There is change afoot in Tallahassee. RLCers returned from their annual Days at the Capitol March 7-8 invigorated from meeting and working with fellow RLCers, impressing their views on legislators and seeing firsthand how Florida government works. But they left with some concern too – with the change in administrations from Bush to Crist there is a changed political climate in the state capitol.

RLCers meet with Rep. Adam Hasner and Rep. Peter Nehr

          Once again, the trip was made in conjunction with  FreedomWorks and organized by RLCer John Hallman and Tom Gaitens.  Joining them were RLCFL Chair Lisa Bullion, RLCFL Vice Chair Steven Burden, Frank Bubb, Tom Walls, Rick Gaber, Philip Blumel, John Parsons, John Earley, David Wood and Bill Tinnerman.

          The group met with legislators or their legislative aides in the offices of Sen. Rhonda Storms, Rep. Carl Domino, Senate President Ken Pruitt, Rep. Dennis Baxley, Sen. Mike Haridopolos, Sen. Daniel Webster, Speaker Marco Rubio, Rep. Bob Allen, Rep. Adam Hasner, Rep. Peter Nehr, Rep. Andy Gardiner and Gov. Charlie Crist.

          At the top of the agenda, the RLC crew impressed upon legislators the need for institutional restraints on spending, the ultimate cause of the explosion of property taxes in the state. Specifically, the group pointed to a Colorado-style Taxpayer Bill of Rights – or TABOR – that would cap both state and county spending growth to a combination of population growth and inflation.

Meetings with Jerry McDaniel, director of the Office of Management and Budget, left, and with Lori Scott, legislative assistant for Sen. Mike Haridopolos

          The message was timely, as some legislation to deal with the issue is nearly certain, but the details are currently being debated. There are dozens of plans and provisions on the table and a consensus has not yet formed around any one of them. Some are tweaks in the system (such as portability of Save Our Homes assessment caps and extending the caps to non-homesteaded property, etc) and some are quite radical (such as scrapping property taxes altogether and increasing the sales tax by 2.5% or so).

          Rep. Adam Hasner, in particular, took time to go over what is being called the Rubio two-part plan to give immediate property tax relief and then replace the property tax with a sales tax. Rep. Hasner met twice with the group and made a persuasive case that the plan would reach its goals.

          “To us, the most important issue is spending,” said RLC Chair Lisa Bullion. “We are concerned that legislators are seeking to shift the burden of taxes, rather than address the core issue – how much money is being spent.”

          Other issues discussed included the prospects for school vouchers, property rights, Florida’s reaction to the federal Real ID act and paper-trail voting. The group also shared its serious objections to the recent insurance reform, considered an egregious expansion of government intervention in the market that will come back to haunt the state in the future.

          At a nearby hotel, the group received a briefing from Bob Sanchez, chief policy analyst for the James Madison Institute, to prepare us for the legislative meetings.  We also heard from Dave Mica at the Florida Petroleum Council to brief us on energy issues, particularly permitting the expansion of offshore energy exploration.

          We had some encouraging experiences in Tallahassee. Seeing our white-on-blue “libertarian Republican” lapel stickers generated mostly positive reactions, with one staffer in an elevator telling us the Florida RLC has “a great website” and then asking if we had read Neil Boortz’s new book. Executive director of the Port of Palm Beach Lori Baer, among others, stopped to ask “what does that sticker mean?” We were happy to explain.

          There were also some ominous signs that thinking had changed. The group was told by one legislator that a TABOR-style spending restraint was dead on arrival.

          Another disconcerting omen appeared in the office of the governor. Gov. Crist was called out of town and was unable to meet with the group as planned, but we sat down to address our concerns with Jerry McDaniel, the director of the Office of Management and Budget.

          McDaniel informed us that Gov. Crist will pick up where Gov. Bush left off on school vouchers, but this was not a “first year priority.” In discussing Florida’s tax structure, RLCer Steven Burden referred to the work of the James Madison Institute on the subject and McDaniel – a 17-year Tallahassee resident and a top advisor to the governor -- professed to be unfamiliar with Florida's premiere Tallahassee-based free market think tank! 

           Things have changed in Tallahassee. Our work in presenting the libertarian alternative there is more important than ever. Join us!