Technically, the past week was intended to be a sort of pause between the second and third committee weeks held in advance of the 2016 Legislative session.
But the Capitol's sausage-making machine showed little sign of slowing down in what has been a great year for cartographers.
Overlapping with the legislative committee meetings, lawmakers on Monday will also begin the third special session of the year, this time dealing with Senate districts. The Legislature agreed to craft the new lines as part of a deal to settle a lawsuit challenging the existing districts.
The House and Senate on Wednesday released six draft maps, crafted by aides said to have been isolated from anyone that could politically influence the lines.
The latest proposals came out a day after a federal judge tossed a lawsuit, filed by GOP leaders from Walton and Pasco counties, challenging the way Florida has carried out the Senate and congressional redistricting after voters approved the anti-gerrymandering "Fair Districts" constitutional amendments in 2010.
The long-simmering acrimony over the maps also played out on the 22nd floor of the Capitol midweek when House Speaker Steve Crisafulli and Senate President Andy Gardiner addressed the media at the Associated Press's annual legislative planning meeting.
Meanwhile, Gov. Rick Scott's chief lawyer --- and House and Senate leaders --- are working quietly behind the scenes with the Seminole Tribe in an attempt to come up with a new gambling deal that could reap the state $3 billion over seven years.
Sometimes, appearances can say more than the words that are actually spoken.
PLAYING THEIR CARDS CLOSE TO THE VEST
Seminole casinos would get craps and roulette, a Palm Beach County dog track could have slot machines and the state could reap at least $3 billion over seven years, under a gambling deal being negotiated between state leaders and the tribe.
The agreement --- still a long way from being finalized --- would also allow a new gambling operation in Miami-Dade County to start up with slot machines and permit dog tracks to stop racing greyhounds while retaining lucrative card rooms.
Multiple sources close to the negotiations provided details to The News Service of Florida about the ongoing talks between the Seminoles and Scott's office, which is working in tandem with House and Senate leaders to rewrite a 20-year agreement, called a "compact," that authorized the tribe's slot-machine and table-game operations. A provision of the deal, inked in 2010, gave the Seminoles exclusive rights to operate banked card games, such as blackjack, for five years in exchange for a minimum payment of $1 billion. That portion of the compact expired this summer.
Under the talks, the Seminoles would guarantee a minimum $3 billion over seven years as part of compact that would last another 20 years.
Many of the components now under discussion don't directly affect the Seminoles but instead deal with the pari-mutuel industry and would be considered as part of a bill authorizing the agreement, which lawmakers would most likely consider during the legislative session that begins in January.
Getting the Legislature's approval injects doubt into a complicated gambling agreement much like "putting a queen-sized sheet on a king-sized bed," according to House Regulatory Affairs Chairman Jose Felix Diaz, a Miami-Dade County Republican.
"It's a Rubik's cube. I don't think a Rubik's cube is impossible to solve. If you give an intelligent person enough time, they'll figure it out. But in the world of competing interests where you have so many other things taking place. … Right now we've been singularly focused on the compact because it's the off-season. But we're about to ramp up and start swallowing water out of the fire hose. So where (Senate Regulated Industries Chairman) Rob Bradley and I have been able to fully dedicate ourselves to this negotiation over the past few months, now I'm going to have to be digesting insurance bills and energy bills and business regulation bills that come before my committee. The timeline for an easy landing is winding down. With each passing day, it becomes more difficult to have a soft landing," Diaz told The News Service on Tuesday.
THE HARMONY OF DISHARMONY
The AP's fete gave reporters and editors a glimpse of what's in store for the upcoming 2016 session.
Scott, Gardiner and Crisafulli all insisted that last year's legislative meltdown --- sparked by disagreements over the state budget and the Senate's plan to use federal Medicaid expansion dollars to help low-income Floridians purchase private health insurance --- is a thing of the past.
The three leaders spoke of their support for business incentives and tax cuts as well as funding water projects with voter-approved land conservation dollars.
Based on Wednesday's comments from his GOP colleagues, Gardiner might have better luck passing a series of bills that would expand educational and economic options for Floridians with disabilities, something that went by the wayside when the House and Senate had a falling-out in April.
But the GOP troika wasn't in unison on everything.
Scott and Gardiner outlined different approaches to how business-incentive dollars should be handled. Scott wants to continue placing money for businesses that intend to move to Florida into low-yield, commercial escrow accounts until job-creation benchmarks are reached. Gardiner says the money should be budgeted annually and allotted based upon performance measurements.
Another health-care debate, which could open up the 2015 wounds, is a certainty.
And Crisafulli said the House would look to overhaul the pension plan for public employees. Previous pension-reform efforts have caused contentious fights between the two chambers.
Further symbolizing the divide, the two legislative leaders made separate appearances --- a sharp contrast to the past three years, when House and Senate leaders presented their joint agendas shoulder-to-shoulder.
Both Crisafulli and Gardiner tried to downplay the significance, however.
"I would not read much into that," Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island, said. "The president and I are good friends. We're close. We communicate. Obviously, there were differences (in the 2015 session), but the fact that we're not doing this together today is not something that you need to read much into."
Gardiner blamed the shorter-than-usual time between legislative sessions for the different approach. The AP event usually takes place in January in advance of the legislative session, which generally begins in March. But, because this year's session begins in January, the gathering came early.
"When you do a joint agenda, it takes a long time, and certainly we've been busy over the last few months," Gardiner, R-Orlando, told reporters after his remarks. "But I think we've got a pretty good idea of what the House is interested in and they know what I'm interested in, and hopefully we can get some things done."
STORY OF THE WEEK: The battle over congressional districts continued in the courts as the Legislature released six templates for a map of state Senate districts.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "I just want to keep this fight going until the last minute, and I believe the banners have added fuel to our fire." --- Longwood resident Connie de Haan, who paid for an airplane to circle the Capitol on Wednesday. The plane towed a banner imploring people opposed to the state's upcoming bear hunt to call Gov. Scott and to email his chief of staff.
