Special Session Update

This week the Legislature convened for a Special Session called by Governor Crist to consider placing a constitutional amend- ment banning offshore oil drilling on the November ballot. I have been asked to share my thoughts about the Special Session w ith many of you and we thought it appropriate to communicate directly with you on this issue.  Due to their costly nature, Special Sessions are typically reserved for emergency situations. Current state and federal law bans drilling off the shores of Florida and the Governor’s call did not include allow us to consider ANY assistance for those hurt by the current emergency in the Gulf.  Thus, gathering in Tallahassee to debate a constitutional amendment for November’s election that simply duplicates current law andfails to address the current crisis did not in my opinion constitute an appropriate Special Session call.

During the past 90 days residents of the Florida Panhandle and the Gulf Coast have been in crisis as a result of an oil well blow- out off the shore in Louisiana.  The Governor’s proposal to ban an industry already banned in Florida could not prevent oil from continuing to wash up on our state’s coastlines, wouldn’t put a single new skimmer off our shores, and won’t produce any new boom to protect our coasts.But this week we salvaged a politically motivated Special Session and took action to return the focus to where it needs to be, on creating jobs as well as economic assistance and development for the Panhandle. Speaker Cretul established 6 workgroups within the House to uncover problems and offer meaningful legislative solutions to the issues created by the oil spill. The goals and guiding principles for these workgroups are:

• Assist Florida’s citizens, businesses, and state and local governments in addressing the disaster and ensuring responsible par-ties are held accountable.
• Assure legislative actions bring meaningful relief while preserving fiscal responsibility and transparency.
• Assure legislative actions add value and make efficient use of resources.
• Enhance coordination, eliminate barriers, and streamline processes within legislative authority to influence.
• Avoid duplicating or distracting from other efforts to respond to and recover from the disaster.

The House and Senate have agreed to concentrate our efforts to identify legislation that may be passed in an appropriately-called Special Session this fall to assist citizens in Florida’s coastal counties. Our plan to work quickly, analyze data and create solutions and report back with a roadmap for action based on facts on the ground is a serious approach toward beginning the recovery ef- fort.  I encourage you to follow the activities and conclusions that emerge from these workgroups and to participate as we seek solutions.

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