Florida’s Capitol not remotely interested in more public input
The crowd in Tallahassee likes its public input in small doses — just enough to create the illusion of real democracy.
TALLAHASSEE — This pandemic poses problems for government, but it also creates a rare opportunity for democracy to flourish. If only our state legislators could see it.
Senators don’t want citizens in the halls of the Capitol in Tallahassee for fear they will spread the virus, yet Republicans remind us constantly why we have to reopen schools and restaurants. People who want to address the Senate are not allowed in the Capitol, so they go to Florida State’s nearby basketball arena and are beamed to hearing rooms remotely on big-screen TVs.
It works well enough that it raises an obvious question. If people can connect to the Senate online from a nearby arena, why can’t they speak from other remote locations? In a medical emergency, why should people still be forced to drive to Tallahassee when technology offers an alternative?
The official answer is that too many citizens would seize the opportunity, and politicians in Tallahassee aren’t remotely interested in that.
The crowd in Tallahassee likes its public input in small doses — just enough to create the illusion of real democracy. It’s just fine when five or 10 people show up — and preferably butt-kissing lobbyists, not average citizens from the real world with an axe to grind. But a thousand people? That’s too many to ignore.
The only surefire way to get Tallahassee’s attention is with a mass movement, speaking with one voice and demanding answers, such as what happened after Parkland. Knowing so many people feel that strongly about something is the best thing that could happen to state government.
It’s true that 10,000 witness appearance cards would create a bureaucratic mess. But that’s a problem worth having in this time of distrust, economic insecurity, a violent attempt to overthrow the government, and so much anxiety over illness and death. People are desperate for any kind of reassurance that government is listening.
Senate President Wilton Simpson did not help things by casually making light of restrictions on access. At a meeting with senators that was shown on the Florida Channel, a smiling Simpson asked: “Does anybody have a problem with 25 lobbyists not piled up in your office?” Then he said: “This is going to be a very productive session, with all the leeches outside,” as an off-camera colleague, sensing trouble, quickly corrected him: “Leaves. Leaves outside.”
Simpson was obviously joking, spokeswoman Katie Betta said: “He would apologize if anyone took offense. It was clearly meant as a joke.”
Look, we all know that many committee meetings are a charade, and the outcome is wired in advance. It’s also true that testimony can be repetitive and predictable. But people have a right to be heard.
Dozens of people showed up this week in the House, which allows people inside with face coverings and social distancing. Speakers were outraged by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ “anti-mob” bill that they said stifles lawful dissent, targets minorities and gives cover for motorists to maim and kill protesters. They called it racist, repressive and terrifying in a free society. When speakers went over their one-minute speaking limit, the House shut off their microphone. But at least they were in the room.
It’s a matter of time before this extremely divisive proposal is heard in the Senate. Do senators seriously want to deny people access to the Capitol while they debate limiting their First Amendment rights? Ponder the optics for a moment.
Anticipating that, Democratic Sen. Perry Thurston of Fort Lauderdale wrote to Senate Majority Leader Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, asking the GOP to let people participate from designated locations around the state.
“Many of my constituents, and I’m sure many of yours as well, are rightfully dismayed over the limited participation currently in effect in Tallahassee,” Thurston wrote. “In conversations I’ve subsequently had with IT professionals, linking up committee hearings with other designated remote locations outside of Tallahassee is not only doable but easily accomplished.”
The unavoidable problem is that state government is impossibly far from most taxpayers. Hard-to-find capitals exist in Albany, Harrisburg, Sacramento and Springfield, Ill., too.
For too many Floridians, Tallahassee might as well be in Timbuktu, but it’s not going anywhere. The solution is to bring people closer to it.