The legislature is in session – hold on to your wallets

The 60-days to come will be perilous for taxpayers in Florida, because the legislature is in session.  State senators and representatives will be advancing their favorite Bills while the hallways of the Capitol become a campground for lobbyists.

Senate President Bill Galvano gaveled-in the start of the 2020 Session this morning.  But, the first order of business was honoring the victims of last month’s shooting at Naval Air Station Pensacola.

“As we go into session, let us continue to show our constituents that we can exchange and debate ideas while maintaining civility and decorum, that we can solve problems together, that we can put aside personalities and politics for good policy, and, that we are not a microcosm of Washington, D.C., but instead will continue to be an example for Washington, D.C.,” Galvano said.

Last month, a Saudi-born trainee committed the violent attack in what US Attorney General William Barr called an act of terrorism “motivated by jihadist ideology”.  The United States is sending twenty-one Saudi military students home following the incident.

Galvano named Navy Airman Mohammed Shahed Haitham, 19, from St. Petersburg; Airman Apprentice Cameron Walters, 21, from Savannah, Georgia; and US Navy Ensign Joshua Kaleb Watson, 23, from Enterprise, Alabama. He also listed the names of those injured.

The Senate President recognized that this Session marks the start of a new decade and will set the tone for the coming years. He asked senators carry out the Session with focus, commitment and hard work.

“For my part, I will continue to do everything I can to facilitate the opportunity for each of you to carry the dreams, goals, and objectives of your constituencies to this process with fairness, respect, and candor,” Galvano said. “As I have reminded you before, each of you carries the responsibility for the hundreds of thousands of Floridians you represent, and those microphones on your desk amplify their voices. I respect that.”