With both the regular session and June’s special session of the Florida Legislature now in the rear-view mirror, the leadership of the business community honored legislators this week for their votes in the House and the Senate.
On Monday, the Florida Chamber announced 23 legislators received the “Distinguished Advocate" award which “recognizes lawmakers who fought tirelessly for the passage of pro-business legislation – no matter how difficult – and furthered the Florida Chamber’s goals of securing Florida’s future through job creation and economic development.”
The Florida Chamber gave the award to six Republican senators -- Jeff Brandes of St. Petersburg, Nancy Detert of Venice, Alan Hays of Umatilla, Dorothy Hukill of Port Orange, John Legg of Lutz and Wilton Simpson of Trilby. Fifteen Republicans in the Florida House -- including House Speaker Steve Crisafulli of Merritt Island and incoming House Speaker Richard Corcoran of Trinity -- received the award as did two Democrats in the House: Katie Edwards of Plantation and Ed Narain of Tampa.
“Early during the 2015 legislative process, the Florida Chamber encouraged lawmakers to focus on measures that would put Florida’s long-term future ahead of short-term politics,” said Mark Wilson, the president and CEO of the Florida Chamber, on Monday. “The Florida Chamber is pleased to present the Distinguished Advocate awards to lawmakers who have the courage to put free enterprise principles for job creation above special interests.”
On Tuesday, the Associated Industries of Florida (AIF) unveiled its “2015 Voting Records” which found 35 of the 40 members of the Florida Senate and 72 of the 120 members of the Florida House received scores of 90 or higher from the business group.
"Each year, AIF advocates for issues before the Florida Legislature that put Florida's businesses and families first," said former U.S. Rep. Tom Feeney, R-Fla., the president and CEO of AIF. "This year, we are pleased to report that the Florida Senate voted in favor of the business community 94 percent of the time, while the Florida House of Representatives voted favorably 86 percent of the time.
"We applaud the governor and the Florida Legislature for continuing to ensure our state's economic climate remains competitive by way of lower taxes, job creation, streamlining regulations and increasing opportunities in the marketplace," Feeney added. "We thank them for their efforts during the 2015 legislative session and special session to pass a balanced budget that included more than $400 million in tax cuts, most notably a reduction in the Communications Services Tax, as well as funding of the most critical environmental needs through Amendment 1 dollars."
AIF Senior Vice President and Federal Affairs Brewster Bevis showcased the 13 legislators who received 100 scores from the group. In the upper chamber, Republicans Senate President Andy Gardiner of Orlando, Rob Bradley of Orange Park, Charlie Dean of Inverness and Legg received 100s from AIF. So did Democrats Joe Abruzzo of Wellington and Jeremy Ring of Margate.
On the House side, Republicans Jose Felix Diaz of Miami, Shawn Harrison of Tampa, Ray Pilon of Sarasota, Holly Raschein of Key Largo and Dana Young of Tampa received 100s from AIF. So did two former Republicans in the House -- Travis Hutson and Doc Renuart who ran in a special election for an open Senate seat earlier this year which Hutson won.
"Floridians from the Keys to the Panhandle will benefit from policies this session that foster a pro-growth, business environment," said Bevis. "AIF recognizes the 13 elected officials who voted in favor of the business community 100 percent of the time. We appreciate their commitment to make Florida a better place to do business, and we look forward to working with all lawmakers in the coming year to make Florida an even stronger place for employers and employees."
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
