Sunburn — The morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics.
Today’s SachsFact is brought to you by the public affairs, integrated marketing and reputation management experts at Sachs Media Group: On this Memorial Day, we remember a former Naval officer’s remarks that forever changed the Sunshine State. In a speech to Congress on this date in 1961, President John F. Kennedy challenged the nation to land a man on the moon and safely return him to Earth before the end of the decade. Florida played a key role in the effort, of course, launching both rockets and an aerospace industry that boosted the state’s high-tech economy into the stratosphere. Just eight years later, JFK’s dream was realized with Apollo 11.
DAYS UNTIL Special Session 7; Gov. Scott’s Economic Growth Summit: 8; Sine Die: 30; Major League Baseball All-Star game: 50; First GOP presidential debate: 73; Star Wars: The Force Awakens debuts: 201; First Day of 2016 Legislative Session: 235; Iowa Caucuses: 255: Florida’s Presidential Primary: 277; Florida’s 2016 Primary Election: 466; Florida’s 2016 General Election: 536.
POLL DU JOUR via Rasmussen Reports: A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 39% of American adults consider Memorial Day one of the country’s most important holidays, up from 31% a year ago. Just four percent (4%) think it is one of the least important holidays, while most (52%) see it as somewhere in between.
COMPILATION OF MEMORIAL DAY MESSAGES FROM FLORIDA ELECTED OFFICIALS AND POLS here.
MEMORIAL DAY IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY THESE FLORIDA LOBBYISTS, PUBLIX AND POLITICAL ASSOCIATIONS
First of all, Memorial Day commemorates something completely sober that transcends the material: the brave sacrifices by countless Americans made to secure our freedoms, safety, and values. So much so, that our elective representatives have set a day aside where public institutions are closed and where people are encouraged to do the same in their own ways. But the observation of Memorial Day is wholly reflective, somber, and meaningful.
That said, for many Americans, the long weekend of Memorial Day is equally a time to get outside with family — to grill, game, and boat their way into the unofficial beginning to summer.
Therefore, Memorial Day is at least in part materially brought to us by those entities that provide for our sundry celebrations: influencers, Publix, spirits distributors, lawmakers, boating outfits, and the other things that make Florida great, besides our men and women overseas.
Lobbyist Bill Helmich, for instance, knows a thing or two about both the sacred and the mundane when it comes to Memorial Day: He represents the Florida departments of both the American Legion Auxiliary and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
No better way to enjoy the holiday with a drink at the local Legion or the VFW hall.
Another great way — known well by most Floridians — to celebrate a summer holiday is with iced tea and a famed chicken tender “Pub Sub” from grocery store/cult of proud devotees Publix.
Publix, one of the nation’s largest brands of any kind associated with the state of Florida, pays close attention to the politics and public policy of its home state.
Paying between $9,999 and $19,999 a quarter in order to do so, the Lakeland-quartered supermarket giant retains the services of Charlie Dudley, Teye Reyes, and Jorge Chamizo, among others of Floridian Partners, as well as their own in-house advocate Lindsey Napier.
Publix also contributes big-time to political interests in Florida, across the region, and in Washington. In 2015, Publix contributed more than $361,940 to federal candidates, $33,800 to leadership PACs, $36,330 to parties, and $325,000 to 527 committees. In sum, they total a respectable $718,570 in federal contributions, landing Publix at No. 151 out of 14,108 lobbying entities.
High on Publix’s federal contribution list: the Republican Agriculture Commissioners 527 ($200,000); the Republican Governors Association 527 ($100,000); the National Republican Congressional Committee ($25,000). Florida’s U.S. Rep. Vern Buchananis also on that list.
According to OpenSecrets.org, Publix’s top issues lobbied in 2013 were health issues, taxes, agriculture, food industry, and copyright and trademark.
The Polk County pillar has given $1.6 million to Florida’s state political parties, with $1,248,515 going to the RPOF and $353,600 to the FDP.
