It has been said that Everglades restoration efforts are often hindered by analysis paralysis. In the past, projects have been slowed, or even stopped, because concerns were raised about a good project not being perfect.
Towards the end of last week, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. and U.S. Rep. Neal Dunn, R-Fla., led the entire Florida congressional delegation in urging U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to ensure that the recent Interior Department offshore proposal does not “adversely affect military readiness and training activities off of Florida’s coasts.”
During a hearing late Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Fla., senior deputy majority whip and a member of the U.S. House Financial Services Committee, noted that regulators need to work more closely and less antagonistically with financial firms to avoid future calamities. The comments came during a mark-up of his bill, the Financial Stability Oversight Council Improvement Act of 2018. Ross said the following:
As a child growing up in public housing, my mother always taught me that with hard work and a focus on education, I could accomplish my goals and live my dreams, the American dream. Unfortunately, that is not the case for hundreds of thousands of children in America today.
Florida’s business community has a lot to look forward to this year, including the energy industry and the major economic growth it continues to produce.
The sanctity of Florida’s Constitution is violated when we seek to fill it with “feel good” amendments that are often vague, duplicative, and trigger unintended consequences. Such amendments are why we have a Florida Constitution addressing pigs, high-speed trains, funding for radios, and the taxation of boat storage facilities. Certainly, all of these topics are important, but they do not belong in a constitution. For this reason, the CRC should reject Proposal 23, which promotes additional, and potentially frivolous, environmental litigation.
No issue inspires more political energy in Florida than does term limits. At any given moment there are always campaigns underway to apply term limits to more offices or, in the case of cynical politicians, to undo or evade voter-approved laws. U.S. Term Limits tracked this activity for 2017 and prepared a summary.
On Thursday, U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla. weighed in on the vote in the UN General Assembly criticizing the U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Travel and tourism have long served as the backbone of Florida’s economy, which is now the 18th largest in the world. Here in Pensacola, we’re proud that our city has emerged as a driving force of this growth industry.
