Welcome to The Dean's List -- an Ed Dean-style look at who Florida's political achievers were (and weren't) in the last seven days. What you see here is strictly my opinion, not necessarily the editor's or the rest of the staff at Sunshine State News.
THOSE WHO MADE THE LIST
Florida Carry Inc. This pro-Second Amendment group insists guns should be allowed in university dorms. Lesley McKinney, the group’s attorney, said, “All we are saying is that the right to possess a firearm in one's home is fundamental." Florida colleges have opposed having firearms in dorm housing but Florida Carry says students living in campus housing should be allowed to maintain possession of firearms just as they would in their parents' homes.
The Florida Chamber of Commerce Class of 2015. The Florida Chamber released its annual scorecard of pro-friendly business legislators. Eight state senators and only one House member got perfect scores. In the Senate, Republican Sens. Thad Altman, Greg Evers, Rene Garcia, President Andy Gardiner, Travis Hutson and Garrett Richter each scored 100. So did Democrat Sens. Audrey Gibson and Darren Soto. On the House side, only Rep. Charles Van Zant, a Republican, earned a 100.
Indian River County Commission Chairman Wesley Davis. With some South Florida counties hinting at raising taxes, Davis sees a different way of raising revenue. During the annual State of the County address, Davis called for Indian River County to become more efficient and look for other sources of income. Davis has focused on promoting tourism. Other pro-business incentives include cutting some county ordinances including allowing new businesses to open with a temporary certificate of occupancy. Indian River County so far has been a model for county government. In recent years, the county has eliminated 262 positions and still maintained services.
The Florida Board of Nursing. City College in Fort Lauderdale is challenging an order from the Florida Board of Nursing to end the school’s nursing program. In 2014, the college’s nursing program graduation rate stood at a paltry 60 percent.
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WHO DIDN’T MAKE THE LIST.
Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Allison Tant. The latest Tant rant against Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera, now a U.S. Senate candidate, isn’t holding up. Tant claimed Lopez-Cantera "voiced enthusiastic support” for bringing an Arizona-style immigration law to Florida. Just one problem: The immigration bill that Lopez-Cantera supported in the state House wasn’t what was brought up in Arizona. As far as his “enthusiastic support” of that kind of proposal, Lopez-Cantera was pretty clear back in 2010 that Florida and Arizona faced different immigration situations. "I realize there’s a problem in Arizona,” Lopez-Cantera said. “They have a serious problem, but I don't think you can compare it to Florida's.” Poltifact called Tant out on her attack.
Audubon Florida Executive Director Eric Draper. In his latest column, Draper offers a doomsday scenario for Florida’s environment. Draper contends if the South Florida Water Management District cuts tax rates, it will do detrimental harm to Florida’s environment. While the water district is holding the line, Draper says it should raise taxes to help take care of environmental needs. Yet, the water district is already doing more. Its current budget is $753.8 million, up from last year’s $720.4 million.
Sarasota City Mayor Willie Shaw. The mayor doesn’t think members of the City Commission are being paid enough for their “part-time” positions, so he’s calling for a pay increase and asking the voters at the ballot box to support it. No word on the proposed increase amount, but a current commission job pays $26,013 a year. Not bad for part-time pay despite Shaw's call for higher salaries.
Sanford City Commissioner Art Woodruff. Even with property values increasing, Woodruff still wants to increase taxes. One of the biggest reasons he wants a tax increase is to give city workers a pay raise. At a council meeting, Woodruff said, “We need to do something for our employees in terms of salary.” The average homeowner could pay an extra $50 more in property taxes this year.
Ed Dean, a senior editor with SSN whose talk-show can be heard on radio stations across Florida, can be reached at ed@sunshinestatenews.com. Follow him on Twitter: @eddeanradio.
