For years I’ve traveled back and forth to Tallahassee attempting to have an impact on the legislative process. I’ve watched the way things have worked in Tallahassee and have become disgusted by it. The people of Florida have been shut out of the process. We have had our voices muffled and silenced. As one back room deal paves the way for the next back room deal, the people of Florida have continually footed the bill for pet projects, higher regulations (that we then have to live under), corporate welfare schemes and crony capitalism projects.
I had hope for this this legislative session. Commitments were made. The process was going to be more open and transparent. Accountability to the people was to be the rule of the day. No more broken promises. It sounded grand. I looked on with cautious excitement that maybe this year would be different. That the people would matter. That principles would carry the day over political expediency.
I was wrong. We were all wrong.
This session may have been started with the lofty idea of more transparency, more ethics and more representation for the people of our state but it has ended in controversy, secrecy and the forgoing of the principles that it began on. This ruse of a special session is the epitome of everything that is wrong with our state government.
The people are fed up with the excuse that "this is just how it works" and we demand it to stop. We want better and we deserve better. It is the reason I started my campaign for governor just a few short weeks ago.
As each one of you returns to Tallahassee today, I urge you to remember the promises you made to your constituents. We expect you to honor those promises. Our expectation is that you will lead our state into an era of more oversight, more transparency and certainly more conservatism when it comes to handing out our hard earned money. We will be watching.
Sincerely,
Bob White
Bob White, the chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus of Florida, is running for governor
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