Associated Industries of Florida (AIF) unveiled its legislative agenda for 2012 on Monday -- and expanded resort-casino gambling is at the top of its list.
Before the Legislature this year are numerous issues that could have a significant effect on the business community both positively and negatively, said Jose Gonzalez, vice president of governmental affairs at AIF.Its our responsibility as an organization to protect our members, as well as the entire Florida business community, and use our influence in Tallahassee to ensure Florida is creating a climate that spurs job and business development.
"By publishing and distributing AIFs 2012 Session Priorities, all 160 members of the Florida Legislature, agency heads of the executive branch and the Florida Cabinet are well aware of where our organization stands on the issues.
AIF, which has represented the states business community since 1920, doubled down on its support for expanded casino gambling in its agenda. AIF will be hosting a media event in the Capitol on Tuesday with business and gaming industry leaders to announce increased support for resort casinos in the Sunshine State.
Destination resorts offer Florida an opportunity to grow its economic base and create as many as 100,000 new jobs," the AIF maintained in its legislative goal announcement. These luxury resorts will attract new visitors to Florida who are interested in experiencing a variety of amenities including high-end retail, restaurants, entertainment venues and gaming facilities, hotel and residential towers, convention space, pools and outdoor recreation facilities. AIF supports and will aggressively advocate for legislation that will bring premier development companies to Florida to build world-class destination resorts resulting in direct and indirect economic benefits to Florida and Florida businesses.
Besides pushing for resort casinos, AIF offered support for a bill introduced by Sen. Alan Hays, R-Umatilla, and Rep. Matt Hudson, R-Naples, to close loopholes they claim "unscrupulous" physicians use when dispensing medications in workers' compensation cases. Despite evidence presented on the other side of the issue, AIF insists that closing these loopholes will result in businesses saving $62 million in the Sunshine State.
AIF served notice Monday that it will continue to push the state to collect sales taxes from online travel companies and businesses.
Online travel companies should not have an unfair advantage over companies located and doing business in Florida, insisted AIF. The way in which taxes are currently remitted is hurting Floridas tourism economy and hoteliers who have been collecting and remitting occupancy taxes to the state, counties and municipalities for years. Any legislation that permanently codifies the online travel companies business model would be bad for Florida employers and would open the door to demands from other wholesale-to-retail businesses seeking a similar tax windfall if this market-distorting tax advantage were enacted by the Legislature.
AIF pledged to support efforts to enforce the fair collection of state sales tax, arguing that brick-and-mortar retailers are at a disadvantage to out-of-state, online-only retailers when it comes to the collection of state sales tax.
Under current law, online-only retailers forgo collecting sales tax at the point of purchase, despite the fact that it is still due, and the burden is passed on to unknowing consumers, continued AIF, which insisted this was not a new tax. Making Floridas tax system more competitive can be accomplished by collecting already-due taxes from online sales and then eliminating some other existing tax or fee.
AIF offered its blessing to a number of bills in the Legislature including those filed by Rep. Jim Boyd, R-Bradenton, and Rep. Ritch Workman, R-Melbourne, in the House and by Senate President Pro Tempore Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, in the upper chamber to reduce Personal Injury Protection (PIP) costs. AIF also plans to continue to reform the states Citizens Property Insurance Corp. and Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund. AIF also will support a measure from Rep. Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, offering insurance companies protection from bad faith lawsuits.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