Then, there’s spirits. And boy, amid controversy over both the infamous “Whiskey and Wheaties” bill along with, of course, Growlers, Florida’s lobbyists for beverage issues had a drink-deserving session this year.
SKD Consulting Firm’s Scott Dick brought in $30,000 to $39,999 from ABC Fine Wine & Spirits in the first quarter of 2015 for legislative lobbying, and another $30,000 to $39,999 for executive branch lobbying. During the same time period, Premier Beverage Co. paid Southern Strategy Group between $10,000 and $19,999 for legislative representation and another $10,000 to $19,999 for executive branch representation.
Then, Southern Wine & Spirits of America worked with Ballard Partners and the Labrador Group for their lobbying efforts. The organization paid Ballard Partners between $30,000 and $39,999 for legislative lobbying; and paid Labrador Group’s Brecht Heuchan between $10,000 and $19,999 for legislative and up to $9,999 for executive branch representation.
The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States hired Nick Iarossi, Ron LaFace, and Chris Schoonover of Capital City Consulting at fees of between $10,000 and $19,999 for legislative branch lobbying, and up to $9,999 for executive branch representation.
The Florida Beer Wholesalers Association are also a presence in Tallahassee, working with Redfish Consulting and Jefferson Monroe Consulting; while the Beer Industry of Florida hired Advantage Consulting Team and Gentry & Associates to do its influencing in the Capitol.
Boating interests also have a big stake in Florida recreation. The Boat Owner’s Association of the United States (BoatU.S. Inc.) worked with Capital Ideas and Bonnie Basham to lobby Florida lawmakers in the first quarter of 2015, compensating between $10,000 and $19,999 for legislative representation and another $10,000 to $19,999 for executive branch lobbying.
Then, Rybovich Boat Co. LLC compensated Akerman’s Richard Pinsky between $20,000 and $29,999 for legislative lobbying during the first quarter of this year.
With all the fun in the sun that will invariably go on this weekend, it might be a good idea to stop by afterward for a checkup with a member of an association represented by Travis Blanton, Jon Johnson, Melanie Brown, Amy Christian and Darrick McGhee at Johnson & Blanton — the Florida Society of Dermatology & Dermatological Surgery. The FSDDS spent between $10,000 and $19,999 to retain their services during 2015 Q1.
And we all know that despite everyone’s best intentions, an arrest or several will most likely happen on the beach haunts we all know and love, from Panama City Beach to Key West.
Perhaps the correctional services of the GEO Group, a private prisons and security firm, might be of use. GEO is represented by influencers from Ronald L. Book PA, Johnson & Blanton, Ericks Consulting, the Rubin Group and longtime lobbyist and former aide to Sen. Lawton Chiles, Damon Smith.
All told, those top-end services set the Boca Raton-based company back well more than $100,000 in legislative and executive lobbying fees in the first quarter of the year.
The list goes on. But so must the show. On that note, I leave you to your Memorial Day Weekend observations, reflections, commemorations and barbecues.
HUNDREDS TURN OUT FOR STIRRING DEDICATION OF NATIONAL CEMETERY via Gerald Ensley of the Tallahassee Democrat
On a Memorial Day weekend, 150 years after the end of the war that made such places necessary, the Tallahassee National Cemetery was dedicated. More than 500 people gathered at the cemetery on Apalachee Parkway for a ceremony filled with pomp and patriotism and an all-star roster of speakers.
The crowd was heavy with military veterans and their families. The weather was unusually temperate for late May in Tallahassee, as the temperature breached 80 degrees only as the ceremony started at 1 p.m., on a sun-splashed, cloudless day.
And the speeches were redolent with tributes to the millions of men and women who have served in the nation’s military, for whom national cemeteries are created as a final resting place.
