Florida House Organizes For Interesting Session

November 19, 2014

A Republican speaker who was not originally supposed to lead the chamber took over a House already down two members Tuesday, while a Democratic leader emerged from months of party infighting to try to maneuver with a diminished minority.

Ahead of the real session opening in March, 118 members of the chamber held a one-day organization session Tuesday to go through the motions of setting up how the House will work for the next two years. They elected a speaker and rejected the credentials of one would-be member.

Rep. Steve Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island, was formally named to lead the House after taking an unconventional route to the speaker’s chair. Crisafulli was tapped as speaker-in-waiting after the man who was originally scheduled to get the job, former GOP Rep. Chris Dorworth, lost a bid for re-election in 2012.

“Because of how he’s handled himself while here in Tallahassee, the position came to him,” said Rep. Jim Boyd, R-Bradenton.

In remarks to the House, Crisafulli — whose unfamiliarity was the subject of some gentle teasing at last year’s Capitol Press Skits — laid out his leadership style as one that would hear out Democratic complaints as long as they were constructive.

“I am not the Republican speaker; I’m the speaker of the Florida House,” Crisafulli said. “All members will be treated with the same dignity and respect, regardless of their party.”

Leading a party that has a two-thirds supermajority and could easily steamroll the minority Democrats if it so chooses, Crisafulli instead called for the GOP to be “humble” in its use of power.

“I absolutely welcome robust debate on the issues between the majority and the minority parties,” he said. “But I expect honesty and respectful discourse. We can all agree on so many of the issues that come before us in this chamber. So let’s not play games and score political points; let’s get it done for the constituents that elected us to represent them.”

For now, at least, Republicans hold a 80-38 edge, though that number will fluctuate in the coming months. The House on Tuesday voted to reject the results of an election involving Rep. James Grant, R-Tampa. The incumbent easily won this fall, but the election has been the subject of a court battle.

The results have been called into question because of a long-running legal dispute that centers on write-in candidate Daniel John Matthews. The 1st District Court of Appeal last month overturned a lower-court ruling that said Matthews couldn’t run for the seat.

With Tuesday’s vote, a vacancy can be declared and Gov. Rick Scott can call a special election. Crisafulli said the move by the House — which the Florida Constitution recognizes as the sole authority over its own membership — was meant to break the logjam between the courts and Secretary of State Ken Detzner.

“We felt just based on that alone that we would work to try to actually speed the process by having a special election,” he told reporters. “That actually speeds up the process versus going through a court (battle) that could go on for several weeks, months, even longer.”

Two more members of the chamber — Rep. Ronald “Doc” Renuart, R-Ponte Vedra Beach, and Rep. Travis Hutson, R-Elkton — will leave in the spring in an effort to win a Senate seat vacated by new Florida State University President John Thrasher. And former Rep. Reggie Fullwood, D-Jacksonville, will run against primary and general-election challengers after a paperwork snafu left his name off the November ballot.

Despite their lower numbers, Democrats seemed ready to try to make some headway on what has long been a top priority: an expansion of Medicaid eligibility that has been repeatedly rebuffed by House leadership. In brief remarks for the House, new Minority Leader Mark Pafford, D-West Palm Beach, called for the chamber to reconsider the idea.

“All we want’s a free and open vote,” Pafford said. “I have no doubt that there are great Republicans in this chamber, there are great Democrats in this chamber, that could pass Medicaid. I’d love to see that up for an open vote.”

Like Crisafulli, Pafford was not originally intended to lead Democrats — but took over after the party deposed Rep. Darryl Rouson of St. Petersburg after a fundraising dispute with Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Allison Tant. Pafford recently fought off a challenge to his leadership after the party lost six seats in this month’s elections.

Crisafulli, who has said water issues will be his main priority in the session, didn’t rule out the idea of taking up a Medicaid expansion. But he made it clear that a change of heart wasn’t likely.

“I’ll say it now, and I’ll say it again: All options are on the table,” he said. “Obviously, we in the House Republican caucus still stand firm where we did last year and the year before, but there’s always an opportunity to have a conversation, and we’ll continue to have conversations moving forward.”

by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News