2014 LFN Florida Legislative Scorecard

Liberty First Network �

The Liberty First Network is a liberty advocacy organization focused on defending your freedoms and championing principled legislation in Tallahassee. Our advocates, John Hallman, Danielle Alexandre and Paul Henry are trusted professionals who have been fighting for liberty in the state capitol for a number of years. We are in essence lobbyists, however, we are not beholden to any party, business or organization. Our only allegiance is to the Constitution and the ideals of liberty.

With a broad network of strong relationships and grassroots activist strategies, the Liberty First Network sets itself apart from any other organization. Implementation of timely, state-wide “calls to action” to key decision-makers, legislators and their staff result in highly effective advocacy strategies. We bring you the most in-depth and unbiased information in each legislative analysis to give you the tools you need to keep our elected officials accountable to the people.

Become a member of the Liberty First Network so we can be your voice for liberty in Tallahassee.

� 2014 Legislative Score Card


Introduction

The 2014 session in Tallahassee has come to a close. In total, 1880 pieces of legislation were proposed this session with 255 going to the governor’s desk. With the entire State House and all even

numbered districts in the State Senate being up for election this year, we did not see any wildly controversial legislation in the 2014 session. This is in stark contrast to the previous year (2013) that had legislation codifying common core into our education standards, the demise of 2nd Amendment rights for individuals voluntarily seeking counseling for mental health issues and the ending of an entire industry resulting in the loss of 14,000 jobs and hundreds of small business owners being forced out of business by government regulation.

While the controversy was nominal, the 2014 Florida Legislature did propose some substantial pieces of legislation that will affect the lives of all Floridians for years to come. There were several civil liberties related bills, huge “incentives” for large sports and business corporations, public records legislation and several pieces of legislation on the 2nd Amendment and self-protection.

After nearly a month of scouring through the 1800 pieces of legislation, choosing methodology, analyzing roll call votes and tabulating rankings, The Liberty First Network has compiled its analysis of the legislative session and presents it here in scorecard format.

The State House as a whole scored better than the State Senate, both of which have a fair mix of Republicans and Democrats in the ranks. Collectively, Republicans scored on average slightly better than Democrats did as a whole. We noticed that Republicans generally voted cohesively on each issue whereas Democrats tended to break ranks more often. In all, our scorecard identifies a noticeable streak of individualism on the

ContentsIntroduction 3

Methodology 4

Criteria for Choosing Legislation 4

Legislative Rankings 5

Florida House Rankings 5

Florida Senate Rankings 16

House Bills 20

Senate Bills 25


part of certain legislators. It is also clear that while some speak well on issues, their voting records do not always substantiate their rhetoric.

We have compiled a cross-section of legislation to provide you, the grassroots, with the most comprehensive analysis of your representation this session.

Methodology

A ll of the bills that were proposed in the Florida State House and Florida Senate were reviewed for content only. No roll call votes or sponsorships were considered in choosing the legislation used

for this scorecard. In each the House and the Senate, 20 pieces of legis-lation (numbered 1-20) that had been heard on the floor for a vote were selected. Five additional positive pieces of legislation (labeled “Ext 5”) that had not been heard for a vote on the floor were also included.

The 20 pieces of legislation were deemed to be either negative (OPPOSED) or positive (SUPPORTED) by the Liberty First Network and points were assigned accordingly. A representative received 5-points for voting for positive legislation or for voting “no” on negative legislation. 5-points were deducted for voting “no” on positive legislation or for voting “yes” on negative legislation. If the member did not vote on a piece of legislation, he or she did not receive any points nor were any points deducted. The highest score a member could earn on the base legislation was 100-points.

In addition, five pieces of positive legislation were chosen that did not receive a floor vote. For each of those pieces of legislation, Co-sponsors received 5-points, for a possible total of 25 extra points. Sponsors of those 5 bills earned 10 additional points for their willingness to champion liberty issues.

The grade range was based on increments of 20-points. Members who scored 81-100 points earned an ‘A’, 61-80 received a ‘B’, 41-60 received a

‘C’, 21-40 received a ‘D’ and anything 20 or below received an ‘F’ grade. A plus (+) or minus (-) was assigned depending on where the score fell in the grade range. A + was given to grades in the top 5-points of the range, the full letter grade was assigned if the score fell within the middle 10-points, and a - was given to scores in the bottom 5-points of the grade range. All members who received an ‘F’ did not receive a + or a - sign.

Criteria for Choosing Legislation

Legislation was selected for this scorecard based on civil liberty issues, business regulation and economic issues. Legislation that contained unnecessary spending, corporate welfare, growth of

government bureaucracy or unequal enforcement of the law was deemed negative legislation. Positive legislation included bills that covered pro-tecting personal information from public record, the right to defend oneself and allowing for private sector solutions.

Legislation that did not change policy in any way, regardless of the public perception of the legislation, was not included. We found several pieces of legislation that appeared to be either positive or negative on the surface. However, after in-depth analysis and comparison to current policy or other extenuating circumstances, the legislation had negligible potential effect and, in some cases, we felt the legislation was addressing the wrong issue.

An example of this type of legislation would be HB 921/SB 864. On the surface, this legislation appears to give local school boards the control to


choose classroom material. After researching other statutes, merit pay, funding and other regulatory matters, the “choice” of curricula is limited to the state recommended materials. In essence, it is no choice at all and is not addressing the growing concern over Common Core, which is still codified into law as the definition of Next Generation Sunshine State Standards.

Legislative Rankings

The 160 legislators from both houses were ranked by overall cumulative score. Representative John Tobia earned the highest score while Representative Perry Thurston received the lowest.

Analysis of legislation is included in this document and may be found by corresponding number under the House Bills or Senate Bills sections.

Florida House Rankings

The 120 Florida House members were ranked by cumulative score. Representative John Tobia received the highest score in the Florida House with Representative Perry Thurston receiving the lowest score. Republicans scored an average of 24 out of possible 100 and Democrats scored an average of 2.8 out of possible 100. Analysis of

legislation is found by coordinating number under House Bills.

Name 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Ext 5 Total Grade

Tobia, John 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 5 65 B-

Rodrigues, Ray Wesley 5 5 5 5 5 5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 10 60 C+

Eagle, Dane 5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 20 50 C+

Smith, Jimmie T. 5 5 5 5 5 5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 5 45 C-

Caldwell, Matthew 5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 10 40 D+

Mayfield, Debbie 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 20 40 D+

Steube, Gregory 5 5 5 5 5 5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 40 D+

Albritton, Ben 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 15 35 D

Gaetz, Matt 5 5 5 5 -5 0 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 35 D

Hill, “Mike” 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 5 5 0 5 5 -5 5 0 35 D

Hutson, Travis 5 5 5 5 0 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 10 35 D

FLORIDA HOUSE RANKINGS

KeyRepublicans = Red Democrats = Blue5 = voted for liberty-5 = voting against liberty 0 = no vote.



