Jesse Scheckner
House members will enjoy more communicative freedom under incoming Speaker Daniel Perez, who just announced several changes to make the chamber more accessible and forthright.
Atop the list is a simple, two-pronged policy that members must abide by when speaking to the masses: Make no reference in writing or image to any campaign or election, and do not say or display anything that would be considered out of order if made on the House floor.
The new policy replaces what Perez described as “a complicated pre-screening process” for mass communications members sent out that required prior review by the House’s Majority, Minority and administrative offices.
That preapproval arrangement is no more, Perez said. House members will self-regulate, he said, and any potential violation of the new standards of behavior will go to the Rules & Ethics Committee and be resolved “in an open, public conversation.”
“I do not believe it is appropriate for staff to evaluate the content of member communications,” he said. “I also do not believe it is appropriate or necessary for the House to pre-screen the content of these communications. Members should have the freedom to communicate with the understanding that you are responsible and accountable for the choices you make.”
Perez outlined several other changes in a Thursday email to House members, all of them concerning the chamber’s website, which will migrate in the coming months from its current URL (MyFloridaHouse.gov) to FLHouse.gov. He shared a video on X detailing them.
Ahead of the switchover, web visitors should watch for a “modernization” of the site, set to begin after the Organization Session on Nov. 19. It will include “a refreshed design,” Perez said, “that focuses on readability and improved access to key information.”
House members will be able to create and maintain personalized pages on the site, from different design templates, photos, banners, newsletters and news releases to integration with their social media accounts and feeds.
Personalized pages won’t be mandatory, and members who forgo the option will still have default member information pages like the ones online now. Perez said he expects the new feature to be available by mid-December, and members will receive training on how to manage their new pages, which will be subject to the House’s new mass communications policy.
Beginning Dec. 6, members will also have the option to explain in up to 200 words why they filed a bill and to have the explanation appear on the House website’s bill information page. The blurb, which Perez called a “statement of intent,” is meant to help lawmakers inform their colleagues, constituents and others about their motivation for the legislation. It will be available only to each bill’s primary sponsor(s).
“Although most of our conversations in the Florida House revolve around the specific provisions of a bill, most of our constituents are more interested in understanding the intent or purpose of the bill,” he said. “They want to know what you are trying to accomplish, what problem you are trying to solve. … You will now have the option to submit a statement explaining exactly that.”
The new communications rules and options come one week after Perez, a Miami Republican, announced a shake-up in the House’s committee apparatus to make it “leaner,” more effective and geared toward reducing wasteful spending.
He followed that up Wednesday with several rules changes for House members concerning lobbying, attendance and bill drafting, filing and hearing processes. Among them: allowing House members to travel on private jets if they pay a pro-rata portion of the flight’s cost and stricter barriers against unregistered former House members lobbying lawmakers in the chamber.
The 2025 Regular Session begins on March 4.