“Here we show our loyalty to the ideas and ideals they fought for,” said Robert McDonald, the U.S. Secretary of Veteran Affairs. “Here we dedicate a new place in their honor, a place to reflect our love, our honor, our devotion for their doing their duty.”
The first national cemeteries were created in 1862 during the Civil War, as the nation needed somewhere to bury its mounting war casualties. The Tallahassee National Cemetery is the 132nd national cemetery and the eighth in Florida.
The Tallahassee National Cemetery will occupy 250 acres between Apalachee Parkway and Old St. Augustine Road. Construction started in October, and the first burials will be in late summer/early fall when construction is complete.
— “Fallen heroes honored across Florida Memorial Day Weekend” via Kevin Derby of Sunshine State News
VETERANS FRUSTRATED BY PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE ON IRAQ WAR via the Associated Press
Veterans of the Iraq War have been watching in frustration as Republican presidential contenders distance themselves from the decision their party enthusiastically supported to invade that country.
Some veterans say they long ago concluded their sacrifice was in vain, and are annoyed that a party that lobbied so hard for the war is now running from it. Others say they still believe their mission was vital, regardless of what the politicians say. And some find the gotcha question being posed to the politicians — Knowing what we know now, would you have invaded? — an insult in itself.
… The war became a campaign issue when likely presidential contender Jeb Bush was asked about the invasion ordered by his brother, former President George W. Bush. After days of questioning, Jeb Bush said that in light of what’s now known — that Saddam Hussein did not have WMD stockpiles — he would not have invaded.
Other possible Republican hopefuls including New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Sen. Marco Rubio, Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich all later gave similar responses.
… (M)any vets, regardless of whether WMD was found or not, found legitimate reasons for being in Iraq. John Kriesel lost both his legs when a 200-pound bomb went off underneath his Humvee outside the western city of Fallujah. He’s written a book called “Still Standing: The Story of SSG John Kriesel” detailing what he went through.
He said he’s proud of what he and his unit did in Iraq to make their area safer. He speaks fondly of Iraqi children he encountered and said he’d do it again in a “heartbeat.” So many questions, he said, like whether to invade Iraq or not, are easier to answer in hindsight.
“I think it’s naive to just assume that we can just wave this magic wand and know what we would do in that situation,” Kriesel said.
— “America’s All-Volunteer Army: Military and civilians increasingly divided” via the Los Angeles Times
— New doubts about sincerity of military tributes at ballpark” via the Washington Post
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JEB BUSH: THE GOOD AND THE BAD via Scott Lehigh of the Boston Globe
It’s a good news/bad news period for Jeb Bush, the Republicans’ dynastic presidential candidate, who was in New Hampshire this week on his I’ve-regained-my-balance tour. So let’s look at some pluses and minuses from his Thursday event in New Hampshire’s lovely capital city.
On the positive side, Jeb made a little news by saying his brother, George W. Bush, hadn’t done enough to rein in spending during his presidency. Or, more precisely, that “during my brother’s time, Republicans spent too much money. . . . He could have brought budget discipline to Washington, D.C.”
Presto: With a wag of his tongue, he conjured up coverage that will give him some much-needed sibling separation, please Granite State fiscal conservatives, and underline the spending vetoes he cast as Florida governor.
On the negative side, after last week’s long twilight struggle with an easy-to-anticipate question about Iraq, Bush added a further wrinkle to the politically safe answer he finally settled on. “Let’s be clear, what I said about Iraq is that, in hindsight, based on the faulty intelligence and the security issues, that I wouldn’t have gone in, and mistakes were made, and my brother concurs.”
What, exactly, does George W. Bush supposedly concur with? That mistakes were made? That the United States shouldn’t have invaded Iraq? Jeb Bush still hasn’t quite put this matter to bed. Stay tuned.
