Only a Few Surprises on Florida Chamber of Commerce Legislator Report Card

The Florida Chamber of Commerce's legislative scorecard for 2010 gave perfect scores of 100 to about 50 of the state's lawmakers, all of them Republican and many of them among the majority leadership.

The chamber releases the scorecard at the end of each legislative session to review whether lawmakers advanced the chamber's agenda to improveFlorida's business environment and create jobs. Among the top scorers were Republican Party of Florida Chairman Sen. John Thrasher, R-Jacksonville, incoming Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Meritt Island, incoming House Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, Senate Budget Chief J.D. Alexander, R-Winter Haven, and Niceville Republican Sen. Don Gaetz, who sponsored a massive "Jobs for Florida" bill that created many tax incentives for Florida businesses.

Surprisingly, some members of the Democratic minority were high scorers. Senate Minority Leader Al Lawson of Tallahassee scored a 76, leading Sen. Jeremy Ring of Margate by one point; House Minority Leader Rep. Franklin Sands of Weston scored a 71, and incoming Minority Leader Rep. Ron Saunders of Key West scored a 76. Those ranked the lowest were Sens. Dan Gelber of Miami Beach, who scored a 44, and Arthenia Joyner of Tampa who scored a 42.

For a full list of the scorecard and fates of legislation opposed or supported, visit http://www.floridachamber.com/2010ReportCard.asp