Staff Reports
Sixty Days — A prime-time look at the 2023 Legislative Regular Session:
The Last 24
Gov. Ron DeSantis may not have to go through the motions of saying he’s not running for President for much longer. A strike-all amendment to an elections bill (SB 7050) in the Senate clarifies the murkiness surrounding Florida’s resign-to-run law. Sen. Travis Hutson’s proposal would exempt anyone who is running for President or Vice President from resign-to-run requirements. The law would take effect July 1. The bill was filed as a shell at the end of March, raising immediate speculation about what the legislation might address. Senate President Kathleen Passidomo downplayed concerns that the bill ultimately would address ambiguities in resign-to-run. In a statement issued after the amendment was filed, she said her interpretation of current statute is that a presidential candidate does not need to resign to run. She said the proposal “simply adds clarity to current law and eliminates any ambiguity.” Here’s your nightly rundown.
College cash: House budget negotiators agreed to boost funding for a variety of higher ed programs, coming into alignment with the Senate on some items and even outbidding them on others.
Rate bump: The House and Senate health care budgets target a dozen providers for rate increases.
Culture war: The House and Senate are $30M apart on funding for the Department of State’s Cultural and Museum Grants Program.
Museum money: The House and Senate are both recommending $1 million for an ongoing project to revitalize and expand the Tampa Museum of Art.
Cutler Bay payday: Cutler Bay is on track to receive $100,000 in nonrecurring state funding for a plan to redevelop a large portion of town property into a residential, office and commercial hub.
West Ormond windfall: House and Senate budget conference committees have agreed to allocate $522,639 for the West Ormond Recreational Community Center.
Palatka paper: A Putnam County diamond in the rough looks poised to get some shine next fiscal year.
Fire funds: More fire districts will have their siren calls answered by the Legislature, based on the latest State Administration and Technology offer.
Lake City lucre: Climate control and electricity likely will be more reliable soon at Lake City’s Public Safety Building now that lawmakers have agreed on a $422,000 allocation for a new HVAC system and generator.
SLERS simoleons: House and Senate budget writers are out of sync on some small-dollar line items tied to the Statewide Law Enforcement Radio System, but there is agreement on most top-line issues.
Babcock boodle: The Senate is on board with funding an all-abilities playground in Babcock Ranch.
Special ed bread: House and Senate budget conference committees have agreed to slot $700,000 for the North Florida School of Special Education’s Vocational/Job Training Building Expansion.
Stay a while: The House wants to give the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce $375,000 for business retention programs, but the Senate isn’t on board.
Where’s Ron? The Donald Trump campaign is slamming DeSantis as an absentee Governor who is running for President “while taxpayers pick up the tab.”
Mr. Worldwide: The Florida Governor is on a mid-Session trip to the Land of the Rising Sun, comparing the ongoing war in Eastern Europe to one of The Great War’s most protracted battles.
Quote of the Day
“To have any President or Vice President from our state would be a great honor. I don’t want a candidate to have any problems because of a perceived ambiguity in our laws. In my view, it is always preferable that decisions to clarify our laws come from the Legislature, not the courts. Providing unequivocal clarity on this issue is in the best interest of our state long-term, regardless of who is running for President now or in the future.”
—Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, on the resign-to-run revamp.
Bill Day’s Latest
3 Questions
The American Heart Association (AHA) is advocating for $500,000 in blood pressure program funding this Session. The funding would support the Florida Department of Health’s Heart Health Plus program, which consists of blood pressure checks, self-monitoring, nutritional information, information on tobacco cessation and referral services to other chronic disease treatments such as diabetes. The program educates those with high blood pressure on managing their blood pressure through self-measured blood pressure monitoring and assists physicians in planning individualized care and treatment to reduce high blood pressure in patients. Currently, the program does not receive any state funding, and Tiffany McCaskill Henderson, AHA’s government relations director, is working to change this. Henderson spoke to Florida Politics about the funding they are advocating for and how it would be used.