NEW ‘COTTAGE’ AT MAINE COMPOUND FOR JEB BUSH via Matt Viser of the Boston Globe
Bush, who has a longtime relationship with this seaside town where generations of Bushes have vacationed, is having a house built for him at the family compound on Walker’s Point, with a wraparound porch and expansive views of the Atlantic Ocean … a 1.3-acre site assessed by the town at $1.4 million, was initiated for him by his mother and father, who have tried to preserve the family ties to the picturesque property.
But as he tries to appeal to middle-class Americans in his likely Republican presidential campaign — and distinguish himself as his own man, distinct from the legacies of his father and brother — having a vacation home erected on a spit of land in coastal Maine could be a vivid reminder of the complications facing his campaign.
Already, his opponents are emphasizing his last name — and the old-money New England clan that helped build the Republican Party establishment — as a way to highlight a brand that has fallen out of favor with the newly empowered, anti-elite activists who may have an outsized voice in choosing the next Republican nominee.
At 3,000 square feet, the four-bedroom, four-and-a-half bathroom home, with shingle siding and gabled roof, will be the second-largest home at the compound … construction cost of the house, referred to as a cottage in planning documents, is estimated at $600,000.
“I’m incredibly blessed to be George and Barbara’s son and am thankful that they have built a special place for their family to gather,” Jeb Bush said in an e-mail. “We are so lucky.”
MORE JEB READS
“Jeb Bush opens his campaign playbook by opening himself” via Nick Corasaniti of the New York Times
WITH EYE ON GOP PRIMARIES, MARCO RUBIO PLAYS THE HAWK via Chris Adams of the McClatchy Washington Bureau
If Marco Rubio ends up as president, he’ll have lots of time to convince the American public that his way is the right way on foreign policy — because right now, they often don’t agree with him. On some of the key hot-button foreign policy issues of the day — the Iraq war, the Iran negotiations, Cuba — Americans as measured in polls reflect different views than Rubio’s.
Whether that ultimately matters for the Florida Republican’s campaign — especially during the Republican Party primaries — is unclear.
Consider Iraq. In the past two weeks, Rubio has been asked variations of the Iraq question: Was it a mistake to invade Iraq, given what was known at the time? Or: Knowing what we know now, was it a mistake to do so?
Rubio focused on the word “mistake,” holding to the view that President George W. Bush did not err in his decision to invade Iraq. “I still say it was not a mistake, because the president was presented with intelligence that said Iraq had weapons of mass destruction,” he said in a Fox News Sundayinterview.
Asked in a different Fox News interview, in March, “Was it a mistake to go to war in Iraq?” Rubio said, “No, I don’t believe it was.”
The most recent poll, in January 2014, showed 50 percent indicating that it was the wrong decision, and 38 percent saying that it was the right move. But among Republicans, 55 percent said it was the right decision, and 33 percent said it was the wrong one.
Beyond that, there are Republicans — and then there are the Republicans who participate in the primary process.
FLORIDA’S JEWISH VOTERS A TARGET FOR 2016 REPUBLICANS, BUT A NEAR LOCK FOR DEMOCRATS via Adam Smith and Kirby Wilson of the Tampa Bay Times
Republicans can’t win the White House without winning Florida, so every presidential election cycle they look longingly at Florida’s Jewish voters … a tantalizingly obvious key to locking down 29 electoral votes: hundreds of thousands of Florida Jews who overwhelmingly vote Democratic.
Just reason with them, the thinking goes. They are disproportionately affluent and well-educated. Surely these Floridians can be persuaded that voting Republican is more in their self-interest, through lower taxes and unwavering support for the conservative government in Israel.
The difference between three-quarters of Florida Jews voting for the Democratic nominee and two-thirds voting Democratic could be 50,000 votes — enough to decide the election.
“We’re looking to do whatever we can,” said Mark McNulty of the Republican Jewish Coalition, which spent $6.5 million in 2012 trying to sow doubts with Jewish voters about President Barack Obama’s commitment to Israel. “In places like Florida and Ohio with substantial Jewish populations, a couple percentage points can mean the difference in an election.”