Santiago, David 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 15 35 D

Combe, Neil 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 10 30 D

Corcoran, Richard 5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 30 D

Diaz, Jr., Manny 5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 0 5 -5 5 5 30 D

Goodson, Tom 5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 30 D

Metz, Larry 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 10 30 D

Porter, Elizabeth W. 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 0 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 0 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 30 D

Rodríguez, José Javier -5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 30 D

Slosberg, Irving “Irv” 5 5 5 5 0 0 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 30 D

Trujillo, Carlos 5 5 5 5 5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 30 D

Artiles, Frank 5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 0 10 25 D-

Baxley, Dennis K. 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 5 25 D-

Beshears, Halsey 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 5 25 D-

Davis, Daniel 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 0 5 0 25 D-

Hooper, Ed 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 5 25 D-

Ingram, Clay 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 25 D-

O’Toole, H. Marlene 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 5 25 D-

Peters, Kathleen M. 5 5 5 5 0 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 25 D-

Pilon, Ray 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 5 25 D-

Raschein, Holly Merrill 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 0 5 5 -5 5 0 25 D-

Van Zant, Charles 5 5 5 0 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 10 25 D-

Adkins, Janet 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20 F

Ahern, Larry 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20 F

Boyd, Jim 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20 F

Brodeur, Jason T. 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20 F




Broxson, Doug 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 0 -5 5 5 20 F

Campbell, Daphne 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 10 20 F

Castor Dentel, Karen 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 20 F

Coley, Marti 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20 F

Cummins, W. Travis 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20 F

Eisnaugle, Eric 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20 F

Fitzenhagen, Heather -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 10 20 F

Fresen, Erik 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 0 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 5 20 F

Fullwood, Reggie 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 20 F

Hager, Bill 5 5 5 5 0 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 0 -5 5 0 20 F

Harrell, Gayle B. 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20 F

Holder, Doug 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20 F

La Rosa, Mike 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20 F

Magar, MaryLynn 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20 F

McBurney, Charles 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20 F

Nelson, Bryan 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20 F

Oliva, Jose R. 5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20 F

Passidomo, Kathleen C. 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20 F

Patronis, Jimmy 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20 F

Perry, W. Keith 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20 F

Pigman, Cary 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20 F

Raburn, Jake 5 5 5 5 -5 0 0 0 5 0 5 -5 -5 0 5 -5 0 5 -5 5 0 20 F

Raulerson, Daniel D. 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20 F

Reed, Betty 5 5 5 5 0 0 -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 20 F

Renuart, Ronald “Doc” 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20 F




Rooney, Jr., Patrick 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20 F

Schwartz, Elaine J. 5 5 5 0 5 5 5 5 0 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 20 F

Stewart, Linda 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 20 F

Stone, Charlie 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20 F

Weatherford, Will 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20 F

Wood, John 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20 F

Workman, Ritch 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20 F

Young, Dana D. 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20 F

Zimmermann, Carl 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 0 5 5 5 20 F

Bileca, Michael 5 0 0 5 5 -5 -5 5 5 5 0 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 15 F

Diaz, Jose Felix 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 15 F

Gonzalez, Eduardo 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 0 5 5 -5 5 0 15 F

Grant, James 5 5 5 0 0 -5 -5 0 5 5 5 0 -5 -5 5 -5 0 5 -5 5 0 15 F

Hudson, Matt 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 0 -5 5 0 15 F

Moraitis, Jr., George R. 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 0 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 15 F

Murphy, Amanda 5 0 0 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 5 15 F

Ray, Lake 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 0 5 5 -5 5 0 15 F

Rehwinkel Vasilinda, Michelle 0 5 5 0 -5 -5 -5 5 0 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 10 15 F

Schenck, Robert C. 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 0 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 15 F

Spano, Ross 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 0 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 15 F

ClarkeReed, Gwyndolen -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 10 F

Crisafulli, Steve 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 0 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 0 0 10 F

Dudley, Dwight 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 10 F

Hood, David “Dave” 5 5 5 5 0 0 -5 0 5 0 5 0 -5 -5 0 -5 0 5 -5 0 0 10 F

Nuñez, Jeanette M. 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 10 F




Roberson, Kenneth L. 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 10 F

Saunders, Joe -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 0 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 0 -5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 10 F

Torres, Jr., Victor -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 10 F

Danish, Mark 5 0 0 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 0 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 5 F

McKeel, Seth 5 5 5 5 0 -5 -5 0 5 5 5 0 -5 -5 0 -5 0 0 -5 0 0 5 F

Moskowitz, Jared Evan 5 5 5 5 0 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 5 F

Pritchett, Sharon -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 0 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 5 F

Waldman, James W. 5 0 0 5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 5 F

Antone, Bruce -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 0 F

Berman, Lori -5 5 5 -5 0 -5 5 5 5 0 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 0 F

Clelland, Michael Philip 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 0 F

Cruz, Janet -5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 0 F

Jones, Mia L. 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 0 F

Jones, Shevrin D. 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 0 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 0 5 0 0 F

Lee, Jr., Larry 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 0 F

Rangel, Ricardo -5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 0 F

Richardson, David -5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 0 F

Rouson, Darryl Ervin 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 0 F

Watson, Clovis -5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 0 F

Williams, Alan B. 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 0 F

Edwards, Katie A. 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 0 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 -5 F

Gibbons, Joseph A. 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 0 5 0 -5 F

Kerner, Dave 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 0 -5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 -5 F

Rogers, Hazelle P. “Hazel” -5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 5 -5 F

Stark, Richard -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 0 5 5 0 -5 F


�0 2014 Legislative Score Card


Bracy, Randolph -5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 -10 F

Powell, Bobby -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 -10 F

Rader, Kevin 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 -10 F

Taylor, Dwayne L. -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 -10 F

Watson, Barbara -5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 -10 F

Pafford, Mark -5 -5 -5 -5 0 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 -15 F

Stafford, Cynthia -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 -20 F

McGhee, Kionne L. -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 0 5 5 5 5 0 -25 F

Thurston, Jr., Perry E. -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 0 0 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 -30 F


Name 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Ext 5 Total

Adkins, Janet 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20

Ahern, Larry 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20

Albritton, Ben 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 15 35

Artiles, Frank 5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 0 10 25

Baxley, Dennis K. 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 5 25

Beshears, Halsey 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 5 25

Bileca, Michael 5 0 0 5 5 -5 -5 5 5 5 0 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 15

Boyd, Jim 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20

Brodeur, Jason T. 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20

Broxson, Doug 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 0 -5 5 5 20

Caldwell, Matthew 5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 10 40

Coley, Marti 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20

HOUSE REPUBLICAN RANKINGS

Liberty First Network ��

Name 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Ext 5 Total

Combe, Neil 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 10 30

Corcoran, Richard 5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 30

Crisafulli, Steve 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 0 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 0 0 10

Cummins, W. Travis 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20

Davis, Daniel 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 0 5 0 25

Diaz, Jose Felix 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 15

Diaz, Jr., Manny 5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 0 5 -5 5 5 30

Eagle, Dane 5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 20 50

Eisnaugle, Eric 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20

Fitzenhagen, Heather -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 10 20

Fresen, Erik 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 0 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 5 20

Gaetz, Matt 5 5 5 5 -5 0 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 35

Gonzalez, Eduardo 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 0 5 5 -5 5 0 15

