My office staff and I welcome your contact regarding any issue that is important to you. As always, I consider it a pleasure to serve you, and the people of our district.
I also encourage you to visit “Online Sunshine,” the official website of your Florida Legislature. At http://www.leg.state.fl.us/ you’ll find links to both the Senate and the House websites. The site also provides links to Florida Statutes and other governmental information and entities. There is also a link to kid’s pages that are designed to educate young ones about how our state government works.
Weekly Wrap-up
End of Week Update – Week Nine
May 1, 2009
This week, the Florida House began the final sprint toward approving a responsible, balanced budget as mandated by the Florida Constitution by meeting with the Senate to iron out differences in each chamber’s budget proposals. Due to extensive negotiations, both chambers decided to extend the regular Session through next week to address the budget. The extended Session is not without precedent, and House Republicans believe that it is more important to get the budget done right than to do it quickly. Although the budget process took a little longer than anticipated, it is important that the priorities of both the House and the Senate are fairly represented in the final budget. Because we know that Florida will only receive federal stimulus funds for a few years, I felt we must insist on a responsible long-term approach that prudently balances the budget. This means both revenues and reductions must be included if we want to avoid billions of dollars in tax increases next year.
LONG-TERM VIEW ON BUDGET: The House’s priority has been to identify responsible spending reductions to help us balance the budget long-term. I feel strongly that the budget should have a prudent long-term outlook so Floridians are not burdened with a billion dollar tax increase next year because we ignored the fact that the federal stimulus dollars will run out soon. I believe it is important to have a fiscally responsible long-term view that puts Florida in the best shape possible to rebound when the economy picks up. This means House Republicans have to make some tough choices. The responsible thing to do is stop spending more than Florida can afford so that we can create a stable financial environment for Florida's economy to rebound.
A HELPING HAND FOR FLORIDA’S UNEMPLOYED: I know that times are tough and that Floridians are hurting. House Republicans are committed to lending a helping hand to those Floridians who have lost their jobs due to the economic downturn. That is why I voted to accept nearly $2 billion in federal stimulus money to extend the length of time that unemployed workers receive assistance. Part of the $2 billion will also be used to increase the weekly unemployment benefit by $25, to help Floridians until they can find another job. I realize that federal stimulus dollars are not a silver bullet for the problems facing Florida, but these funds can help us bridge the gap for unemployed Floridians until they can find another job.
PRESERVING WOKERS’ RIGHT TO A SECRET BALLOT: It is no secret that our state and our nation face unprecedented economic challenges. And my focus is to help put Florida’s economy back on track and generate jobs for Floridians. Included in that focus is the protection of workers’ rights. To that end, the Florida House took a significant step toward helping our economy by voting to provide Floridians with the opportunity to enshrine their right to vote by a secret ballot in the Florida Constitution. I supported passage of House Joint Resolution 1013 because it is a pro-worker protection proposal. No workers should ever fear retaliation from their unions, their employers or their fellow employees.
PROTECTING FLORIDA HOMEOWNERS: It is vital that we use every opportunity available to provide fairness and relief to Florida taxpayers, particularly during difficult economic times. The current property appraisal system unfairly favors government at the expense of taxpayers, and it needed to change. That’s why I supported House Bill 521, which maintains that a property appraiser’s assessment is presumed to be correct, but only if they have shown that they have complied with applicable Florida Statute and professionally accepted practices. If that standard is met, then the burden will shift to the homeowner to show that the property in question exceeds the just value or that the assessment is based on an uneven standard to similar properties.
PROVIDING CHOICE FOR FAMILIES PREPARING FOR COLLEGE: Paying for college is a difficult challenge for parents, especially during these difficult economic times. Many families have planned ahead for college expenses by purchasing the Florida Prepaid College Plan, and I supported House Bill 315 to maximize their choice for the use of their Prepaid College Plan dollars. House Bill 315 permits the use of a Prepaid College Plan at any learning center recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Suggestions and Public Appearances
I and my staff use the newsletter as a cost-effective tool to keep you in touch with what is happening in your State and in your Florida Legislature. We welcome all suggestions and comments. Do not hesitate to contact my District Office to let us know of issues you are concerned about and would like us to address in this newsletter.
As my schedule allows, I am happy to speak at local community events or groups about issues of interest. My Legislative Assistant, Ray Walker, or my Secretary, Mary Katherine Peebles, will be happy to work with you in making such arrangements.
Utilizing email as a newsletter distribution tool is a fiscally-responsible means to distribute information to my constituency about what is going on in their Florida Legislature.
Please feel free to e-mail The Ford Update to your friends and relatives. Alternatively, please let others know they can be added to my email list by going to www.gulf1.com/ford.
As always, please feel free to contact me or my staff with any of your needs or concerns. My district office is open Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The address is:
1804 West Garden St.
Pensacola, FL 32502
(850) 595-5550
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