But as much as political groups like the RJC like to say they are steadily gaining ground with Jewish voters, their progress is more accurately measured in inches than miles.
It doesn’t help that many of the Republicans most vocal about their deep love and devotion to Israeli security are Christian conservatives who turn off even staunchly Republican Jews.
ALAN GRAYSON’S FIERY COMMENTS PUT POSSIBLE SENATE CAMPAIGN IN SPOTLIGHT via Scott Powers of the Orlando Sentinel
In the past three weeks, U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson of Orlando has been on a verbal tear … cussed out journalists for asking about his girlfriend’s political ambitions and offshore investment funds, blasted the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee as “out-of-touch party bosses sipping cognac in a smoke-filled room” and called his ex-wife a gold digger.
Such firebrand comments have been typical of his career. Now they have opened the potential for a bloody U.S. Senate primary fight next year with moderate U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy of Jupiter, who has quickly wrapped up endorsements from almost all of the party’s establishment.
Grayson has yet to announce for the seat being vacated by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, but last week he told the Tampa Bay Times he will decide in the next 60 days whether to enter the race … those close to him say he remains as interested in running as ever. And Florida liberals say they are more eager than ever to see him enter the race. Republicans, too, welcome him.
A bloody Democratic primary would leave a wounded Democratic nominee, they say. And the GOP already has seen Grayson’s unpredictable, fiery approach to politics burn down a campaign, in 2010 when he lost re-election to U.S. Rep. Dan Webster. Some Democrats worry, for the same reasons.
“He doesn’t have that half-second delay on his mouth like most people do,” said Democratic operative Steve Schale, who said he supports Murphy. “I don’t think there’s much chance he’ll get elected.”
Grayson’s supporters call the three-term congressman refreshingly honest and blunt. They prefer to think about his firm stands on such things as Obamacare, when he famously said Republicans’ alternative health-care plan was to have people die quickly, or anti-war positions, which once led him to claim blood drips from the mouth of former Vice President Dick Cheney.
THE PERPETUAL CAMPAIGN OF RICK SCOTT via Steve Bousquet of the Tampa Bay Times
For Gov. Rick Scott, the campaign never ends.
He can’t run for governor again, but he’s still collecting six-figure campaign donations from special interests that have a direct stake in legislation he will sign or veto. The money buys TV ads featuring Scott, still looking and sounding like a candidate, walking across a big green cutout of Florida, “where dreams come true.”
Scott travels near and far, chasing jobs, and by his side is videographer Nathan Edwards, capturing it all on tape to be played for audiences at upcoming Cabinet meetings. Scott is Florida’s first governor with a videographer on the public payroll to produce campaign-style videos, such as his recent visit to a new Wawa convenience store in Fort Myers.
Scott has a networking program in his office called Proactive Outreach, in which state employees comb through business journals and magazines in search of people whose achievements merit letters of congratulations, from entrepreneurs to Eagle Scouts. After a paragraph or phrase on official state letterhead, Scott switches to campaign mode, boasting about “our low-tax, pro-growth strategies.”
“We need to continue to get our message out and make sure that we continue to promote our state,” Scott says of his salesmanship. “I think it’s important to continue to talk about what’s important to our state: education funding, make sure we continue the tax cuts, and make sure we continue to grow jobs.”
… In April alone, Let’s Get to Work raised $677,000, including $150,000 from Associated Industries of Florida, $100,000 from an AIF-related political committee, and $100,000 from Jeffrey Vinik, owner of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Also in April, Scott’s committee spent $657,000 on TV ads and production costs, using the same firm that produced his campaign ads last year.
… “He has to persevere,” says Sen. Don Gaetz. “He’s not a Jeb Bush. He hasn’t amassed political capital. Rick Scott barely had enough political capital to win the last two elections.”
Gaetz is convinced that Scott is positioning himself to run for office again, most likely in 2018 for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Bill Nelson.