Goodson, Tom 5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 30

Grant, James 5 5 5 0 0 -5 -5 0 5 5 5 0 -5 -5 5 -5 0 5 -5 5 0 15

Hager, Bill 5 5 5 5 0 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 0 -5 5 0 20

Harrell, Gayle B. 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20

Hill, “Mike” 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 5 5 0 5 5 -5 5 0 35

Holder, Doug 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20

Hood, David “Dave” 5 5 5 5 0 0 -5 0 5 0 5 0 -5 -5 0 -5 0 5 -5 0 0 10

Hooper, Ed 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 5 25

Hudson, Matt 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 0 -5 5 0 15

Hutson, Travis 5 5 5 5 0 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 10 35

Ingram, Clay 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 25

La Rosa, Mike 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20


�� 2014 Legislative Score Card

Name 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Ext 5 Total

Magar, MaryLynn 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20

Mayfield, Debbie 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 20 40

McBurney, Charles 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20

McKeel, Seth 5 5 5 5 0 -5 -5 0 5 5 5 0 -5 -5 0 -5 0 0 -5 0 0 5

Metz, Larry 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 10 30

Moraitis, Jr., George 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 0 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 15

Nelson, Bryan 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20

Nuñez, Jeanette M. 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 10

Oliva, Jose R. 5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20

O’Toole, H. Marlene 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 5 25

Passidomo, Kathleen 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20

Patronis, Jimmy 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20

Perry, W. Keith 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20

Peters, Kathleen M. 5 5 5 5 0 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 25

Pigman, Cary 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20

Pilon, Ray 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 5 25

Porter, Elizabeth W. 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 0 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 0 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 30

Raburn, Jake 5 5 5 5 -5 0 0 0 5 0 5 -5 -5 0 5 -5 0 5 -5 5 0 20

Raschein, Holly Merrill 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 0 5 5 -5 5 0 25

Raulerson, Daniel D. 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20

Ray, Lake 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 0 5 5 -5 5 0 15

Renuart, Ronald “Doc” 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20

Roberson, Kenneth L. 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 10

Rodrigues, Ray Wesley 5 5 5 5 5 5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 10 60

Rooney, Jr., Patrick 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20



Name 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Ext 5 Total

Santiago, David 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 15 35

Schenck, Robert C. 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 0 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 15

Smith, Jimmie T. 5 5 5 5 5 5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 5 45

Spano, Ross 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 0 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 15

Steube, Gregory 5 5 5 5 5 5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 40

Stone, Charlie 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20

Tobia, John 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 5 65

Trujillo, Carlos 5 5 5 5 5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 30

Van Zant, Charles 5 5 5 0 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 10 25

Weatherford, Will 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20

Wood, John 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20

Workman, Ritch 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20

Young, Dana D. 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 20


HOUSE REPUBLICANS AVERAGE SCORE 24

Name 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Ext 5 Total

Antone, Bruce -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 0

Berman, Lori -5 5 5 -5 0 -5 5 5 5 0 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 0

Bracy, Randolph -5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 -10

Campbell, Daphne 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 10 20

Castor Dentel, Karen 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 20

ClarkeReed, Gwyndolen -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 10

Clelland, Michael Philip 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 0

Cruz, Janet -5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 0

HOUSE DEMOCRAT RANKINGS


Name 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Ext 5 Total

Danish, Mark 5 0 0 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 0 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 5

Dudley, Dwight 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 10

Edwards, Katie A. 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 0 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 -5

Fullwood, Reggie 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 20

Gibbons, Joseph A. 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 0 5 0 -5

Jones, Mia L. 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 0

Jones, Shevrin D. 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 0 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 0 5 0 0

Kerner, Dave 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 0 -5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 -5

Lee, Jr., Larry 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 0

McGhee, Kionne L. -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 0 5 5 5 5 0 -25

Moskowitz, Jared Evan 5 5 5 5 0 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 5

Murphy, Amanda 5 0 0 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 5 15

Pafford, Mark -5 -5 -5 -5 0 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 -15

Powell, Bobby -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 -10

Pritchett, Sharon -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 0 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 5

Rader, Kevin 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 -10

Rangel, Ricardo -5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 0

Reed, Betty 5 5 5 5 0 0 -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 20

Rehwinkel Vasilinda, Michelle

0 5 5 0 -5 -5 -5 5 0 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 10 15



Name 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Ext 5 Total

Richardson, David -5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 0

Rodríguez, José Javier -5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 30

Rogers, Hazelle P. -5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 5 -5

Rouson, Darryl Ervin 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 0

Saunders, Joe -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 0 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 0 -5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 10

Schwartz, Elaine J. 5 5 5 0 5 5 5 5 0 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 20

Slosberg, Irving “Irv” 5 5 5 5 0 0 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 30

Stafford, Cynthia -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 -20

Stark, Richard -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 0 5 5 0 -5

Stewart, Linda 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 20

Taylor, Dwayne L. -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 -10

Thurston, Jr., Perry E. -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 0 0 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 -30

Torres, Jr., Victor -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 10

Waldman, James W. 5 0 0 5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 5

Watson, Barbara -5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 -10

Watson, Clovis -5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 0 0

Williams, Alan B. 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 5 0 0

Zimmermann, Carl 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 0 5 5 5 20


HOUSE DEMOCRATS AVERAGE SCORE 2.8


Florida Senate Rankings

The 40 Florida Senate members were ranked by cumulative score. Senator Greg Evers received the highest score in the Florida Senate with Senator Aretha Joyner, Senator Gwen Margolis, Senator Christopher Smith and Senator Eleanor Sobel tied for receiving the lowest score. Republicans scored an average of 3.65 out of possible

100 and Democrats scored an average of -7.5 out of a possible 100. Analysis of legislation may be found in this docu-ment by corresponding number under Senate Bills.

SENATE RANKINGS


Evers, Greg 5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 45 55 C

Garcia, Rene 5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 0 -5 5 5 -5 25 D-

Benacquisto, Lizbeth 5 5 5 5 5 0 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 20 F

Clemens, Jeff 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 20 F

Brandes, Jeff 0 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 10 15 F

Dean, Charles 5 5 5 5 0 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 15 F

Flores, Anitere 5 5 5 5 0 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 15 F

Bean, Aaron 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 10 F

Latvala, Jack 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 10 F

Abruzzo, Joseph 5 5 5 5 -5 0 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 F

Altman, Thad 5 5 5 0 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 F

Hays, Alan 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 F

Bullard, Dwight -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 0 F

Gaetz, Don 5 0 0 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 0 0 5 -5 0 F

Glavano, Bill 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 0 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 0 -5 0 F

Grimsley, Denise 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 0 F

Montford, Bill 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 0 F

KeyRepublicans = Red Democrats = Blue5 = voted for liberty-5 = voting against liberty 0 = no vote.



