More collaboration from the Florida Legislature? One can only hope. | Editorial
Starting this Tuesday, your local state representatives and senators will gather with their counterparts from across the state for another session of the Florida Legislature. Given the many problems Florida and Floridians face this year, it would help to see lawmakers cross the proverbial aisle and address real issues facing the state.
Naive thinking on our part? Maybe.
Necessary to address key state issues? Absolutely.
Property insurance, housing, healthcare and other issues spurred by Florida's rapid growth deserve the best ideas resulting from, dare we say it, collaboration. Many of these issues are being raised during the 60-day legislative session but all too often the majority's GOP-way or the highway robs Florida of ideas that could become solutions.
No one would be shocked if this plea for bipartisanship falls on the deaf ears of the majority party. Republicans have run roughshod over Democrats in Tallahassee dating back to the Jeb Bush era, when they gained control of the Florida House and Senate. Majority rule is a political reality. But, in the case of the Florida Legislature, Republicans don't have a lock on good ideas and shouldn't have to be the sole source in addressing state needs.
Our View: Florida remains the petri dish of right-wing policy | Editorial
There are 160 members of the Legislature; each one elected to represent their community's and the state's best interests. That's hard to imagine, given the remoteness of the state capitol and the public's indifference to what occurs there. Neither geography or apathy, however, should apply here. Voters elected these men and women to govern our state. It shouldn't be a job seen through a partisan lens.
More collaboration; less cultural-war antics
Unfortunately, culture war issues dominate the airwaves and have put Florida on the political map as a political petri dish. Whether it's Jeb Bush's A+ Plan, the precursor of the current school voucher program, or the more recent Parental Rights and Education Act, dubbed by critics as the "Don't Say Gay" bill, the state of Florida has generated its share of right-wing policies that have been picked up by other states across the country.
Even now, teed up for committee hearings is HB 17, a bill that would impose a three-day deadline on law enforcement to complete background checks on firearm purchases. The bill blows a hole in the state's lone gun-safety reform that lawmakers and then-Gov. Rick Scott reluctantly approved after the mass school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Broward County sparked national debate about gun safety.
Instead of going backwards, the Republican majority should consider reasonable bills offered by Democratic lawmakers that provide balance to the state's gun rights tilt. Bills by Rep. Katherine Waldron, D-Wellington and Sen. Lori Berman, D-Boynton Beach, would make it a first-degree misdemeanor when a target shooter’s bullets leave the confines of their property. Other bills, filed by Berman and Rep. Michelle Rayner, D. St. Petersburg, would ban guns from government-funded buildings and facilities, such as playgrounds, hospitals and libraries.
Property insurance is another example. Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to lower insurance premiums for some homeowners through a one-year exemption on taxes, fees and other assessments. It's a start, but lawmakers can go further by considering HB 329, a bill filed by Rep. Jervonte Edmonds, D-West Palm Beach, that creates a fund to help homeowners. The legislation could serve as a vehicle to provide assistance with homeowners insurance.
To be sure, bipartisan votes do happen. Last year, lawmakers voted unanimously to strengthen laws regarding antisemitism in response to the lax penalties — littering, in cases here in Palm Beach County — for persons caught distributing antisemitic leaflets. Another reform, HB 1275, allows local law enforcement to develop a registry for persons with disabilities and mental health issues, to help both during visits, encounters or crisis situations.
Both laws started as ideas from Republicans backed by Democrats. It's time for Republicans to occasionally flip the switch and actually work with Democrats to craft reasonable measures to address ongoing issues.
Given the Republican super-majority in both chambers of the Legislature, it's unlikely that many Democratic bills will even make it to a committee for an initial hearing. That's unfortunate, not just for the minority political party but for Floridians whose input and views on important issues will be needlessly curtailed by rank politics.
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This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Bipartisanship will help Florida Legislature address state problems.