“I’d be surprised if Rick Scott doesn’t run for another office. He’s keeping his artillery well-oiled,” Gaetz said.
ICYMI: FLORIDA JOBLESS RATE DROPS SLIGHTLY IN APRIL via the Associated Press
Florida’s jobless rate is dipping slightly. The state’s unemployment rate dropped to 5.6 percent in April. That’s a slight decline from the previous month. Florida added 24,500 jobs last month according to figures released by the Department of Economic Opportunity.
The state’s jobless rate remains higher than the national rate of 5.4 percent. There are approximately 542,000 unemployed Floridians. Monroe County at Florida’s southern end has the lowest unemployment rate in the state at 3.6 percent. Citrus and Putnam counties in the north central portion of the state have the highest rates at 7.2 percent.
AGENCIES PREDICT DIRE EFFECTS IF STATE BUDGET NOT PASSED via Bill Cotterell of Florida Today
What if a hurricane comes roaring toward Florida, and the state doesn’t have all of its usual array of military and law-enforcement officers and equipment ready?
Imagine tens of thousands of child-support orders not being enforced, severely disabled children and adults being told to wait a while for the services they depend on, or dozens of highway and bridge resurfacing jobs being suspended. And suppose the courts just stopped having criminal trials, while more suspects continued arriving in county jails.
Those are just some of the bleak possibilities raised by state agencies this week, as Gov. Scott prepares a keep-the-lights-on state budget for a special legislative session scheduled for June 1 through 20. Scott last week asked agencies to tell him, by 5 p.m. Monday, what they consider their “critical services” that must be maintained — even if lawmakers can’t agree on a state budget by June 30, when the fiscal year ends.
“Such a shutdown would have a significant negative impact on those critical services vital to the protection of Florida citizens, visitors and businesses,” Bryan Koon, director of the Division of Emergency Management, wrote in his 15-point list of needs.
Just as hurricane season is getting started, he said, a worst-case scenario would mean DEM staff would not be available for the State Emergency Response Team or activation of the state’s command center.
SCOTT’S DRAFT OF SESSION AGENDA BANNED TALK OF MEDICAID EXPANSION via Steve Bousquet of the Miami Herald
While the Senate and House scrambled last week to agree on terms of a proclamation for a special session, Scott had followed through on a threat to draft his own proclamation — and on his terms.
Those terms specifically excluded any discussion of Medicaid expansion that the Senate wants. Scott’s document said “specifically excluding legislation expanding Medicaid eligibility.”
The Senate would never agree to such a blanket restriction, and lawmakers didn’t want Scott setting the agenda for a session that will be dominated by the development of a budget that is a legislative duty.
JOE NEGRON: ‘THERE WILL BE NO CONTINUATION BUDGET’ PASSED DURING SESSION via Rick Christie of the Palm Beach Post
The Florida Senate is not really a place for ideologues. Arguably, no one is a better example of that than state Sen. Joe Negron.
That hasn’t tended to make him popular with some conservative colleagues on issues. But over his 15 years in the Florida Legislature (2000-06 in the House; since 2009 in the Senate), the Stuart Republican largely has garnered a reputation for being a fiscal hawk who’s tough but practical in his approach to legislation.
It is likely that — and a penchant for deal-making — is why he remains a strong candidate to become Senate president once Sen. Andy Gardiner finishes his term.
This past regular session, he was successful pushing the pause button on the proliferation of baccalaureate degrees offered by community colleges, but not in getting $500 million in Amendment 1 money to purchase U.S. Sugar land for a reservoir to hold excess lake water and send it south to Everglades National Park rather than to the St. Lucie River, where the water causes widespread environmental damage.
NEGRON … The state is doing everything it can to reduce the need for discharges from Lake Okeechobee. The Legislature appropriated $230 million for projects that will directly address this issue. For me, it all comes down to two key facts: First, we must fund and purchase additional storage capacity so we can treat, store and send water south of Lake O. Second, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers cannot be the sole agency responsible for discharge decisions.
The Corps is currently sending toxic, polluted water into our community when there is zero danger to the Hoover Dike right now. Why would they do that?
NANCY DETERT BLASTS SCOTT’S SHUTDOWN TALK via Jeremy Wallace of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Gov. Scott is only making matters worse by talking about government shutdowns, while House and Senate leaders work on crafting a state budget compromise, a normally reliable Scott defender said.
“I’m disappointed with the governor,” state Sen. Nancy Detert said.
Detert said the House and Senate are making progress on building the framework for a special session that starts June 1. This despite Scott making it sound like a government shutdown is imminent, which is not the case, Detert says.
Last week, Scott told government agency heads to prepare “a list of critical state services our citizens cannot lose in the event Florida is forced into a government shutdown on July 1st.”
July 1 is the beginning of the state’s budget year. If the Legislature does not pass a budget, parts of the state government would have to shut down because of a lack of funding.
But Detert said raising the specter of that is wrong.
“No legislator I know of has ever talked about shutting down the government,” Detert said.
SENATE PREZ RELEASES SPECIAL SESSION SCHEDULE: HEALTH CARE FIRST, BUDGET SECOND via Christine Jordan Sexton of Florida Politics
In a memo sent to senators, Senate President Andy Gardiner outlined the timeline that he plans on following during the session showing that the chamber will focus on healthcare access the first day. He will “likely” plan budget conferences with the House the weekend of June 5-7.
“So you should plan on staying in Tallahassee,” Gardiner told members of the first weekend.
The memo also laid out the financial impact of the federal government’s tentative decision this week to allow $1 billion Low Income Pool program for the 2015-16 year and a $600 million program for the following year. The $1 billion figure is less than half of what is currently authorized and, in short, the announcement could have a $1.2 billion impact on the entire budget, based on decisions the Legislature makes regarding hospital Medicaid rates. The impact on the budget could balloon to $1.4 billion in 2016-17, he said in the memo.
“Consequently, yesterday’s announcement will have a ripple effect throughout our entire budget, providing a renewed and elevated importance to the discussion of a Florida solution to coverage for the uninsured as we head into Special Session.”
With a reiterated commitment to developing a Florida solution to the uninsured problem, Gardiner said the Senate’s proposal to expand access to health care for 800,000 people, called the FHIX plan, will be filed by state Sen. Aaron Bean before the start of the session and will be heard in the Committee on Health Policy on June 1. It will be heard the following day in the Appropriations and will be heard by the full Senate on June 3.
HOUSE RELEASES SPECIAL SESSION CALENDAR via Matt Dixon of the Political Fix Florida
Monday, June 1 … 1:00 p.m. Special Session convenes … 3:00 p.m. Workshop on the substance of CS/SB 7044 (2015) … All members will be invited to this workshop hosted by the House Health and Human Services Committee.
Tuesday, June 2 … 9:00 a.m. Finance and Tax Committee hearing on PCB tax package. Wednesday, June 3 … TBD Rules Committee meeting to set the Special Order Thursday, June 4 … TBD The House will be in Session. Friday, June 5 … TBD Joint Conference Committee kickoff … TBD The House will be in Session.
Saturday, June 6 … TBD Budget Conference Meetings. Sunday, June 7 … TBD Budget Conference Meetings. Monday, June 8 … TBD The House will be in Session; TBD Budget Conference Meetings. Tuesday, June 9 … TBD Budget Conference Meetings; TBD Health Innovation Subcommittee meeting
Wednesday, June 10 … TBD Budget Conference Meetings; TBD Health and Human Service Committee meeting; TBD Rules Committee meeting to set the Special Order Calendar. Thursday, June 11 … TBD The House will be in Session. Friday, June 12 … TBD The House will be in Session.
Monday, June 15 … TBD The House will be in Session. Thursday, June 18 … TBD The House will be in Session. Friday, June 19 … TBD The House will be in Session.