Q: Explain why this funding is necessary.
Henderson: With heart disease being the No. 1 cause of death in Florida and for this program not to receive any state funding is really alarming. I imagine that every legislator — every Floridian — can probably name someone they know personally or maybe even themselves who has experienced heart health issues. It has been eye-opening making my rounds at the Capitol and hearing personal experiences. I think that we can all agree that bringing awareness and providing resources for high blood pressure prevention can lead to less hospitalizations and will lead to a longer healthier life. And here we have this program, which is a great opportunity to do just that, but the state’s investment is critical to grow and sustain the program.
Q: How does the program reach people? How does it work?
Henderson: Right now, the Florida Department of Health has to apply for CDC grant funding in order to administer the Heart Health Plus program. The way the program is implemented is at the local level, so our county health departments are the boots on the ground. Fifteen county health departments currently have the program, including Calhoun, Citrus, Dixie, Gadsden, Gulf, Hendry, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Putnam, Taylor and Union. All of these are rural counties except for Leon. Some of these counties are unable to implement the full scope of the program due to limited funding.
How it works is that county health department staff is trained to facilitate the program based on the approved curriculum “Healthy Heart Ambassador,” to individuals diagnosed with high blood pressure. Staff also conduct blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose screenings in the community. Additionally, staff attend community events and community meetings, host health fairs, and frequently distribute program information to businesses, faith-based organizations, multi-unit housing locations and libraries in the communities. Through this program, clients have started to be more conscious of their sodium intake, added more fruits and vegetables to their diets and developed the habit of checking their blood pressure regularly.
Q: What is the status of the funding request and what do you need to get it across the finish line?
Henderson: We are extremely thankful to our legislative champions, Rep. (Lawrence) McClure, Rep. (Dana) Trabulsy and Sen. (Danny) Burgess. The $500,000 was included in the House budget proposal, but unfortunately, it was not included in the Senate’s proposal. Now, during these final weeks of Session, we are working very hard with our supporters to ensure funding remains prioritized to help more Floridians lead longer, healthier lives.
Lobby Up
Calling all approps lobbyists: The Pinellas Science Center needs a closer.
Senate budget writers want to cut a $250,000 check to spruce up the decades-old facility, once slated for demolition, but the House isn’t on board.
According to appropriations requests sponsored by Sen. Darryl Rouson and Rep. Linda Chaney, the “building needs to be repaired and brought up to code” before the city of St. Pete can move forward with plans to turn the property over to an outside group that wants to keep the Center’s vision alive for the next generation of Pinellas County kids.
“Established in 1959, the Science Center of Pinellas County was the premier science learning location in the U.S. for decades, serving as many as 22,000 children per year. Reactivating it will enable new generations of Pinellas children and families to immerse themselves in STEM learning while building community connections and enjoying family-friendly programming,” the request reads.
The city of St. Petersburg is planning to sell the Center’s facility to St. Pete for STEM, which will in turn lease the property to the St. Petersburg Foundation, which is the organization behind the request.
The vision for the project is a re-imagined Center that not only engages college-bound kids, but also sparks interest among students who could carve out a successful career with STEM-related trade school or technical certification programs. If the endorsement helps, Pinellas Schools Superintendent Kevin Hendrick is a fan of the plan.
So, to every lobbyist out there who’s already aced their appropriations requests — congrats by the way — consider this a solid lead. Some future scientists will thank you.
Breakthrough Insights
The Next 24
10 a.m. — The Senate holds a floor Session. Senate Chambers. The agenda includes measures that would boost bereavement benefits for state employees (SB 364), ban higher ed dealings with “countries of concern” (SB 846) and study the use of phosphogypsum in road construction (SB 1258).
10 a.m. — The House holds a floor Session. House Chambers.
Also, the following committees will meet:
6:15 p.m. — The Senate Special Order Calendar Group meets. Room 401, Senate Office Building.
Full committee agendas, including bills to be considered, are available on the House and Senate websites.
