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Lisa Bullion, who oversaw the Florida RLC's growth and legislative successes since 2006, resigned as chair of the organization on March 6. RLC Treasurer Mark Cross stepped up to fill the position until new elections are held at the upcoming RLC convention March 27-29 in Jacksonville.
Cross is a current state committeeman of the Republican Party of Florida, a former Republican Executive Committee chair and the current chair of the Campaign for Liberty in the State. He does not intend to run for the chair position at the upcoming convention.
 
Lisa Bullion and Mark Cross
Bullion took the chair position after Al Gutierrez stepped down in December 2005. Bullion had been well known throughout the state for her efforts on behalf of liberty, including stints as a campaign manager in a state house race, the state chair of the Libertarian Party, an employee of Citizens for a Sound Economy (now FreedomWorks) and an elected public official. As with many RLCers, her partisan route was circuitous. She started out as an independent, later joined the Libertarian Party and finally registered as a Republican.
"It has been a learning process. I made the switch because I realized after all these years that the best chance to elect libertarians into public office and to enact libertarian policy ideas into law is through the GOP," Bullion said in 2006. "My philosophy has not changed, only my strategy."
Her first action as chair was to organize an RLC outreach effort at the Young Republicans quarterly convention in Orlando in January 2006. But Bullion's most lasting achievements are likely to be the buildout of the RLC and the RLC's legislative successes. After months of letter writing, public speaking, phone calls, visits to Tallahassee, media work and intra-party intrigue, the RLC of Florida finished batting 1.000 in its first serious legislative lobbying effort under her command.
The RLC of Florida chose two legislative priorities for the 2006 session. The first was advocating a state ban on government takings of private property for private redevelopment and the second was defeating a legislative effort to extend Florida's voter-approved term limits from eight to 12 years. Both were successful. Please see the full stories (see 'first' and 'second' links above) on these successes as they present the RLC blueprint for using our statewide network for tangible success in Tallahassee.
"Our experience during the 2006 session is evidence that the RLC's principled and practical strategy is the right one to advance libertarian policy," said RLCFL Chair Lisa Bullion said. "The RLC took a lead role in two important issues of the day and our efforts were rewarded."
Bullion also oversaw the first national RLC convention held in Florida the same year, which earned coverage by the Wall Street Journal and featured WSJ editorial writer Stephen Moore. Notable Florida politicians attended looking for support from RLCers, including State Sen. Mike Haridopolos - an RLCer at the time - and U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris. Elected RLCers attended from across the country. See full coverage of the convention here.
As part of the RLC Day at the capitol in 2007, Bullion launched the Florida RLC's ongoing effort to enact a constitutional spending restraint - called Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) or Taxpayer Protection Amendment or, in 2009, Smart Cap - for the state. The idea was floated by the James Madison Institute and other groups and the RLC has become its primary grassroots advocate, pushing the idea in Tallahassee and across the state in 2008 and 2009.
Also in 2007, Bullion helped organize the RLC's outreach efforts at the Young Republicans National Convention held in Hollywood, Fla. The effort brought on board new members and greater awareness of the organization among young Republicans, long the RLC's best market for new members. The RLC also were a presence at the Republican Party of Florida's Presidency IV convention in Orlando, part of the process of nominating the 2008 presidential candidate. It was under Bullion that RLC speakers began bringing the RLC message to GOP clubs.
Speaking of the primaries, under Bullion's leadership many RLCers active with the Ron Paul campaign recruited new members from the campaign ranks, bringing in a new breed of RLCers. New informal RLC Meetups sprung up across the state including in Tallahassee, Palm Beach, Miami, Lee County, Tampa Bay and - perhaps most notably - North East Florida. See links under the pull-down menu marked 'regions' at top of this page.
In February 2008, many of the new crowd was invited to join the state board, which broadened its scope in both ideas and geography. RLC activity continued non-stop throughout 2008 up to Bullion's departure. Bullion said she is leaving the post for personal reasons but will remain active and expects to attend the 2009 RLC convention in Jacksonville, March 27-29. |