Richter, Garrett 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 0 F

Simmons, David 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 0 F

Simpson, Wilton 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 0 F

Soto, Darren 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 0 F

Stargel, Kelli 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 0 F

Bradley, Rob 5 0 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 -5 F

Detert, Nancy 5 0 5 5 -5 0 -5 -5 5 -5 -5 5 0 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 F

Diaz de la Portilla, Miguel

5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 0 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 -5 F

Ring, Jeremy -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 F

Thompson, Geraldine 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 0 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 -5 F

Gardiner, Andy 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 0 5 5 -5 5 -5 0 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 -10 F

Gibson, Audrey 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 -10 F

Hukill, Dorothy 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 0 -5 0 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 -10 F

Lee, Tom 5 0 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 0 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 -10 F

Legg, John -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 -10 F

Thrasher, John 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 0 -5 0 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 -10 F

Braynon, Oscar -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 0 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 -15 F

Negron, Joe 5 0 0 0 -5 0 -5 5 5 0 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 0 -5 0 -5 -15 F

Sachs, Maria 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 0 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 -15 F

Joyner, Aretha -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -20 F

Margolis, Gwen -5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 -20 F

Smith, Christopher -5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 -20 F

Sobel, Eleanor 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 -20 F

SENATE RANKINGS


Name 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Ext 5 Total

Altman, Thad 5 5 5 0 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5

Bean, Aaron 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 10

Benacquisto, Lizbeth 5 5 5 5 5 0 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 20

Bradley, Rob 5 0 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 -5

Brandes, Jeff 0 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 10 15

Dean, Charles 5 5 5 5 0 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 15

Detert, Nancy 5 0 5 5 -5 0 -5 -5 5 -5 -5 5 0 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 -5

Diaz de la Portilla, Miguel

5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 0 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 -5

Evers, Greg 5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 45 55

Flores, Anitere 5 5 5 5 0 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 15

Gaetz, Don 5 0 0 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 0 0 5 -5 0

Glavano, Bill 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 0 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 0 -5 0

Garcia, Rene 5 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 0 -5 5 5 -5 25

Gardiner, Andy 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 0 5 5 -5 5 -5 0 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 -10

Grimsley, Denise 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 0

Hays, Alan 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5

Hukill, Dorothy 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 0 -5 0 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 -10

Latvala, Jack 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 10

Lee, Tom 5 0 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 0 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 -10

Legg, John -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 -10

Negron, Joe 5 0 0 0 -5 0 -5 5 5 0 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 0 -5 0 -5 -15

Richter, Garrett 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 0

Simmons, David 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 0

SENATE REPUBLICAN RANKINGS


Name 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Ext 5 Total

Simpson, Wilton 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 0

Stargel, Kelli 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 0

Thrasher, John 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 0 -5 0 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 -10

SENATE REPUBLICAN RANKINGS

SENATE DEMOCRAT RANKINGS

SENATE REPUBLICANS AVERAGE SCORE 3.65

Name 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Ext 5 Total

Abruzzo, Joseph 5 5 5 5 -5 0 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5

Braynon, Oscar -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 0 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 -15

Bullard, Dwight -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 0

Clemens, Jeff 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 20

Gibson, Audrey 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 -10

Joyner, Aretha -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 5 -20

Margolis, Gwen -5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 -20

Montford, Bill 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 0

Ring, Jeremy -5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 -5

Sachs, Maria 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 0 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 -15

Smith, Christopher -5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 -20

Sobel, Eleanor 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 -5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 -20

Soto, Darren 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 5 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 0

Thompson, Geraldine 5 5 5 5 -5 -5 -5 5 5 0 -5 5 -5 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 5 -5 -5

SENATE DEMOCRATS AVERAGE SCORE -7.5

House Bills Reviewed HB 89 – Threatened Use of Force

HB 523 – Licensure to Carry a Concealed Weapon or Firearm

HB 525 – Public Records / Personal Identifying Information / Licensure to Carry Concealed Weapon or Firearm

HB 7029 – Code of Student Conduct

HB 7095 – Professional Sports Facilities

HB 53 – Inmate Re-entry

HB 5001 – General Appropriations Act

HB 599/SB 226 – Public Records / Automated License Plate Recognition Systems Exemption

HB 7123/SB 156 – Motor Vehicle and Mobile Home Taxes, Fees, and Surcharges

HB 879/SB 542 – Flood Insurance

HB 209 – Carrying Concealed Weapon or Concealed Firearm

HB 343 – Rental Car Surcharge

HB 7053/SB 684 – State Economic Enhancement and Development Trust Fund / Department of Economic Opportunity

SB 2514 – Bicycle and Pedestrian Ways

HB 7181 - Public Retirement Plans

HB 231 - Admissions Tax

HB 1237/SB 1632 – Special Districts

HB 1385 – Inspectors General

HB 115 – Public Meetings / University Direct-Support Organization

HB 227 – Victims of Wrongful Incarceration

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

Senate Bills ReviewedSB 448/HB 89 – Threatened Use of Force

SB 544/HB 523 Licensure to Carry a Concealed Weapon or Firearm

SB 546/HB 525 – Public Records / Personal Identifying Information / Licensure to Carry Concealed Weapon or Firearm

SB 1060/HB 7029 Code of Student Conduct

SB 1216/HB 7095 – Professional Sports Facilities

SB 274/HB 53 – Inmate Re-entry

HB 5001 – General Appropriations Act

SB 226 – Public Records / Automated License Plate Recognition Systems Exemption

SB 156/HB 7123 – Motor Vehicle and Mobile Home Taxes, Fees, and Surcharges

SB 542 Flood Insurance

SB 484/HB 343 – Rental Car Surcharge

SB 1328/HB 1385 – Inspectors General

SB 1576 – Springs

SB 326/HB 227 – Victims of Wrongful Incarceration

SB 684/HB 7053 – State Economic Enhancement and Development Trust Fund / Department of Economic Opportunity

SB 2514 – Bicycle and Pedestrian Ways

SB 318/HB 115 – Public Meetings / University Direct-Support Organization

SB 330/HB 231 – Admissions Tax

SB 1632 – Special Districts

SB 1714 – Malt Beverages

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.


House Bills

1. HB 89 – Threatened Use of Force – SUPPORTED

HB 89, nicknamed the “Warning Shot Bill,” addresses the problem of overzealous prosecutors using the 10-20-Life law to prosecute citizens firing a warning shot in self-defense from imminent danger. Currently, a person who fires a warning shot can be convicted of felony assault with a deadly weapon and sentenced under the mandatory minimums. If the potential victim instead used deadly force, he or she could receive immunity under self defense laws. This new law would add immunity for threatening the use of force to Florida’s “stand your ground” self-defense law.

HB 89 passed the House 93-24 and the Senate 32-7.

2. HB 523 – Licensure to Carry a Concealed Weapon or Firearm – SUPPORTED

HB 523 will expedite the process of obtaining a concealed weapons permit. Instead of the long process of going through the Department of Agriculture in Tallahassee, citizens will be able to apply for a concealed weapons permit from their local tax collector’s office.


3. HB 525 – Public Records / Personal Identifying Information / Licensure to Carry Concealed Weapon or Firearm – SUPPORTED

HB 525 is linked to HB 523 and will expand a public-records exemption that shields the identities of people who apply for and receive concealed-carry licenses from the state. HB 525 would extend this exemption to county tax collectors.


