Fifty Florida lawmakers earned a perfect score for promoting economic freedom in the Sunshine State, according to a new report card released Tuesday from Americans for Prosperity’s Florida chapter.
AFP analyzed how state legislators voted on 96 of the “most impactful” bills during this year’s legislative session.
Over 5,500 votes were tallied on nearly 60 legislative issues ranging from slashing property taxes, adopting Medicaid block grants and setting a binding minimum wage for public school teachers.
Lawmakers were graded based on their support or opposition to bills central to AFP’s mission of being “stewards of good, transparent government” and protecting private property rights. Legislators received both letter grades and percentages, with some lawmakers receiving over 100 percent based on their alignment with AFP’s priorities.
Fifty state legislators -- mostly Republicans -- received the top grade (A+) for voting in line with AFP’s issues. The state’s top-graded legislators were dubbed “Champions of Economic Freedom,” a title reserved only for legislators earning the highest marks on AFP’s report card.
AFP supported some legislation, like the Schools of Hope bill, which received broad approval from the state legislature despite contention and pushback from Democrats and some public school officials.
The group also threw its weight behind HB 7069, the controversial education package which makes several changes to the state’s education system, including requiring mandatory recess and providing teacher bonuses for “highly effective” teachers in Florida.
Rep. Manny Diaz Jr., R-Hialeah, who sponsored HB 7069, was one of the few who received the top marks from AFP.
“It's great to be recognized for making sure that the best interests of our taxpayers are protected in Florida,” Diaz told Sunshine State News Tuesday. “I am honored to receive an A+ on the scorecard and I look forward to working for continued economic freedoms in District 103 and all across Florida.”
"Any time an organization dedicated to promoting and defending conservative principles recognizes you for voting those principles it's a good thing," Speaker Corcoran said.
Some lawmakers didn’t fare as well on the report card. Many Democrats received failing grades and some, like Reps. Cynthia Stafford, D-Miami, and Clovis Watson, D-Alachua, receiving grades as low as 36 percent.
On the whole, AFP said the scorecard indicated Florida was “embracing economic freedom,” leading to encouraging results for Florida families.
“The state of Florida is embracing economic freedom, and our families and businesses will be better off because of it,” said AFP-FL state director Chris Hudson. “I am thrilled to see that this year, 50 legislators earned an A+ on our Economic Freedom Scorecard. That’s the most A+’s the Florida legislature has earned since we began publishing our annual report. Our activist base is growing, our network is expanding and always finding ways to maximize our impact, but we are far from done. I believe the best days are ahead of us, and we are committed to deliver even more victories in 2018.”
To see the full report card breakdown, click here.
Reach reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen.
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