Regardless of party affiliation and ideological persuasion, we should all be able to agree on this: There’s no bigger responsibility for the Florida Legislature than investing in Floridians and their future. The partisan political devil, of course, is in the details.
Even with $1.2 billion in surplus revenue, the upshot of the 2014 legislative session is disappointingly modest–even if undocumented-immigrant, Florida high school grads will be eligible for in-state tuition, there’s (replacement) money for education and motor vehicle fees have dropped by $25.
Despite House Speaker Will Weatherford’s self-congratulatory, shout-out assessment, the session was marked by what didn’t happen. Medicaid expansion remains unexpanded. Stand Your Ground remains standing. Texting while driving remains a secondary offense. Out-of-state, online retailers not named Amazon.com remain without obligation to collect sales tax. Solar energy in the Sunshine State remains an oxymoron. And a natural springs protection bill remains unpassed.
But in-state, immigrant tuition and Charlotte’s Web passed. In this Legislature, you get to take a curtain call and bow for being on the same side as the majority of Floridians and not doing the unconscionably wrong thing. Plus, the Legislature stood strong and voted for anything that took on “Predators” or “Trafficking.”