform Floridians about common utility scams. It begins at 10 a.m. in the Callaway Arts and Conference Center, 500 Callaway Parkway, in Callaway.
The House will hold a floor session at 10:30 a.m.
The Senate Special Order Calendar Group will meet to schedule bills for a hearing on the Senate floor. It will be in Room 401 of the Senate Office Building, 15 minutes after the floor session adjourns.
