Janelle Irwin Taylor
Rep. Jason Shoaf is going to have a busy Legislative Session in the new year, with committee assignments ranging from tourism to natural resources and all the way up to the budget.
Shoaf will chair the Transportation and Economic Development (TED) Budget Subcommittee, where he will guide priorities on critical statewide infrastructure and issues related to jobs and the economy. Adding to that leadership role, Shoaf will also serve on the Budget Committee, formerly known as Appropriations, where he will participate in decision-making on state spending for the next fiscal year.
Shoaf was named to two committees, three subcommittees and two special committees. That’s a heavy load compared to most House members, even those who, like Shoaf, are serving from the supermajority.
In addition to the Budget Committee, Shoaf was also named to the Commerce Committee. And he’ll serve on subcommittees for Economic Infrastructure and Natural Resources and Disasters. As for special committees, Shoaf was named to the Joint Legislative Budget Commission and the Security and Threat Assessment Committee.
Shoaf’s service on the Natural Resources and Disaster Subcommittee will align with one of his top legislative priorities this year, studying and mitigating water quality issues in Wakulla Springs. Speaking to Florida Politics earlier this month, Shoaf said it’s been a priority of his for “a number of years.” Now, he wants to leverage a new program at Florida State University in which student researchers are working in the area studying how water quality has degraded.
Shoaf represents House District 7 in the Big Bend area, including all or parts of 11 counties from Dixie to Gulf and as far inland as Liberty and Hamilton. Wakulla Springs is located smack in the center of Shoaf’s district, south of Tallahassee.
Shoaf is also prioritizing issues surrounding workforce development, something he thinks is crucial in his storm-battered district, which suffered hits from three hurricanes in just 13 months. Shoaf will have the opportunity as TED Budget Chair to guide priorities.
Shoaf is eyeing a solution that benefits his district and its specific needs, while also translating to progress for the state as a whole. He touted the $100 million allocated in the state’s current budget for workforce development, which, among other uses, provides grants to school districts and the Florida College System on a competitive basis to create or expand workforce development programs for specific employment needs.
