House Speaker Larry Cretul, R-Ocala, slammed the door shut Wednesday on the possibility of another 2010 $60,000-a-day special session to handle the fiscal impact of the oil spill in the Gulf.
When Gov. Charlie Crist called a special session of the Legislature in July to put on the ballot a proposed constitutional amendment to ban near-shore drilling, Cretul adjourned the House in less than an hour. It killed the governors proposed amendment.
Cretul set up committees of House members to examine various issues resulting from the oil spill and consider the possibility of a second special session to deal with the economic damage caused by the spill.
With the reports of the various committees in hand, Cretul sent a letter to House members Wednesday, arguing the committees found the damage inflicted by the spill posed a challenge too large for a special session to manage.
Cretuel praised committee members and their work. As was intended, these members delved into the gritty details to understand how this spill has impacted Florida and focused on what the Legislature can appropriately do to provide relief for our citizens and critical state resources.
Based on the work groups recommendations, it would appear that while there are some issues where legislative action may be appropriate, there are no issues that require immediate formal legislative action, Cretul wrote. Additionally, there are several areas where it is clear that we do not yet possess the information necessary to make informed decisions. Moreover, many of these issues require solutions that would benefit from closer scrutiny during a regular legislative session.
He concluded, "As I commented last month, the Deepwater Horizon oil-well blowout presents a unique set of challenges for Florida. While the people of Florida are among the victims of this spill, the Louisiana blowout occurred hundreds of miles from our state outside our jurisdiction, and is under the exclusive control of a foreign corporation, the federal government, and the United States Coast Guard. Be assured that even with those factors, we will continue to hold BP, the federal government and the Feinberg claims process accountable and will continue to work to make sure that our people and our environment are once again made whole.
Senate President Jeff Atwater of North Palm Beach, the Republican candidate for the state CFO position, who had been more open to a special session, seemed willing to abandon the idea and rely on committees, including the Select Committee on Floridas Economy headed by Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach.
"I want to thank Sen. Gaetz and the members of the Select Committee on Florida's Economy for their hard work on behalf of the Floridians impacted by the oil disaster, wrote Atwater after Cretul sent out his letter. I have asked them to continue developing proposals, gathering data, and working with incoming leadership in preparation for the next session."
Reach Kevin Derby at derby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
