TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Usually, a big Florida State win tops the headlines in the tree-lined college town, but for 60 days each year, Tallahassee attracts a far more important level of attention.
Lawmakers descend on the Florida State Capitol to advance the agendas of their constituents on a tight timeframe. And, this year, the legislative session takes place in front of a complex political backdrop.
Gov. Ron DeSantis delivered his annual State of the State address Tuesday morning, with his supporters, opponents — and future potential rivals — parsing every word for clues to his ambitions. If the rampant speculation becomes reality, DeSantis’ blueprint for Florida could very well foreshadow his plans for a presidential run.
But, the governor says, for now, he’s focused on spending the next two months leveraging his Republican supermajorities to enact significant legislation affecting the lives of Florida’s 21 million residents.
From controversy in education and the tense debate over guns to unaffordable housing and the property insurance crisis, Spectrum News anchors and reporters explore the state’s most pressing issues through the eyes of people facing them first hand.
Expanding educational options
House Bill 1 didn’t randomly find itself topping the session’s agenda. It’s the speaker’s number one legislative priority. Speaker Paul Renner (R-District 19) wants to dramatically increase the number of Florida students eligible for school vouchers.
Gov. DeSantis has not thrown his full support behind the bill.
And with cost estimates varying from hundreds of millions up to $4 billion, critics warn the price tag would syphon already-limited public school funding.
Supporters — especially those who say they benefited from the existing voucher program — believe school choice is well worth the expense.
Balancing freedoms and safety
Under current Florida law, purchasing a firearm requires a background check, and carrying a concealed weapon requires an additional permit.
Senate Bill 150 would change that.
While it’s not quite “open carry,” which allows legal gun owners in some states to display their firearms in plain view, “constitutional carry” in Florida would eliminate the permit required to conceal a weapon in public.
Committee hearings on the subject have already been heated, with little common ground between those supporting the expansion of gun rights and those calling for stricter firearm regulations.
Those debates are sure to get even more tense following the recent fatal shootings of 9-year-old T’Yonna Major, 37-year-old Natacha Augustin and Spectrum News reporter Dylan Lyons.
Reimagining affordable housing
Even flickers of bipartisanship will be unlikely when the GOP supermajority overpowers the Florida Legislature’s Democratic minority — but lawmakers on both sides of the sharply-divided aisle agree exorbitant housing prices are making ends much harder to meet.
And, many Floridians can’t afford to live near where they work.
Sen. Alexis Calatayud (R-Miami) wants a “comprehensive statewide workforce housing strategy.” Senate Bill 102, the Live Local Act, would make it easier for businesses to build affordable housing units in areas zoned for commercial or mixed-use-development, but not in areas already zoned for residential use.
“We’re providing incentives to businesses who are providing affordable housing. There’s a quid pro quo there. You’re gonna keep the rents low for 30 years [or so]… in return for us providing incentives. That’s the key,” said Senate President Kathleen Passidomo (R-Naples)
Meanwhile, just ahead of session, Rep. Anna Eskamani (D-Orlando) filed HB 1407, a package of renter-focused protections being dubbed the “Keep Floridians Housed Act.” Among other things, the bill would create a new state agency, the Department of Housing and Tenant Rights, and cap security deposits at no more than the cost of one month’s rent.
According to Rent.com, an average one-bedroom apartment in Orlando costs around $1,700 a month. But thanks to a new public-private partnership, residents of one motel-turned attainable workforce housing near Downtown Orlando are paying $650 a month for rent and utilities.
Watching recent changes take effect
Despite ongoing struggles for millions of Florida home and business owners, the state’s lingering property insurance crisis is not expected to make this year’s legislative agenda.
Instead, lawmakers are waiting to see the effects of new laws, passed in a December special session, that placed limits on lawsuits and set up a $1 billion reinsurance program to help insurers cover the costs of hurricanes and other natural disasters.
The legislative initiatives aim to attract insurance companies back to the state and eventually lower costs for consumers.
But, for homeowners still facing sky-high premiums and unexpected policy cancellations, patience is painful.
And there’s plenty more to debate
Democrats remain committed to fighting for the priorities of their constituents regardless of the political brick wall they’ll face throughout the session.
A post-COVID Medicaid rollback will undoubtedly become a topic of contentious conversation, and a pair of Democratic lawmakers are putting abortion back on the legislative agenda.
Our news partner, Florida Politics, reports Sen. Lori Berman (D-Palm Beach) and Rep. Rita Harris (D-Orange County) filed identical bills, HB 1033 and SB 1076 to redraw the line at 23 weeks, where Florida law stood before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe. v. Wade.
Disagreements over immigration policies could reach new heights, with Republican lawmakers pushing legislation to expand the controversial migrant flights from Florida and other states.
And while school choice may top the legislative agenda, school curriculums will certainly stir up strong opinions, as well. Heated discord continues over how issues of race and gender are discussed — or not discussed — in Florida classrooms.
Spectrum News will provide complete multi-platform coverage of the biggest developments out of Tallahassee, starting March 7.