In light of November 2012's electoral setbacks, some are ready to write off the tea party" as a movement whose time has come and gone, but dont tell that to Floridas grassroots activists.
I think [legislative] leadership is very supportive of what were doing, [even if they wont] come out and stand at a microphone and say it, Slade OBrien, Florida state director of Americans for Prosperity (AFP), tells Sunshine State News. You can just see by the committees theyre setting up and the things that they individually are pushing that theyve taken a very hard look [at] what were talking about, and theyre willing to take on certain planks of it.
Its difficult to gauge something like a tea party agenda, because, as SSN has reported previously, the movement remains largely ill-defined and amorphous, with different ideological and political interests attaching themselves to it when convenient.
But if the tea party is defined as a broad grassroots commitment to limited government, less taxes, and free markets, and the legislative realization of these principles, theres probably no better de facto representative of the movement in Florida than AFP, whose Five for Florida agenda has been endorsed, not only by nearly two dozen lawmakers and state Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater, but also by several organizations around the state that identify with the tea party label.
Mike Hill, president of the Northwest Florida Tea Party, sits on the board of the nonpartisan government watchdog Integrity Florida, which has come under fire over the last week for teaming with AFP to produce a report highly critical of Enterprise Florida, the states program for incentivizing businesses to set up shop in the Sunshine State.
Hill declined to elaborate on specific legislative proposals his tea party organization would be getting behind in the coming session, but he did share his impressions of what he thought were the top concerns of Floridians who identify with the tea party movement: gun rights, Obamacare, and government transparency.
The tea party believes strongly in our Constitution, which means the Second Amendment gives us the right to keep and bear arms; thats going to be a big issue for us, Hill said, referring to efforts by some legislative Democrats to amend or revoke the states stand your ground laws.
Since the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has been declared constitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court, Hill says tea partiers next target is the prospect of state-based health insurance exchanges.
Our position on that is to not set up the state exchanges, mainly because it will mean an expansion of Obamacare in Florida and a huge expansion of our Medicare costs, which right now is eating up close to 25 percent of our state budget, Hill explained. We dont believe that we can afford to increase that any more.
One area he thinks tea partiers can ally with liberals and moderates is on the issue of government transparency, particularly with regard to the expenditure of campaign monies. Thats something we think can be done very easily and quickly, he says, while praising proposals already put forward by House Speaker Will Weatherford and Senate President Don Gaetz.
Some of these same concerns were echoed by OBrien and Abigail MacIver, AFPs director of policy and external affairs. But they were much more specific about what legislation theyre backing.
Their Five for Florida plan, outlined last summer, contains the following goals for lawmakers:
-- Reform taxes and end corporate welfare.
--Don't make financial promises taxpayers can't keep.
--Be stewards of good, transparent government.
--Empower kids with the best education.
--Free entrepreneurs to pursue the American dream.
Though session is still a few weeks away, and not every bill that will be considered has already been filed, OBrien and MacIver named six pieces of legislation, already or soon-to-be filed, which they say will bring Florida closer to realizing those goals:
1. "Parent trigger legislation, which would allow parents of public school children to convert their failing schools to charter schools.
2. House Speaker Weatherfords pension reform legislation, which would place new state hirees on 401(k) style pension plans.
3. Freshman Rep. Neil Combees HB 121 (Department of Economic Opportunity), which would require local governments to submit a list of all local fees and tax rates, along with the length of time required to obtain certain business licenses and permits, and for this information to be published on the website of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.
4. A bill recently introduced by the House Education Choice and Innovation Subcommittee, which requires greater transparency on the part of charter schools and makes it easier for successful charters to expand.
5. Legislation backed by Senate Banking and Insurance Committee chairman David Simmons which would assist in the progressive depopulation of Floridians from Citizens Property Insurance, the states taxpayer-subsidized program for homeowners who cannot afford to purchase property insurance from private providers.
6. Legislation expected to be introduced under the patronage of Speaker Weatherford, which would expand virtual learning opportunities for Floridas public college and university students.
Im much more encouraged by this session [than I was last year], OBrien says. I think that the leadership in this session understands our issues and our point of view much better and is willing to focus a lot more attention on it.
Reach Eric Giunta at egiunta@sunshinestatenews.com or at (954) 235-9116.
