Lawmakers should focus on these 12 issues

With the stream of startling headlines coming out of Washington, D.C., it might be easy for Floridians to overlook today’s opening of the 2017 regular session of the state Legislature in Tallahassee. But the decisions made by legislators in the state capital over the next couple of months will certainly have a more direct impact on the daily lives of Floridians than the latest political dust-up in the nation’s capital.

There are plenty of priorities and problems demanding legislators’ attention this year. There also are some issues where Floridians would be better off if they took a pass. Here’s our Top 12 list of issues awaiting legislators:

The budget: Gov. Rick Scott has proposed spending $83.5 million for the budget year that begins July 1, a $1.2 billion increase from the current year. House Speaker Richard Corcoran has called for reducing state spending. But given that there are some big gaps in the governor’s budget and some draconian cuts, including more than $800 million for hospitals’ care for the poor, legislators would be shortchanging Florida’s basic needs by spending less than the governor has proposed.

Tax policy: The governor has proposed $618 million in tax cuts, with the biggest share — $454 million — from reducing the tax on commercial property rents. But with state economists projecting only a small budget surplus next year followed by deficits in subsequent years, and with Florida already considered to have one of the most business-friendly tax climates, Scott’s proposal is poorly timed. Senate President Joe Negron has a better idea: eliminating a $300 million tax break exclusive to the insurance industry and using the proceeds to provide a broader tax break to ordinary Floridians on their cellphone and cable bills.

Education: To spend more on public schools, Scott wants to capture tax collections from higher property values. Corcoran rightly calls this a tax increase, and has vowed the House won’t go along with it. When the South Florida Water Management District tried to collect more tax money from higher property values two years ago, the governor called that a tax increase. How is this different? Meanwhile, other efforts from legislators, such as providing more flexibility in standardized testing without abandoning school accountability, also would strengthen public education in Florida.

Economic development: In his budget, Scott proposed $76 million for Visit Florida, the state’s tourism marketing agency, and $85 million for economic incentives for Enterprise Florida, the economic development agency. Corcoran originally proposed abolishing both agencies for dispensing “corporate welfare,” but has proposed a reprieve for Visit Florida if it absorbs a $50 million cut and adopts strict new standards for transparency and accountability. Such a move would hurt Florida. Sales tax revenue is the main source of state revenue, and Florida tourism has set records the last five years. The state’s top economist says tourism’s strong performance is making up for softness in the real estate market. Why mess with success?

As for Enterprise Florida, the state’s chief economist says the state is losing money on business incentives. Over the last three years, said Amy Baker, 18 of the state’s 26 economic development programs have returned less than a dollar for every dollar invested. That includes the Quick Action Closing Fund that the governor uses to finalize deals. Yes, if Enterprise Florida is folded, Florida would face an unlevel playing field with states that continue to offer incentives. But efforts are underway nationwide to eliminate such government giveaways. Plus, Enterprise Florida’s CEO resigned last week in a vision dispute with the governor. Absent a more compelling case, Florida should be a leader in ending corporate welfare.

Water policy: Senate President Joe Negron has proposed splitting the cost with the federal government of building a $2.4 billion reservoir to curtail discharges of polluted water from Lake Okeechobee. Negron faces skepticism in the House and fierce opposition from the sugar industry and regional water managers. But given the environmental and economic disaster created by last year’s lake-fed toxic algae blooms on both coasts, the burden is on opponents to come up with a better, faster, cheaper and more enduring solution.

Judiciary: The Florida Supreme Court has requested that legislators, for the first time in more than a decade, authorize and fund new circuit and county judgeships to catch up with increasing caseloads. One county judge would be added in both Broward and Palm Beach Counties. Legislators would be wise to heed this request to keep courts running efficiently, and ignore Corcoran’s proposal to slap 12-year term limits on state Supreme Court and appellate judges. Those limits would apply to good and bad judges alike, and usurp the power of voters to decide whether they should stay on the bench. Insurance: Growing abuse of a century-old state law by unscrupulous contractors and lawyers has caused big losses for property insurers in Florida, and could force unaffordable premium hikes on policyholders. And a ruling last year from the Florida Supreme Court overturning portions of the state’s workers’ compensation system led to a sharp increase on rates for employers in December. Legislators need to craft reforms carefully in both areas to curb abuses and runaway costs without depriving consumers and injured workers of necessary protections.

Affordable housing: Almost a million Floridians spend more than half their incomes on housing, leaving them one missed paycheck away from homelessness, according to affordable housing advocates. Yet Scott has proposed diverting three-quarters of taxes earmarked for affordable housing to other parts of his budget. Investing the full amount intended for housing would ease the state’s shortage, helping not just low-income Floridians, but also essential workers — including nurses, teachers and first responders — who struggle to find homes they can afford. Guns: Key legislators are pushing again this year for a slate of National Rifle Association-backed bills to allow concealed weapons permit holders to brandish their guns openly and carry them in locations where they have been specifically banned, including college campuses and airports. A bill to make it easier for shooters to claim immunity under the state’s Stand Your Ground law has also been advancing over the objections of prosecutors. It’s ironic and unfortunate that mass shootings last year at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub and this year at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport haven’t made the NRA — or its minions in Tallahassee — reconsider their agenda.

State pay raises: State workers have gone 10 years without a pay raise. With inflation, their pay has shrunk 6 percent. Frozen wages are understandable in tight times, like the Great Recession. But Florida is back. The proposed state budget is bigger than ever. State workers are past due for a raise.

Gambling: The House and Senate propose opposite approaches to regulating gambling, an issue that demands resolution given the many lawsuits, business turmoil and dangling deal with the Seminole Tribe, which would give the state $3 billion over seven years in return for the tribe’s exclusivity on certain casino games.

The Senate would like to expand gambling to eight counties where voters passed referendums supporting slot machines at racetracks, allow two new Las Vegas-style casinos in Broward and Miami-Dade, and let track owners end live racing and still keep their poker tables and slot machines. The House would contract existing permits and block any expansion of gambling, and let the Seminoles keep blackjack and slot machines at its casinos for 20 years. Florida is a gambling state, let’s face it. And the industry has been in limbo since the Seminole’s blackjack compact expired two years ago. It’s time for lawmakers to address the pent-up gambling challenges facing our state.

Medical marijuana: More than 71 percent Floridians voted to legalize medical marijuana last November. Now lawmakers must pass legislation to implement the people’s will. One bill would require patients to wait 90 days to obtain a prescription and preserve a monopoly that lets just seven companies grow, distribute and sell cannabis in Florida. Another bill would let doctors recommend marijuana on an initial visit and create a more level playing field for small businesses. In charting their course, lawmakers should be guided not just by public safety, but by free market principles, too.

There are plenty of priorities and problems demanding legislators’ attention this year.