Legislature 2018: Controversial issues top agenda

Saturday
Jan 6, 2018 at 12:00 PM

Zac Anderson Political Editor @zacjanderson

Sexual harassment, race relations, drug addiction: Florida lawmakers have no shortage of controversial topics on the agenda as they head into what is expected to be another tumultuous legislative session Tuesday.

From tackling the opioid crisis to dealing with the fallout from a wave of sex scandals that have ensnared elected officials and other political leaders, lawmakers are bracing for some heated debates on emotional issues.

Throw in an in-depth examination of how the state fared during Hurricane Irma — including efforts to grapple with nursing home deaths and widespread power outages — and it will be a busy two months.

And that’s before all of the usual debates over everything from education policy to environmental conservation and the state budget.

Here is a guide to the top issues to watch in the legislative session that runs from Tuesday to March 9.

Sexual harassment

With one lawmaker resigning after admitting to an affair with a lobbyist and another resigning in the face of an ethics investigation over sexual harassment allegations, Florida’s Capitol has been enveloped by an issue that is sweeping through institutions across the country, from politics to media and entertainment. The accusations are creating a tense working environment in Tallahassee, with lobbyists and lawmakers facing fresh scrutiny of their interactions. In November explosive charges were levied against former state Sen. Jack Latvala, a powerful Clearwater Republican. Multiple women accused Latvala of inappropriate behavior, including groping, and a special master’s report found probable cause to believe the accusations. The report also uncovered blockbuster new allegations that Latvala solicited sexual favors from a lobbyist in exchange for favorable consideration of legislation. Latvala resigned shortly after the report was released but denied wrongdoing. Some have criticized how state government handles complaints of harassment. Gov. Rick Scott issued an executive order aimed at improving the system, but critics said it didn’t change much. Senate leaders are reviewing their internal policies on sexual harassment.

Opioids

Nearly twice as many people died from opioid overdoses in 2016 than from car crashes in Florida. The state averaged 15 opioid overdose deaths a day in 2016 — 5,725 total. Sarasota and Manatee counties had 257 deaths. Gov. Rick Scott declared the opioid issue a state emergency last year. But funding for drug treatment and other programs has been inadequate, experts say. Scott is proposing a $53 million increase in such funding this year. And the governor is pushing legislation — sponsored in the House by Bradenton GOP state Rep. Jim Boyd — that would tighten the rules surrounding prescription pain pills. Some lawmakers want to go further. State Rep. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, has filed a bill that would mandate drug prevention education for all fifth-graders.

Irma

The statistics from Hurricane Irma’s aftermath are hard to fathom. A storm nearly the size of Texas, Irma prompted evacuation orders for 6.3 million people, many of whom sought refuge in the more than 600 emergency shelters that opened statewide. Roughly 6.7 million homes and businesses were without power on the afternoon after the storm passed, including most of the electric customers in Sarasota and Manatee counties. The hurricane caused 12 deaths from “environmental heat exposure” after a Broward County nursing home lost power. All of these issues are being investigated by state leaders. Lawmakers are asking whether the electric grid needs to be strengthened, whether nursing homes need backup power generation and whether the state has enough emergency shelters, among other questions dredged up by the storm. Whether their review produces meaningful legislation remains to be seen. So far, the only high-profile bill to emerge is a requirement that nursing homes and assisted living facilities have generators capable of powering central air conditioning.

Budget

Florida’s economy is going strong, with unemployment at just 3.6 percent, the lowest level in more than a decade. The state budget is a different story. Years of tax cuts and structural increases in spending on programs such as Medicaid left lawmakers with a tiny budget surplus heading into next year, and that was wiped away when Hurricane Irma required a surge in state spending on emergency services. Unwilling to raise taxes, lawmakers are facing a scenario in which they likely will have to cut spending in some areas to boost it for election year political priorities. That means budget winners and losers. The winners are likely to be popular programs such as education. More money to fight the opioid addiction crisis also seems certain. The losers remain to be seen. Last year lawmakers cut hospital funding. Health care spending could be scrutinized for cuts again this year because it makes up such a large portion of the state budget.

