Hardly a day went by during this year’s legislative session -- and most sessions before that -- that a well-dressed gentleman didn’t give public comment on, well, most any bill which even had the remote possibility of passing through the Legislature.
Almost each and every day, lobbyist Brian Pitts of Justice 2 Jesus marched toward the podium, prepared to ignite a fire in state lawmakers’ hearts.
While some public commentary can be sleep-inducing and full of complicated jargon, Pitts prefers to be succinct. His comments and arguments usually don’t lead to even a small spark, but he doesn't want for trying.
Pitts’ persistence has made him a legend in Tallahassee. He sits at Capitol computers, poring over bills, before he heads to committee meetings to speak his mind.
His comments have even made him an Internet sensation as the subject of a YouTube music video featuring some of his famous lines.
So when the Florida House adjourned three days early during this year’s legislative session, Pitts decided he wasn’t going to sit idly by and let lawmakers get away with it. He was going to do something about the early adjournment, even if it meant filing a lawsuit against the top officials in the Florida Legislature.
Because state lawmakers violated the Constitution by leaving this year’s regular session early, Brian Pitts alleges the bills passed during that 60-day period should be voided entirely.
As SaintPetersblog reported, Pitts filed a lawsuit in the 2nd Judicial Circuit Court against Crisafulli, Gardiner and Secretary of State Ken Detzner. But unlike Pitts’ usual to-the-point and typically short public commentary, the suit is 48 pages long.
A little over two weeks after Pitts filed the suit, Circuit Court Judge Charles Francis stayed the lawsuit, saying the suit must be noticed to the attorney general as well or the state attorney where the action is pending.
Pitts refiled his lawsuit shortly after Francis’ stay. He certified he had sent a copy to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Leon County State Attorney Willie Meggs.
Pitts was particularly vocal with his frustrations over the House’s early adjournment, posting a series of clearly irritated tweets before the House called it quits.
“WE ARE NOT TO FAR FROM ABUSE OF AUTHORITY IN FL LEG HSE/SEN LEADERSHIP AS THEY SOLELY ACT AS LEGISLATURE NOT ALL THE MEMBERS AS A WHOLE,” he tweeted.
“THIS IS UNPROFESSIONAL/IRRESPONSIBLE,” he wrote.
Later, Pitts called the special legislative session to hammer out the state budget “bogus” and a “waste of time and money.”
There’s no word yet on what the future of Pitts’ suit will be, but if anything, his actions prove he’s not backing down from making his voice heard in Florida politics.
Reach Tampa-based reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen
