No matter how many post-session news stories sing the praises of a new spirit of cooperation between the two chambers of the Legislature, a plain-as-day reality remains: The Senate and House were not always on the same page in 2013, despite solid Republican majorities in both chambers.
With 15 new members taking seats in the Florida Senate after the 2012 elections, conservatives had high hopes in 2013 that their agenda would fare better than it did in previous years. But, in the 2013 session, the Senate killed conservatives hopes on enacting parent empowerment, moving new state employees pensions into a 401(k)-style system, and finding a Florida-based solution to accepting federal dollars mandated by President Barack Obamas health care law for Medicaid expansion.
In short, despite the influx of new members, the Florida Senate remains where conservative bills go to die.
Continuing its pattern in recent years, the House has been much more conservative. Party lines are firmer and the leadership has more sway in the House. After taking the gavel after the 2012 elections, Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, made it clear that he wanted new state employees pensions moved over to a 401(k)-style system and supported expanded school choice options. While Scott supported accepting federal dollars to comply with the Medicaid expansion, Weatherford drew a line in the sand. With Republicans controlling 76 of the 120 seats in the Florida House, Weatherford was able to keep his caucus in line. The House held firm behind the speaker and his conservative agenda.
The Senate was a totally different story. Not forced to run every two years, senators generally have more independence from their leaders as recent legislative sessions have shown. At the end of 2011, then-Senate President Mike Haridopolos had problems bringing the Senate into agreement with the House on the budget. Last year, current Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach, tried to knife the future presidential ambitions of Sen. Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando. Gardiner was able to survive the attack and is now in line to be Senate president after the 2014 elections.
Things were supposed to be a bit different in 2013 with a host of new faces and some of the more prominent Republicans who bucked the leadership -- such as Paula Dockery and Mike Fasano -- term-limited in 2012. But the Senate proved just as unruly in 2013. Last year, the Senate killed parent empowerment legislation on a 20-20 tie. The same held true last week as Republican senators who supported the measure in 2012 turned against it in 2013.
While Republicans control strong majorities in both chambers, the Senate and the House remained on different pages on other issues -- meaning nothing happened in the way of pension reform or Medicaid expansion.
Weatherfords hopes for state employee pension reform differed from the Senate version sponsored by freshman Sen. Wilton Simpson, R-New Port Richey. Republican senators led by Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, made it clear they had no use for Weatherfords bill. Simpsons bill, which did not go as far as the one from Rep. Jason Brodeur, R-Sanford, that Weatherford was pushing, got the same type of response from the House.
The same held true on accepting federal dollars for Medicaid expansion. While the Senate was behind a bill from Sen. Joe Negron, R-Stuart, that made use of some federal dollars, the House Republicans wholeheartedly rejected it. In the end, neither chamber could find much in the way to agree on and nothing happened on that front -- a win for Weatherford, at least for now.
Nor does this appear likely to change anytime soon. Not a single incumbent senator is term-limited in 2014. The 10 incumbent senators who face challenges in 2014 have already filed their paperwork to run again. Conservatives should expect to face the same frustrations in the Senate in the years to come as they did in 2012 and 2013.
Other governors -- experienced legislators like Reubin Askew, political stars like Lawton Chiles, Bob Graham or Jeb Bush -- could have brought the two chambers together. Scott did not have that luxury. Despite the unemployment rate dropping, Scott remains sunk in the polls giving him little in the way of political muscle.
Nor does the governor have years of relationships with the Republican leaders of both chambers. When he ran for governor in 2010, Scott highlighted his outsider credentials and attacked primary opponent Bill McCollum and general election foe Alex Sink for their ties to Tallahassee. Great electoral strategy even if it proves a poor governing tactic. Even in his third legislative session, Scott has not mastered the fine art of working with the Legislature and his procession of chiefs of staff --three in 2 1/2 years --is not helping.
Scott expressed his displeasure with some of the campaign finance and election reforms passed out of the Legislature. The governor vetoed an alimony reform bill that emerged out of both chambers. The Legislature responded in kind. Scotts top two priorities in the session were across-the-board pay raises for public school teachers and eliminating the manufacturing sales tax. For much of the session, it appeared teachers would not get the full $2,500 raises that Scott called for and the manufacturing sales tax elimination passed as an amendment to another bill, with House Democrats attacking the procedure used to get it through. Scott barely got his two top priorities over the finish line, despite his party controlling both chambers.
Despite dominating both legislative chambers and the governorship in 2013, Florida Republicans were often out of tune with each other. With the same players running the Legislature and Scott facing a tough road for re-election, Republicans and conservatives have to wonder if they can expect their leaders to cooperate more in 2014.
Tallahassee political writer Jeff Henderson wrote this analysis piece exclusively for Sunshine State News.