K-12 education

The most controversial bill to come out of the 2017 legislative session was a major education initiative that directed a flood of new money to charter schools. Some school districts are suing to overturn the law. Even as the fight over that legislation continues, House Speaker Richard Corcoran, who pushed the measure, has vowed to stay “on offense” and continue promoting alternatives to traditional public schools. Referencing his 2017 education bill, Corcoran told a Southwest Florida GOP group in September that “while they’re filing litigation on that ... we’re going to kick down another door.” The speaker is promoting new legislation that would offer de facto school vouchers to children who are bullied, allowing them to attend private schools. The bill seems likely to spark a major legislative battle over school choice. At the same time, lawmakers will be dealing with a host of other education issues, from per-pupil funding to higher education proposals.

Racial symbols

Like many southern states, Florida continues to grapple with the legacy of the Confederacy and its symbols. The push to remove Confederate statues — which critics say glorify racial subjugation and defenders view as important historical markers — from public spaces has picked up steam. Manatee County recently removed a Confederate monument from outside the historic courthouse. Florida lawmakers voted in 2016 to replace a statue of Confederate Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith in the U.S. Capitol, where each state gets two statues honoring prominent residents. But lawmakers could not agree on a replacement during the 2017 session. A bill that would replace Smith’s statue with one of educator and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune seems on a fast track this year, though. It has already cleared committees in both the House and Senate with bipartisan support and has just one more stop in each chamber before heading to the floor. Legislation that would create a slavery memorial on the grounds of the state Capitol also is advancing in both chambers. If both bills pass it would be a significant victory for those who believe state leaders have not done enough to recognize the oppression African-Americans endured.

Home rule

Florida’s GOP-controlled Legislature increasingly has worked to block local governments from enacting ordinances opposed by conservative state leaders. Last year lawmakers debated a bill that would have abolished all local business regulations, from environmental rules to noise ordinances and minimum wage requirements. There has been a perennial effort to nullify local fertilizer restrictions. And lawmakers were successful in passing tough new penalties for local leaders who violate a longstanding preemption on local gun ordinances. The pre-emption effort continues in 2018 with bills targeting a range of local rules. State Sen. Greg Steube, R-Sarasota, has been a leading advocate for overturning local regulations he views as too onerous. This year he filed legislation that would abolish all local tree protection rules. And he plans to reintroduce legislation aimed at restricting local governments from regulating vacation rentals.

Environment

Environmentalists were outraged last year when the Legislature set no money aside for Florida Forever, the state’s marquee land conservation program. Florida Forever received $275 million a year on average between 1998 — when it was authorized under a different name — and 2008. But the program’s budget was slashed during the Great Recession and never recovered, even after 75 percent of Florida voters — including 78 percent in Sarasota County — approved a 2014 amendment to the state constitution aimed at boosting conservation funding. This year top state leaders are vowing to finally restore a significant portion of Florida Forever’s funding. Scott’s budget proposes setting aside $50 million for the program and a prominent GOP senator has filed legislation that would dedicate $100 million to Florida Forever. The land conservation program was put on the back burner last year in favor of funding for Senate President Joe Negron’s environmental priority: a reservoir to hold polluted water coming out of Lake Okeechobee. Yet while Florida Forever seems like a priority this year, environmentalists are playing defense on other issues, such as the proposal by Steube to abolish municipal tree protections.

Texting while driving

Penalizing texting while driving has long faced resistance in the Legislature. Former Sarasota lawmakers Nancy Detert and Doug Holder passed a bill banning texting while driving. But the legislation classified it as a secondary offense, meaning law enforcement officers can’t pull someone over based on that infraction alone. Public opinion favors tougher penalties, though, and lawmakers appear ready to deliver a stronger ban. Both Corcoran and Scott have said they favor stronger penalties. The bill would give lawmakers something to tout on the campaign trail during an election year and is certain to gain bipartisan support.

Higher education

Higher education continues to be a top priority for Negron. Last year he was able to substantially increase funding for universities — including a big chunk of money for New College of Florida to hire new professors and grow enrollment — but Scott vetoed legislation that made changes to Florida’s state college system and would have permanently increased funding for Bright Futures scholarships. Scott criticized the legislation for limiting the ability of state colleges — formerly known as community colleges — to offer bachelor’s degrees and also expressed concerns about budget cuts. Negron is bringing the bill back this year. The state college provisions are being sponsored in the House by Gruters, a Sarasota Republican who is close with Scott. Gruters’ bill still caps the number of bachelor’s degrees colleges can offer, but he argues the cap is high enough that it won’t have much impact on colleges. 

