Gov. Rick Scott did the right thing when he announced that he would veto that ill-advised bill that would have allowed drivers to go 75 miles an hour on Florida highways, including I-75 and the Suncoast Parkway. Of course, he did. Most folks, with notable exceptions such as (SB 392) bill sponsor Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, thought it was an awful idea. Why the hell is faster better unless you’re talking high-speed rail?
Several points.
First, to those praising Scott for the right call: Let’s not set the bar too low. State troopers and county sheriffs were dead set against it. They deal with the tragic aftermath of irresponsible driving on a daily basis. And AAA Auto Club South had data correlating traffic deaths with excessive speed. This is a no-brainer for anyone not in the Florida Legislature.
The governor declared his opposition to the bill after attending the funeral of a Florida Highway Patrol trooper killed while investigating an accident on I-75. He was, he acknowledged, deeply moved by it. Well, suppose he hadn’t attended that funeral? Would he have still vetoed a manifestly dumb, unnecessarily risky bill?
Second, Sen. Brandes inexplicably has promised–in effect, threatened–to bring the law-enforcement-defying measure back next year. Whose interests does this guy represent?
Third, if Scott truly wants to make Florida a less dangerous place, why hasn’t he assumed a leadership role on repeal or, at least, modification of “Stand Your Ground?” Why hasn’t he gotten out in front in pushing for texting-while-driving as something more than a secondary violation? But that would mean standing up to the NRA and T-Mobile.