Backroom briefing: Affordability bragging rights
[myflorida.gov]
Despite bipartisan assessments that the Legislature has done little this session to address affordability issues, House Speaker Daniel Perez maintained his chamber did its job.
Perez defended his chamber after former House Speaker Paul Renner, needing to build name recognition in the Republican gubernatorial field, joined Democrats in decrying lawmakers for failing to complete the budget on time and doing little to help Florida consumers.
“For the second year in a row, the Legislature will fail in the one and only constitutional duty it has to perform: passing a state budget,” Renner posted on X. “Additionally, Florida families are telling legislators loud and clear: the cost of living is crushing them and Tallahassee has just ignored it. The message to the Florida Legislature is simple: affordability should be a right now priority. It’s time for Tallahassee to stop the political games and start delivering immediate relief for Florida families.”
Perez said he hasn’t spoken “in a while” with Renner, who was Speaker in the 2023 and 2024 sessions. But Perez added he disagreed with the assessment of a lack of affordability legislation “as far as the House is concerned.”
While highlighting tax cuts in the 2025 session, Perez pointed to a constitutional amendment only backed by the House (HJR 203) that would eliminate non-school homestead property taxes.
“The only body that has passed anything with property taxes that has had a committee, that has had a robust debate, is the House. So, I would say we have definitely led the charge with affordability,” Perez said.
A staff analysis of the resolution projects that if 60 percent of voters in November approve the proposal, local government revenue would face a $4.8 billion cut in the first year the change is implemented. The amount grows to $14.7 billion a year.
Local government officials have warned that the fiscal impact will result in an across-the-board reduction in services.
On Monday, House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell, D-Tampa, took aim at the output from a regular session, where lawmakers meandered towards the anticipated overtime.
“What we are missing are bills that do a number of things,” Driskell told reporters. “First, that make housing more affordable. Second, that lower property insurance rates, which, by the way, is still the number one issue that we hear back home in our communities … And third, I haven’t seen anything that would lower the cost of health care.”
FOUNDING STATUES
Gov. Ron DeSantis continued his “Founding Fathers” statue tour, unveiling a life-size replica of Alexander Hamilton along the banks of the Suwannee River in Hamilton County on Wednesday.
As part of Florida’s U.S. 250th anniversary celebration this year, DeSantis has overseen the placement of a statue in the Florida Capitol of George Washington, one of Thomas Jefferson in Jefferson County, Ben Franklin in Franklin County and James Monroe in Monroe County. DeSantis also brought a statue of former President Ronald Reagan to Florida International University and abolitionist Frederick Douglass was unveiled in St. Augustine.
A duplicate of the Washington statue in the Capitol is planned for Washington County, DeSantis said.
THE RYAN EXPRESS
On Tuesday, as a parting gift from members of the Senate, President Ben Albritton was given an autographed Nolan Ryan Houston Astro jersey.
The Wauchula Republican, whose youngest son is named Ryan, is a collector of memorabilia from the Major League Baseball career leader in strikeouts and no-hitters.
The gift also partially explained a little display of highlighted interns by a couple of senators a few days earlier.
Jacksonville Republican Sen. Clay Yarborough took time during the floor session March 5 to recognize one of his staff interns; Nolan Ryan Shrode, who is also a criminal justice major at the University of North Florida.
“Nolan’s a motivated student with a proven record in leadership, team management and customer service excellence, nationally recognized for achievements in debate, public speaking and civic engagement,” Yarborough boasted with Shrode standing in the gallery above the Senate floor.
The next day, Sen. Jay Trumbull matched Yarborough with a Stetson University junior who is interning for the Panama City Republican.
“I’ll take Nolan Ryan and raise you Joe DiMaggio,” Trumbull said, referring to the names of the interns and two members of Major League Baseball’s Hall of Fame.
“Joe, when he first introduced himself to our office, he said, ‘Hey, my name is Joe DiMaggio. Yes, I am a distant relative of Joltin’ Joe. And before anyone asks, no, I cannot play baseball,” Trumbull said. “But Joe, you have done a tremendous job for our office.”
SOCIAL MEDIA POST OF THE WEEK
“This is absolutely ridiculous. Who wants to stay at a luxury hotel at the airport? What’s the draw? A leisurely stroll by the wastewater treatment facility? A picnic amongst the city’s solar panel fields? This is another example of the woeful mismanagement of the airport. Focus on the basics: more routes, cheaper fares, more travelers. A luxury hotel? This airport is more hopeless than I thought.” – @ChrisSpencerFL on X, executive director of the Florida State Board of Administration, on the prospect of a luxury hotel at Tallahassee International Airport.
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