 

Saturday
Jan 6, 2018 at 12:00 PM

Zac Anderson Political Editor @zacjanderson

Sexual harassment, race relations, drug addiction: Florida lawmakers have no shortage of controversial topics on the agenda as they head into what is expected to be another tumultuous legislative session Tuesday.

From tackling the opioid crisis to dealing with the fallout from a wave of sex scandals that have ensnared elected officials and other political leaders, lawmakers are bracing for some heated debates on emotional issues.

Throw in an in-depth examination of how the state fared during Hurricane Irma — including efforts to grapple with nursing home deaths and widespread power outages — and it will be a busy two months.

And that’s before all of the usual debates over everything from education policy to environmental conservation and the state budget.

Here is a guide to the top issues to watch in the legislative session that runs from Tuesday to March 9.

Sexual harassment

With one lawmaker resigning after admitting to an affair with a lobbyist and another resigning in the face of an ethics investigation over sexual harassment allegations, Florida’s Capitol has been enveloped by an issue that is sweeping through institutions across the country, from politics to media and entertainment. The accusations are creating a tense working environment in Tallahassee, with lobbyists and lawmakers facing fresh scrutiny of their interactions. In November explosive charges were levied against former state Sen. Jack Latvala, a powerful Clearwater Republican. Multiple women accused Latvala of inappropriate behavior, including groping, and a special master’s report found probable cause to believe the accusations. The report also uncovered blockbuster new allegations that Latvala solicited sexual favors from a lobbyist in exchange for favorable consideration of legislation. Latvala resigned shortly after the report was released but denied wrongdoing. Some have criticized how state government handles complaints of harassment. Gov. Rick Scott issued an executive order aimed at improving the system, but critics said it didn’t change much. Senate leaders are reviewing their internal policies on sexual harassment.

Opioids

Nearly twice as many people died from opioid overdoses in 2016 than from car crashes in Florida. The state averaged 15 opioid overdose deaths a day in 2016 — 5,725 total. Sarasota and Manatee counties had 257 deaths. Gov. Rick Scott declared the opioid issue a state emergency last year. But funding for drug treatment and other programs has been inadequate, experts say. Scott is proposing a $53 million increase in such funding this year. And the governor is pushing legislation — sponsored in the House by Bradenton GOP state Rep. Jim Boyd — that would tighten the rules surrounding prescription pain pills. Some lawmakers want to go further. State Rep. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, has filed a bill that would mandate drug prevention education for all fifth-graders.

Irma

The statistics from Hurricane Irma’s aftermath are hard to fathom. A storm nearly the size of Texas, Irma prompted evacuation orders for 6.3 million people, many of whom sought refuge in the more than 600 emergency shelters that opened statewide. Roughly 6.7 million homes and businesses were without power on the afternoon after the storm passed, including most of the electric customers in Sarasota and Manatee counties. The hurricane caused 12 deaths from “environmental heat exposure” after a Broward County nursing home lost power. All of these issues are being investigated by state leaders. Lawmakers are asking whether the electric grid needs to be strengthened, whether nursing homes need backup power generation and whether the state has enough emergency shelters, among other questions dredged up by the storm. Whether their review produces meaningful legislation remains to be seen. So far, the only high-profile bill to emerge is a requirement that nursing homes and assisted living facilities have generators capable of powering central air conditioning.

Budget

Florida’s economy is going strong, with unemployment at just 3.6 percent, the lowest level in more than a decade. The state budget is a different story. Years of tax cuts and structural increases in spending on programs such as Medicaid left lawmakers with a tiny budget surplus heading into next year, and that was wiped away when Hurricane Irma required a surge in state spending on emergency services. Unwilling to raise taxes, lawmakers are facing a scenario in which they likely will have to cut spending in some areas to boost it for election year political priorities. That means budget winners and losers. The winners are likely to be popular programs such as education. More money to fight the opioid addiction crisis also seems certain. The losers remain to be seen. Last year lawmakers cut hospital funding. Health care spending could be scrutinized for cuts again this year because it makes up such a large portion of the state budget.