4. HB 7029 – Code of Student Conduct – SUPPORTED

HB 7029, nicknamed the “Pop-Tart Bill,” which is a reference to an incident last year where a 7-year old student was suspended for chewing a pastry into the shape of a gun. The suspension was a gross overreaction to the school policy of zero tolerance guidelines in “simulated gun play”. HB 7029 will loosen those guidelines and allow for pastry, snap together blocks and drawings to be in the shape of a weapon without punishment.


5. HB 7095 – Professional Sports Facilities – OPPOSED

Essentially, the State of Florida is taking our taxpayer money and handing it out to billionaires. The Florida Legislature currently budgets monthly payments from the state of $166,667 for 30 years, for an annual payment totaling $2,000,004 to each of the nine major sports franchises (e.g. the Miami Dolphins). HB 7095 is just another taxpayer hand-out to owners of sports teams. New taxpayer money would be available for privately owned stadiums to build or renovate sporting centers. Teams would apply to the state’s Department of Economic Opportunity for sales tax rebate funding. Public money can be used for “constructing, reconstructing, renovating, or improving a facility or reimbursing such costs.” Economists consistently find that stadium construction subsidies fail to generate much, if any, “economic impact” in local markets in terms of metro-area wide employ-ment and income. Sport’s subsidies are a poor use of taxpayer money.


6. HB 53 – Inmate Re-entry – OPPOSED

The worthy premise of helping inmates re-enter society is eclipsed by affording them preferential treatment to which non-felon citizens are not entitled. Inmates receive a free ID card that other citizens must pay $48


to obtain; the new law provides Florida born inmates with a free birth certificate valued from $9 to $34. It also requires the use of tax dollars to assist felons to secure any out-of-state documents required for REAL ID. To obtain a driver’s license, women in particular, have been penalized potentially hundreds of dollars in fees to acquire the paperwork required to re-prove their identities. The federal REAL ID Act, was adopted by the Florida Legislature in 2008 and put into effect January 1, 2010. The best and most cost-effective solution would be to repeal REAL ID in Florida, as several other states have done. Florida should allow inmates to use Dept. of Correction IDs to obtain a state ID, since they have been fingerprinted via the criminal justice system for identity verification.


7. HB 5001 – General Appropriations Act – OPPOSED

The Florida Legislature passed a record spending budget of $77.1 billion that included substantial handouts to special interest groups and local projects. Since 2014 is an election year, legislators assured they took care of their big-money donors, instead of issuing any real, meaningful tax reductions to all Floridians. This increase in the budget means the size of government grew yet again. Unfortunately, if you are not in the market for bicycle helmets or a new Energy Star washer or dryer during one tax-free week of the year, you will not receive much tax relief. Legislators should instead propose a reduction in the size and scope of the state government and put the money back where it belongs, in the hands of Floridians.


8. HB 599/SB 226 – Public Records / Automated License Plate Recognition Systems Exemption – SUPPORTED

SB 226 would place guidelines on the use of license plate scanners used by

law enforcement. These cameras capture the date, time and location of the vehicles of innocent truckers and motorists and retain the data ranging from as little as a couple of days to as long as a decade. SB 226 would implement a statewide policy to prohibit making information public record. It also allows the vehicle owner access to his or her own information.

SB 226 passed the House 116-0 and the Senate 38-1.

9. HB 7123/SB 156 – Motor Vehicle and Mobile Home Taxes, Fees, and Surcharges – SUPPORTED

HB 7123 would roll back vehicle registration fees by $395 million or approximately $25 for a typical car registration. The Florida legislature increased the rates in 2009 as part of a $2 billion tax and fee hike. The increase hurt Floridians during the economic collapse of 2009. When Senate President Don Gaetz was asked why he voted for the increase in 2009, he replied, “Hey, we need to keep the lights on in the Capitol.” Floridians were burdened by this increase but at least Senator Gaetz had the lights on in his office. This is a record year for state spending and taxpayers deserve more than this tepid cut. At least it is a broader based tax reduction than the sales tax holidays for pet food and bicycle helmets.


10. HB 879/SB 542 – Flood Insurance – SUPPORTED

SB 542 creates a regulatory framework for a private market flood insur-ance program in the state. SB 542 would encourage the use of private-market flood insurance, which will increase competition and provide consumers with more coverage choices than just the federal National Flood Insurance Program. SB 542 also prohibits Florida’s Citizens Property Insurance Corporation from writing flood insurance policies and prevents the reimbursement for flood losses from the Florida


Hurricane Catastrophe Fund. This will reduce the taxpayer liability of the government run property insurance program. SB 542 is a good start for bringing back free market principles to the property insurance market.


11. HB 209 – Carrying Concealed Weapon or Concealed Firearm – SUPPORTED

This act concerns carrying a concealed weapon or “firearm” during a man-datory evacuation while under a declared state of emergency. The bill would eliminate criminal prosecution for anyone carrying concealed firearms under a state of emergency evacuation. This would essentially bypass any licensing requirement for persons carrying concealed firearms under those specific conditions. This was a critical issue during the evacuations before Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans as gun owners were forced to leave their weapons behind during the evacuation. In the aftermath of the storm, homes were looted and stolen weapons wound up in the hands of criminals instead of law abiding gun owners.

HB 209 passed the House 80-36 and, unfortunately, died in the Senate.

12. HB 343 – Rental Car Surcharge – OPPOSED

HB 343 imposes a surcharge (tax) and regulations on car-sharing ser-vices. Akin to a timeshare or club service in the vacation industry, a car-share user pays a monthly membership to be part “owner” of a car. The vehicle is kept at a central location and the joint “owners” use the car as needed. The car-share company schedules the usage of the vehicle to avoid conflicting appointments between the “owners” of the vehicle. This legislation would place a $1 surcharge each time the vehicle is used for less than 24-hours and a $2 surcharge for every 24-hour period the vehicle is in use. The automobiles are already taxed upon purchase, taxed

annually as tangible items, and the profit on car-share businesses is subjected to corporate income tax. The addition of a ‘usage surcharge’ is an unnecessary and burdensome tax on individuals who seek to travel affordably without the expense associated with full-time car ownership.


13. HB 7053/SB 684 – State Economic Enhancement and Develop-ment Trust Fund / Department of Economic Opportunity – OPPOSED

HB 7053 reauthorizes the State Economic Enhancement and Develop-ment Trust Fund (SEED). This is a long name for what amounts to a corporate welfare fund. The SEED trust fund allocates taxpayer money to huge corporations in the name of economic development. Granting “economic incentives” to certain hand-picked companies provides them with a competitive advantage. This allows the political class to influence which businesses succeed or fail in the marketplace. Businesses with the most political clout and lobbyists receive the corporate subsidies while politicians claim they are creating jobs. Power is shifted away from the citizen to the elite class of government officials. Consumers are left with fewer choices and less influence in the marketplace.


