Gabrielle Russon
Inspired by Elon Musk and President Donald Trump cutting the fat in federal government, a pair of Republican lawmakers said they want to get rid of red tape in Florida, too. Their new bill would deregulate the state by expiring many agencies’ rules after eight years unless they get readopted and would make it easier for people to challenge the state’s rules in court.
“With more than 170,000 regulatory restrictions, Florida ranks 11th nationally in bureaucratic burden — putting it in the company of high-regulation states like New York and California,” said a joint press release put out by Sen. Danny Burgess and Rep. Tiffany Esposito.
Burgess and Esposito’s legislation (SB 448/HB 305) would exempt the rules from ending in eight years if agencies are required to comply with federal law or receive federal money, or if they are rules under agencies run by elected officials or rules set from authority in the state constitution.
“An agency may not adopt any rule or issue any guidance document unless the agency has been expressly granted the power to do so by a specific statutory delegation,” the bill also outlines.
When asked for the reason behind the bill, a spokesman said, “Rep. Esposito has been boots on the ground in her day job as CEO of Southwest Florida Inc., listening to businesses frustrated by costly, bureaucratic roadblocks that serve no real purpose. She’s also inspired by President Trump and Elon Musk’s work at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to reduce the size of government.”
Their bill would also require regulatory agencies to do a cost-analysis and determine regulatory costs for rules.
Later, “an agency shall conduct a retrospective cost-benefit analysis for each adopted rule 4 years after the rule’s effective date,” the bill states.
The bill also allows people to challenge the enforcement of the state’s rules “based solely on the grounds that the agency lacked express statutory authority to adopt the rule,” the bill states. “Any party that prevails on such a challenge shall be entitled to recover reasonable costs and attorney fees.”
One reason why people could challenge the rules is if the agency didn’t provide the cost analysis or give estimated regulatory costs, according to the bill.
“President Trump got right to work reining in the size of government and putting an end to wasteful spending, and with this legislation, Florida will be ready to follow suit. By cutting through bureaucratic red tape and keeping regulations in check, we will ensure our state government is working smarter, businesses have the opportunity to flourish, and our economy continues to thrive,” Burgess said in a statement.
Added Esposito, “Government should serve the people, not the other way around. The bill aligns with President Trump’s call to shrink government and focus taxpayer dollars on real priorities.”
The lawmakers said their bill is supported by the Cicero Institute, a billionaire-backed think tank from Texas making headlines recently for working with states, including Florida, to ban homeless street camps. Its website says it wants “bold policies for a more functional future.”
“Unnecessary rules cost Florida businesses billions in lost productivity and compliance,” said Jonathan Wolfson, Policy Director at the Cicero Institute. “This bill moves Florida closer to becoming the nation’s leader in cutting bureaucratic waste.”
5 comments
Joe
February 7, 2025 at 4:21 pm
People are going to literally die as a direct result of the political and cultural nihilism being cultivated by these rightwing billionaires and “libertarians.”
PeterH
February 7, 2025 at 5:31 pm
90% or more of Trump’s executive directives will be halted by the courts. Trump, Rubio and Musk’s dismantling of USAID has just been quietly quashed. The Party of Stupidity doesn’t understand the separation of powers.
SuzyQ
February 7, 2025 at 5:54 pm
You didn’t make the same argument when President Biden did the very same thing via a myriad of executive orders. Why?
JD
February 7, 2025 at 6:08 pm
PeterH actually has a point. While every president uses executive orders, Trump’s 2025 actions, like attempting to revoke birthright citizenship, are a direct constitutional violation that will almost certainly be struck down.
Yes, Biden had executive orders challenged (like the eviction moratorium and student loan forgiveness), but those were policy oversteps, not outright attempts to override the Constitution.
There’s a big difference between pushing policy limits and ignoring constitutional law altogether. If you want to compare, at least acknowledge the scale of the overreach. Biden did those over 4 years, this isn’t even Trumps first 100 days.
JD
February 7, 2025 at 6:15 pm
These guys don’t want less government. They want less regulation for their billionaire backers while the rest of us deal with the consequences.
I remember cancer clusters from unregulated polluters. Piney Point dumped millions of gallons of toxic waste into Tampa Bay due to weak oversight.
Algal blooms from deregulation wreck Florida’s water year after year.
And while they gut protections, middle-class homeowners get screwed with skyrocketing insurance costs because deregulated insurers walk away from claims.
Give a Hoot! Don’t let them sell out Florida for billionaire profits.
#PeopleOverBillionaireBackers