K-12 education

The most controversial bill to come out of the 2017 legislative session was a major education initiative that directed a flood of new money to charter schools. Some school districts are suing to overturn the law. Even as the fight over that legislation continues, House Speaker Richard Corcoran, who pushed the measure, has vowed to stay “on offense” and continue promoting alternatives to traditional public schools. Referencing his 2017 education bill, Corcoran told a Southwest Florida GOP group in September that “while they’re filing litigation on that ... we’re going to kick down another door.” The speaker is promoting new legislation that would offer de facto school vouchers to children who are bullied, allowing them to attend private schools. The bill seems likely to spark a major legislative battle over school choice. At the same time, lawmakers will be dealing with a host of other education issues, from per-pupil funding to higher education proposals.

Racial symbols

Like many southern states, Florida continues to grapple with the legacy of the Confederacy and its symbols. The push to remove Confederate statues — which critics say glorify racial subjugation and defenders view as important historical markers — from public spaces has picked up steam. Manatee County recently removed a Confederate monument from outside the historic courthouse. Florida lawmakers voted in 2016 to replace a statue of Confederate Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith in the U.S. Capitol, where each state gets two statues honoring prominent residents. But lawmakers could not agree on a replacement during the 2017 session. A bill that would replace Smith’s statue with one of educator and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune seems on a fast track this year, though. It has already cleared committees in both the House and Senate with bipartisan support and has just one more stop in each chamber before heading to the floor. Legislation that would create a slavery memorial on the grounds of the state Capitol also is advancing in both chambers. If both bills pass it would be a significant victory for those who believe state leaders have not done enough to recognize the oppression African-Americans endured.

Home rule

Florida’s GOP-controlled Legislature increasingly has worked to block local governments from enacting ordinances opposed by conservative state leaders. Last year lawmakers debated a bill that would have abolished all local business regulations, from environmental rules to noise ordinances and minimum wage requirements. There has been a perennial effort to nullify local fertilizer restrictions. And lawmakers were successful in passing tough new penalties for local leaders who violate a longstanding preemption on local gun ordinances. The pre-emption effort continues in 2018 with bills targeting a range of local rules. State Sen. Greg Steube, R-Sarasota, has been a leading advocate for overturning local regulations he views as too onerous. This year he filed legislation that would abolish all local tree protection rules. And he plans to reintroduce legislation aimed at restricting local governments from regulating vacation rentals.

Environment

Environmentalists were outraged last year when the Legislature set no money aside for Florida Forever, the state’s marquee land conservation program. Florida Forever received $275 million a year on average between 1998 — when it was authorized under a different name — and 2008. But the program’s budget was slashed during the Great Recession and never recovered, even after 75 percent of Florida voters — including 78 percent in Sarasota County — approved a 2014 amendment to the state constitution aimed at boosting conservation funding. This year top state leaders are vowing to finally restore a significant portion of Florida Forever’s funding. Scott’s budget proposes setting aside $50 million for the program and a prominent GOP senator has filed legislation that would dedicate $100 million to Florida Forever. The land conservation program was put on the back burner last year in favor of funding for Senate President Joe Negron’s environmental priority: a reservoir to hold polluted water coming out of Lake Okeechobee. Yet while Florida Forever seems like a priority this year, environmentalists are playing defense on other issues, such as the proposal by Steube to abolish municipal tree protections.

Texting while driving

Penalizing texting while driving has long faced resistance in the Legislature. Former Sarasota lawmakers Nancy Detert and Doug Holder passed a bill banning texting while driving. But the legislation classified it as a secondary offense, meaning law enforcement officers can’t pull someone over based on that infraction alone. Public opinion favors tougher penalties, though, and lawmakers appear ready to deliver a stronger ban. Both Corcoran and Scott have said they favor stronger penalties. The bill would give lawmakers something to tout on the campaign trail during an election year and is certain to gain bipartisan support.

Higher education

Higher education continues to be a top priority for Negron. Last year he was able to substantially increase funding for universities — including a big chunk of money for New College of Florida to hire new professors and grow enrollment — but Scott vetoed legislation that made changes to Florida’s state college system and would have permanently increased funding for Bright Futures scholarships. Scott criticized the legislation for limiting the ability of state colleges — formerly known as community colleges — to offer bachelor’s degrees and also expressed concerns about budget cuts. Negron is bringing the bill back this year. The state college provisions are being sponsored in the House by Gruters, a Sarasota Republican who is close with Scott. Gruters’ bill still caps the number of bachelor’s degrees colleges can offer, but he argues the cap is high enough that it won’t have much impact on colleges. 

 

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