14. SB 2514 – Bicycle and Pedestrian Ways – OPPOSED

SB 2514 authorizes the Department of Transportation to fund the establish-ment of a statewide system of interconnected bike paths and bike trails. The goal is to link a series of existing, but separate trails into one connected, continuous “greenway” system of bike paths and pedestrian trails all across Florida. Part of this statewide effort is the “Coast-to-Coast Connector” which is a 275 mile project from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf Coast in central Florida. This would eventually tie into the system crisscrossing the


state. This, of course, is a stated goal of the “Smart Growth” schemes (e.g. 7/50 in south Florida) that will strip away our property rights by pushing us into high density urban centers while forcing us to relinquish our cars to use bikes or public transit or to walk to work and shopping. In addition, it is unnecessary spending of taxpayer funds.


15. HB 7181 - Public Retirement Plans - SUPPORTED

HB 7181 would place newly hired public employees into a defined contribution 401(k) style investment plan. Due to expense and long-term obligations, more and more employers are replacing defined benefit plans with defined contribution plans. Currently, the Florida Retirement System serves more than 623,000 active members and 334,000 retirees. It provides the primary retirement plan for public employees at the state and county level, district school boards, community colleges and universi-ties, 185 cities and more than 250 special districts. The defined benefit program was 86 percent funded as of June 30, which put Florida’s system, the nation’s fourth largest, among the top states in terms of funding its public retirement system.

Under House bill HB 7181, new state workers will default into an investment retirement plan similar to a 401(k) unless they opt into the traditional pension plan. Elected officials and those in senior management positions, with the exception of judges, who begin their jobs after July 1, 2015, will not be eligible to receive the pension plan. In addition, the House bill increases the pension vesting period for new employees in the Florida Retirement System from 8 years to 10. Although the Florida Retirement System is relatively viable for now, future trends could lead to financial stress for the system. It is prudent to begin moving towards a defined contribution plan sooner than later to assure public employees will have a dependable

retirement income and not have to go through the disruptions that Detroit and other city and counties are experiencing today.

HB 7181 passed the House 74-44, unfortunately, HB 7181 died in the Senate.

16. HB 231 - Admissions Tax – OPPOSED

Under existing Florida Law, every person who sells or receives anything of value by way of admissions is exercising a taxable privilege at the rate of 6% of the sales price. Section 212.04 of the Florida Statute exempts specified sporting events from this admissions tax, including all-star games produced by the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), National Hockey League (NHL), and National Basket-ball Association (NBA). In addition, the MLB Home Run Derby, held in conjunction with the MLB All-Star Game, the Rookie Challenge, Celebrity Game, 3-Point Shooting Contest and Slam Dunk Challenge, all produced as part of the NBA’s All-Star Game festivities, are also exempt from the admissions tax.

With HB 231, the Major League Soccer All-Star Game is added to the list of events exempted from the sales tax on admissions. It also replaces the list of specific NBA All-Star Game-associated events exempted under current law with language that includes all NBA produced all-star events held at an arena, convention center, municipal facility or other such facility. As we mentioned earlier, the Legislature uses taxpayer money to give major sports teams $2 million annually for 30 years. They receive numerous other tax benefits at our expense. HB 231 is just another corporate welfare break to billionaire owners, while taxpayers foot the bill.


17. HB 1237/SB 1632 – Special Districts – SUPPORTED

SB 1632 requires Special Districts to maintain a high degree of account-


ability and transparency in regard to expenditure of taxpayer money. Special Districts are local units of specific purpose government, within limited geographical areas, used to manage, own, operate, maintain, and finance basic capital infrastructure, facilities, and services. SB 1632 requires Special Districts to publish their budgets, taxes assessed, and audits on-line for public consumption. One example of a Special District is a Down-town Development Authority (DDA) specifically established to revitalize a downtown area. Oftentimes, DDAs fail to dissolve and property owners must absorb the cost to fund the DDA beyond their intended purpose. SB 1632 will force these DDAs and other Special Districts to be more transparent with their use of taxpayer money.


18. HB 1385 – Inspectors General – SUPPORTED

The Office of Inspector General (IG) is established in each state agency to provide a central point for the coordination and responsibility of activi-ties that promote accountability, integrity, and efficiency in government. The role of the IG is to act as a watchdog to assure taxpayer money is not misused or wasted. Under current law there is also the Office of the Chief Inspector General (CIG) within the Executive Office of the Governor. The CIG, under the Governor’s jurisdiction, monitors the activities of the Inspector General, who is appointed by the head of each individual state agency. HB 1385 requires Inspectors General to instead report directly to the governor’s Chief Inspector General so as to avoid any conflict of interest or ethics violations associated with job security. This bill should allow Inspectors General to report waste and fraud in an agency without fear of retribution or job loss.


19. HB 115 – Public Meetings / University Direct-Support Organization (DSO) – OPPOSED

HB 115 provides exemption from public meeting requirements for any portion of meetings held by a university DSO board of directors, executive committee or other committees of board where proposal seeking research funding from an organization, plan or program for initiating or supporting research is discussed. Public university research or expert knowledge are often used as justification for new legislation or public policy. HB 115 would permit large companies to commission research privately thereby withholding any potential bias from the public eye. Disclosure of sources of funding for university research is vital to comprehension of potential issues or biases affecting the research process.

HB 115 passed the House 83-33 and the Senate 36-2

20. HB 227 – Victims of Wrongful Incarceration – SUPPORTED

HB 227 provides that a wrongfully incarcerated person who was convicted and sentenced to death on or before December 31, 1979, is exempt from certain application procedures for compensation if special prosecutor declares nolle prosequi or “lack of evidence” after review of the conviction. Currently a person convicted of a crime who is released due to lack of evidence does not automatically have the right to a wrongful incarcera-tion judgment. If a person has been found “not guilty,” he/she has the right to file a wrongful incarceration suit and may be entitled to compensation for time lost. Up until now, if a person has been released due to a motion for nolle prosequi, he/she has not had the right to be compensated for time wrongfully incarcerated. HB 227 allows defendants issued a nolle prosequi to be eligible for such compensation. This reinforces the presumption of innocence until proved guilty. If there is not enough evidence to convict the defendant, we must presume innocence and entitle him or her to the


same wrongful incarceration rights as defendants who were exonerated. HB 227 passed the House 116-0 and the Senate 38-0

HOUSE BILLS FILED AND NEVER HEARD - NO RECORDED VOTES

HB 25 (SB 1316) – Common Core Pause – GOOD BILLNEVER HEARD

HB 835 (SB 480) – Commission on Federalism – GOOD BILL NEVER HEARD

HB 4009 (SB 144) – Red Light Camera Repeal – GOOD BILL NEVER HEARD

HB 733 – Second Amendment Preservation Act – GOOD BILL WITHDRAWN. NEVER HEARD

HB 4001– Nuclear and Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle Power Plants – GOOD BILL

NEVER HEARD

Senate Bills

1. SB 448/HB 89 – Threatened Use of Force – SUPPORTED

HB 89, nicknamed the “Warning Shot Bill,” addresses the problem of overzealous prosecutors using the 10-20-Life law to prosecute citizens firing a warning shot in self-defense from imminent danger. Currently, a person who fires a warning shot can be convicted of felony assault with

a deadly weapon and sentenced under the mandatory minimums. If the potential victim instead used deadly force, he or she could receive immunity under self defense laws. This new law would add immunity for threatening the use of force to Florida’s “stand your ground” self-defense law.