— “Lessons of special session past should help Florida lawmakers avoid a crisis” via Matt Dixon of the Naples Daily News
MEANWHILE … STAGE LEGISLATORS DEFEND THEIR OWN HEALTH CARE COVERAGE AT TIGER BAY FORUM IN TAMPA via Mitch Perry of Florida Politics
Tampa Bay area state legislators Tom Lee and Daryl Rouson took center court at …Tampa Tiger Bay Club meeting, where again the Legislature’s divide on health care drove the debate.
The pair (dubbed “Ebony and Ivory” by Lee) return with the rest of their legislative colleagues to Tallahassee next month to come up with a plan to balance the state’s budget by the end of the month, or see the state run out of funds and go into a government shutdown, something that would be much more embarrassing than the negative fallout they’ve already received for aborting the session abruptly last month.
Representing Democrats throughout the state, Rouson argued passionately why he was fighting to help provide Medicaid expansion to more than 800,000 Floridians, the source of so much dissension in the state Capitol this spring. “My district wants it. 800,000 people in the state want it. The Chambers want it. The hospitals want it. And I don’t think all of them are wearing Gucci loafers.”
But while the Legislature has been talking (in circles) about providing more health care coverage for other people, the tables were turned when Tiger Bay member Al McCray asked the two men about a “rumor” that lawmakers only pay $9 a month for their own coverage.
“It’s not $9 a month,” Rouson quickly correcting McCray. “But it is a rate sought by the majority of the taxpayers in the state of Florida. I concede that.” He also was quick to mention that the $29,000 annual salary that lawmakers (who are considered part-time legislators) make is hardly great money to raise a family.
In fact, House members and Governor Scott had been paying just $8.34 a month for individual coverage and $30 a month for family coverage, according to the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting, up until a few years ago. That abruptly changed however in 2013, after negative publicity surfaced about the low premiums lawmakers were paying. Now all legislators pay $50 a month in premiums for individual coverage and $180 a month for family coverage.
TEACHERS’ UNION URGES LAWMAKERS TO BOOST SCHOOL SPENDING via John Kennedy of the Palm Beach Post
The head of the state’s largest teachers’ union said … Florida lawmakers shouldn’t forget earlier goals of boosting dollars for public schools when they reconvene next month to pass a state budget.
Health care has been the biggest battleground in the duel between the Republican-led House and Senate. But Florida Education Association President Andy Ford said school funding deserves at least equal billing.
“The 2015 legislative session started with such promise for our state: A billion dollar revenue surplus and a proposed budget from the governor which could return education funding to pre-recession levels and cover the increased costs of an additional 15,000 students,” Ford said in separate letters to House Speaker Steve Crisafulli … and Senate President Andy Gardiner.
Ford pointed out that Education Week magazine recently gave Florida a grade of D+ for school financing. But Scott’s promise of record-setting per-pupil dollars, which was generally supported by House and Senate’s budget blueprints, have since taken a back seat to the health care scrap.
With federal officials this week providing a more clear picture of the financing Florida hospitals can expect, Ford urged lawmakers to turn more attention to the needs of classrooms.
“We encourage you to recognize that education and health care are both critically important to our state,” Ford said.
NEW LOBBYING REGISTRATIONS
Brian Ballard, William Turbeville, Ballard Partners: City of Port St. Lucie
Richard Koon, Floridian Partners: Duke Energy Corporation; Federated National Insurance Company; Heritage Property & Casualty Insurance Company
Robert Webb, Baker & Hostetler: American Resort Development Association
HAPPY BIRTHDAY belatedly to good guys Rob Johnson and Kevin Reilly. Celebrating today is one of my favorite people, to fundraiser Ashley Ross.
TWEET, TWEET: Craig Waters, communications director for the Florida Supreme Court, announced on Facebook that he’ll marry partner Jim Crochet in December.
