All of a sudden Denise Grimsley finds herself smack in the middle of a tug-of-war between House and Senate -- maneuvering the budget -- the thing that morphs into the annual showdown to decide which is the stronger chamber.
The head of the House budget talks is walking a tightrope. She has a job to do now, but she wants to be accepted as one of the gang and by her potential boss in the Senate next year.
Is she worried? Not in the slightest, says the Sebring Republican.
The two chambers are on track to battle over how exactly to revamp no-fault auto insurance, reductions in funding for health and human services, and the planned closing of the Jefferson County correctional facility. The conference negotiations are expected to rival last years late-night sparring, where the leaders of both chambers took very public verbal shots at each other.
Still, Grimsley, who chairs both the House Appropriations Committee and the Joint Legislative Budget Commission, actually anticipates the process -- typically a backroom brawl where politicians, regardless of party, fight to one-up each other -- to be slightly smoother this year.
A big reason for the change, in her eyes, is that the philosophical divides are smaller across the board than a year ago; both chambers are, for the most part, following the outline of Gov. Rick Scotts proposed budget.
Its a pretty straightforward process, the soft-spoken Grimsley said Friday, without getting into many specifics. Even though we still have a shortfall, it isnt anything of the magnitude of last year.
As for dealing with Sen. J.D. Alexander, R-Lake Wales, who is the Senate Budget Committee chairman, she joked that they have been arguing since they attended first grade together at Zolfo Springs Elementary School in Hardee County in 1965.
Also, she doesnt anticipate her actions in the negotiations to sway from the desires of House leadership this session or to have lasting impacts on her relationships with others in the Senate, the chamber she is in line to join this fall.
Grimsley, a registered nurse and citrus grower, is currently running unopposed and with a massive war chest -- she started 2012 with more than $610,000 on hand -- for the rural Central Florida seat held by Alexander, who is leaving office because of term limits.
With legislators prohibited from collecting campaign contributions during the session, and with a focus on the budget, she has remained in Tallahassee every other weekend this session. Even without the legislative restrictions, Grimsley said her campaign wouldn't be much different, since the campaign season is months away and the final redistricting maps await further state and federal review.
"At this point in the game, even if I had an opponent, there isn't much that would be happening," she said. "Maybe some door-to-door (campaigning)."
Senate President-designate Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, said he wouldnt expect there to be any backlash aimed Grimsley's way from another hard-fought round of budget talks.
I believe we are fairly close in our approach to the budget to the approach that the House has taken. There are always differences, but I believe the differences are not insurmountable, Gaetz said. I look forward to her being in the Senate.
The House approved a $69.2 billion budget Thursday that has clear differences in spending priorities outlined earlier in the week by the Senate.
The House has proposed $35 million for the Florida Everglades restoration and $10 million to keep the Jefferson County correctional institute open. The Senate doesnt plan money for either.
The House has also sought a 15 percent tuition increase for university students. For Pre-K-12 education, the House is boosting the funding by $1.1 billion while the Senate has proposed a $1.2 billion increase.
The Senate plan also seeks to break the University of South Florida-Polytechnic in Lakeland into an independent university, which is a priority of Alexanders.
The Senate, which earlier indicated it would wait until after the regular 60-day session, will continue to hammer out its financial plan this week.
Reach Jim Turner at jturner@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 215-9889.