2. SB 544/HB 523 – Licensure to Carry a Concealed Weapon or Firearm – SUPPORTED

HB 523 will expedite the process of obtaining a concealed weapons permit. Instead of the long process of going through the Department of Agriculture in Tallahassee, citizens will be able to apply for a concealed weapons permit from their local tax collector’s office.


3. SB 546/HB 525 – Public Records / Personal Identifying Information / Licensure to Carry Concealed Weapon or Firearm – SUPPORTED

HB 525 is linked to HB 523 and will expand a public-records exemption that shields the identities of people who apply for and receive concealed-carry licenses from the state. HB 525 extends this exemption to county tax collectors.


4. SB 1060/HB 7029 Code of Student Conduct – SUPPORTED

HB 7029, nicknamed the “Pop-Tart Bill,” which is a reference to an incident last year where a 7-year old student was suspended for chewing a pastry into the shape of a gun. The suspension was a gross overreaction to the school policy of zero tolerance guidelines in “simulated gun play”. HB 7029 will loosen those guidelines and allow for pastry, snap together blocks and drawings to be in the shape of a weapon without punishment.



5. SB 1216/HB 7095 – Professional Sports Facilities – OPPOSED

Essentially, the State of Florida is taking our taxpayer money and handing it out to billionaires. The Florida Legislature currently budgets monthly payments from the state of $166,667 for 30 years, for an annual payment totaling $2,000,004 to each of the nine major sports franchises (e.g. the Miami Dolphins). HB 7095 is just another taxpayer hand-out to owners of sports teams. New taxpayer money would be available for privately owned stadiums to build or renovate sporting centers. Teams would apply to the state’s Department of Economic Opportunity for sales tax rebate funding. Public money can be used for “constructing, reconstructing, renovating, or improving a facility or reimbursing such costs.” Economists consistently find that stadium construction subsidies fail to generate much, if any, “economic impact” in local markets in terms of metro-area wide employ-ment and income. Sport’s subsidies are a poor use of taxpayer money.


6. SB 274/HB 53 – Inmate Re-entry – OPPOSED

The worthy premise of helping inmates re-enter society is eclipsed by affording them preferential treatment to which non-felon citizens are not entitled. Inmates receive a free ID card that other citizens must pay $48 to obtain; the new law provides Florida born inmates with a free birth certificate valued from $9 to $34. It also requires the use of tax dollars to assist felons to secure any out-of-state documents required for REAL ID. To obtain a driver’s license, women in particular, have been penalized potentially hundreds of dollars in fees to acquire the paperwork required to re-prove their identities. The federal REAL ID Act, was adopted by the Florida Legislature in 2008 and put into effect January 1, 2010. The best and most cost-effective solution would be to repeal REAL ID in Florida, as several other states have done. Florida should allow inmates

to use Dept. of Correction IDs to obtain a state ID, since they have been fingerprinted via the criminal justice system for identity verification.


7. HB 5001 – General Appropriations Act – OPPOSED

The Florida Legislature passed a record spending budget of $77.1 billion that included substantial handouts to special interest groups and local projects. Since 2014 is an election year, legislators assured they took care of their big-money donors, instead of issuing any real, meaningful tax reductions to all Floridians. This increase in the budget means the size of government grew yet again. Unfortunately, if you are not in the market for bicycle helmets or a new Energy Star washer or dryer during one tax-free week of the year, you will not receive much tax relief. Legislators should instead propose a reduction in the size and scope of the state government and put the money back where it belongs, in the hands of Floridians.


8. SB 226 – Public Records / Automated License Plate Recognition Systems Exemption – SUPPORTED

SB 226 would place guidelines on the use of license plate scanners used by law enforcement. These cameras capture the date, time and location of the vehicles of innocent truckers and motorists and retain the data ranging from as little as a couple of days to as long as a decade. SB 226 would implement a statewide policy to prohibit making information public record. It also allows the vehicle owner access to his or her own information.



9. SB 156/HB 7123 – Motor Vehicle and Mobile Home Taxes, Fees, and Surcharges – SUPPORTED

HB 7123 would roll back vehicle registration fees by $395 million or approximately $25 for a typical car registration. The Florida legislature increased the rates in 2009 as part of a $2 billion tax and fee hike. The increase hurt Floridians during the economic collapse of 2009. When Senate President Don Gaetz was asked why he voted for the increase in 2009, he replied, “Hey, we need to keep the lights on in the Capitol.” Floridians were burdened by this increase but at least Senator Gaetz had the lights on in his office. This is a record year for state spending and taxpayers deserve more than this tepid cut. At least it is a broader based tax reduction than the sales tax holidays for pet food and bicycle helmets.


10. SB 542 Flood Insurance – SUPPORTED

SB 542 creates a regulatory framework for a private market flood insur-ance program in the state. SB 542 would encourage the use of private-market flood insurance, which will increase competition and provide consumers with more coverage choices than just the federal National Flood Insurance Program. SB 542 also prohibits Florida’s Citizens Property Insurance Corporation from writing flood insurance policies and prevents the reimbursement for flood losses from the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund. This will reduce the taxpayer liability of the government run property insurance program. SB 542 is a good start for bringing back free market principles to the property insurance market.


11. SB 484/HB 343 – Rental Car Surcharge – OPPOSED

HB 343 imposes a surcharge (tax) and regulations on car-sharing services.

Akin to a timeshare or club service in the vacation industry, a car-share user pays a monthly membership to be part “owner” of a car. The vehicle is kept at a central location and the joint “owners” use the car as needed. The car-share company schedules the usage of the vehicle to avoid con-flicting appointments between the “owners” of the vehicle. This legisla-tion would place a $1 surcharge each time the vehicle is used for less than 24-hours and a $2 surcharge for every 24-hour period the vehicle is in use. The automobiles are already taxed upon purchase, taxed annually as tangible items, and the profit on car-share businesses is subjected to cor-porate income tax. The addition of a ‘usage surcharge’ is an unnecessary and burdensome tax on individuals who seek to travel affordably without the expense associated with full-time car ownership.


12. SB 1328/HB 1385 – Inspectors General – SUPPORTED

The Office of Inspector General (IG) is established in each state agency to provide a central point for the coordination and responsibility of activities that promote accountability, integrity, and efficiency in government. The role of the IG is to act as a watchdog to assure taxpayer money is not misused or wasted. Under current law there is also the Office of the Chief Inspector General (CIG) within the Executive Office of the Governor. The CIG, under the Governor’s jurisdiction, monitors the activities of the Inspector General, who is appointed by the head of each individual state agency. HB 1385 requires Inspectors General to instead report directly to the governor’s Chief Inspector General so as to avoid any conflict of interest or ethics violations associated with job security. This bill should allow Inspectors General to report waste and fraud in an agency without fear of retribution or job loss.



13. SB 1576 – Springs – OPPOSED

The Florida legislature has engaged in a war against property owners with septic tanks. They state that leaks from septic tanks are polluting springs throughout the state. The problem is that there is no scientific evidence to verify the claim. A septic tank study in 2007 revealed that out of 55,000 septic tanks near the Wekiva Springs, only three were tested during a short span of time. The results were inconclusive and the study indicated that further studies would be needed to reach any substantive conclusion. SB 1576 calls for connecting homes to sewer systems and creates a new layer of local government called a Responsible Management Entity (RME). This entity will consist of non-elected appointees with the authority to force you into an expensive new sewer system. SB 1576 would impose a financial burden on property owners without any compelling scientific evidence of pollution. Ironically, industry experts admit that even public sewer system pipes leak sewage into the environment.

SB 1576 passed the Senate 38-0 and, fortunately, this bad bill died in the House.

14. SB 326/HB 227 – Victims of Wrongful Incarceration – SUPPORTED

HB 227 provides that a wrongfully incarcerated person who was convicted and sentenced to death on or before December 31, 1979, is exempt from certain application procedures for compensation if special prosecutor declares nolle prosequi or “lack of evidence” after review of the conviction. Currently a person convicted of a crime who is released due to lack of evidence does not automatically have the right to a wrongful incarcera-tion judgment. If a person has been found “not guilty,” he/she has the right to file a wrongful incarceration suit and may be entitled to compensation for time lost. Up until now, if a person has been released due to a motion for nolle prosequi, he/she has not had the right to be compensated for time

wrongfully incarcerated. HB 227 allows defendants issued a nolle prosequi to be eligible for such compensation. This reinforces the presumption of innocence until proved guilty. If there is not enough evidence to convict the defendant, we must presume innocence and entitle him or her to the same wrongful incarceration rights as defendants who were exonerated.


15. SB 684/HB 7053 – State Economic Enhancement and Develop-ment Trust Fund / Department of Economic Opportunity – OPPOSED

HB 7053 reauthorizes the State Economic Enhancement and Develop-ment Trust Fund (SEED). This is a long name for what amounts to a corporate welfare fund. The SEED trust fund allocates taxpayer money to huge corporations in the name of economic development. Granting “economic incentives” to certain hand-picked companies provides them with a competitive advantage. This allows the political class to influence which businesses succeed or fail in the marketplace. Businesses with the most political clout and lobbyists receive the corporate subsidies while politicians claim they are creating jobs. Power is shifted away from the citizen to the elite class of government officials. Consumers are left with fewer choices and less influence in the marketplace.


16. SB 2514 – Bicycle and Pedestrian Ways – OPPOSED

SB 2514 authorizes the Department of Transportation to fund the establish-ment of a statewide system of interconnected bike paths and bike trails. The goal is to link a series of existing, but separate trails into one connected, continuous “greenway” system of bike paths and pedestrian trails all across Florida. Part of this statewide effort is the “Coast-to-Coast Connector” which is a 275 mile project from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf Coast in

�0 2014 Legislative Score Card

central Florida. This would eventually tie into the system crisscrossing the state. This, of course, is a stated goal of the “Smart Growth” schemes (e.g. 7/50 in south Florida) that will strip away our property rights by pushing us into high density urban centers while forcing us to relinquish our cars to use bikes or public transit or to walk to work and shopping. In addition, it is unnecessary spending of taxpayer funds.


17. SB 318/HB 115 – Public Meetings / University Direct-Support Organization – OPPOSED

HB 115 provides exemption from public meeting requirements for any portion of meetings held by a university DSO board of directors, executive committee or other committees of board where proposal seeking research funding from an organization, plan or program for initiating or supporting research is discussed. Public university research or expert knowledge are often used as justification for new legislation or public policy. HB 115 would permit large companies to commission research privately thereby withholding any potential bias from the public eye. Disclosure of sources of funding for university research is vital to comprehension of potential issues or biases affecting the research process.


18. SB 330/HB 231 – Admissions Tax – OPPOSED

Under existing Florida Law, every person who sells or receives anything of value by way of admissions is exercising a taxable privilege at the rate of 6% of the sales price. Section 212.04 of the Florida Statute exempts specified sporting events from this admissions tax, including all-star games produced by the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), National Hockey League (NHL), and National Basket-

ball Association (NBA). In addition, the MLB Home Run Derby, held in conjunction with the MLB All-Star Game, the Rookie Challenge, Celebrity Game, 3-Point Shooting Contest and Slam Dunk Challenge, all produced as part of the NBA’s All-Star Game festivities, are also exempt from the admissions tax.

With HB 231, the Major League Soccer All-Star Game is added to the list of events exempted from the sales tax on admissions. It also replaces the list of specific NBA All-Star Game-associated events exempted under current law with language that includes all NBA produced all-star events held at an arena, convention center, municipal facility or other such facility. As we mentioned earlier, the Legislature uses taxpayer money to give major sports teams $2 million annually for 30 years. They receive numerous other tax benefits at our expense. HB 231 is just another corporate welfare break to billionaire owners, while taxpayers foot the bill.


19. SB 1632 – Special Districts – SUPPORTED

SB 1632 requires Special Districts to maintain a high degree of account-ability and transparency in regard to expenditure of taxpayer money. Special Districts are local units of specific purpose government, within limited geographical areas, used to manage, own, operate, maintain, and finance basic capital infrastructure, facilities, and services. SB 1632 requires Special Districts to publish their budgets, taxes assessed, and audits on-line for public consumption. One example of a Special District is a Down-town Development Authority (DDA) specifically established to revitalize a downtown area. Oftentimes, DDAs fail to dissolve and property owners must absorb the cost to fund the DDA beyond their intended purpose. SB 1632 will force these DDAs and other Special Districts to be more transparent with their use of taxpayer money.



20. SB 1714 – Malt Beverages – OPPOSED

This legislation went through several iterations this session. The final version of SB 1714 permits craft breweries to sell 64oz growlers for off-premise consumption and retains the existing exemption on micro-breweries that do not brew in excess of 2,000 kegs per year (in effect, no change to current business operations). In addition, all breweries manufacturing more than 2,000 kegs per year may sell craft beer for on-site consumption by tap and growlers for off site consumption. However, the sale of sealed beverages must not exceed 20% of total sales without the use of a distributor. Any sealed product in excess of 20% of the total brew must be sold to a distributor and purchased back by the brewer at a higher price in order to sell their own product at the brewery.

SB 1714 passed in the Senate 30-10 and, fortunately, died in the House.

GOOD SENATE BILLS FILED AND NEVER HEARD – NO RECORDED VOTESSB 144 – Red Light Camera Repeal – GOOD BILL

DEBATED IN ONE COMMITTEE – NO FURTHER ACTION

SB 1316 – Common Core Pause – GOOD BILLNEVER HEARD

SB 480 – Commission on Federalism – GOOD BILLNEVER HEARD

SB 1346 – Option to Real ID – GOOD BILLNEVER HEARD

SB 1476 – Public Records / Automated Traffic Law Enforcement System – public records from Red Light Cameras – Good Bill

NEVER HEARD

The Liberty First Network 1334 Tampa Rd #6, Palm Harbor, FL 34683

[email protected] http://www.libertyfirstfl.org

“It is upon us, the citizen, to ensure that freedom is guaranteed

and that our government is limited in a manner so as not to impede

on our liberty. “~ JOHN HALLMAN

Documents

2014 LFN Florida Legislative Scorecard