A Capitol show of force

Voters be reassured: A day in Tallahassee demonstrates how smart and competent our area's legislators really are.

By Emily Walsh
| 10:45 a.m. March 14, 2019

Tallahassee is abuzz when the Legislature is in session.

Sarasota
Opinion

TALLAHASSEE — It’s the busiest time of year here. The 2019 legislative session began two weeks ago and will continue for another two months.

It’s also the most exciting time of the year. With the influx of people bustling around the Capitol, cool spring air, live oaks in full bloom, there’s just something exhilarating about session.

Maybe it’s seeing your government in action. Or the passion behind the people lobbying for causes that matter most to them. For me, it was seeing that my vote counted. Sarasota and Manatee, be assured: You elected some highly intelligent, competent and compassionate people to represent us.

During my visit last week to Tallahassee in support of the Florida Press Association’s Public Notice Day (see sidebar), I was able to see in action Reps. Will Robinson, R-District 71; Margaret Good, D-District 72; Tommy Gregory, R-District 73; and Sen. Joe Gruters, R-District 23. Rep. James Buchanan, R-District 74, was unavailable, and I didn’t even try to get on Senate President Bill Galvano’s schedule. You can imagine how many people want time with him.

Each of these representatives appeared to have a common passion among their legislative priorities: education and clean water.

Asked how he was enjoying his new role in the House, Gregory crossed his legs, allowing his cowboy boots to peek out from underneath his suit, and replied with a huge grin, “I love it.”

You could tell he was sincere as he spoke excitedly about innovation in education and mental health care, specifically regarding revising the licensing process of clinical social workers, family and marriage therapists and mental health counselors. His bill, HB 509, would make the licensing process more efficient, increasing the number of professionals who can provide help.

Robinson seemed equally as thrilled, saying it’s everything he imagined and more. He has filed the most bills among his Sarasota-Manatee colleagues in the House (Robinson, 27; Gregory, 25; Buchanan 18; Good, 16). The talk in the Capitol is Robinson is being groomed for leadership among his Republican class of representatives.

Public Notice Day

The Florida Press Association, First Amendment Foundation, AARP and Florida TaxWatch organized Public Notice Day March 13 at the Capitol to educate legislators about the value of public notices and the role of the news media in our communities.

This year’s event was particularly important. Three bills, HB 1235 and SB 1676 and 1710, propose to shift the publication of legal notices from newspapers to government websites.

It may sound self-serving to say this, but newspapers still provide greater access to people rather than government websites. State law now requires all public notices to be published in newspapers’ print editions, on their websites and on FloridaPublicNotices.com, which houses all the legal notices published in Florida.

Shift notices to government websites? When has government performed an operation more efficiently than private business? And who do you know goes online to search for public notices.

One of the great benefits of public notices in newspapers is serendipity. When you page through a newspaper, you don’t know from page to page what you’ll find. You’re surprised and discover news and information you would never find had you not paged through the paper.

Tell your legislator to keep public notices in newspapers and their websites.

Good has already been tapped as one of four deputy Democratic leaders in the House. When you see her cheery office (See sidebar), it speaks of the way she represents her district: hugging visitors, taking pictures with constituents and sharing legislative wins, including first readings of her House Bill 4773, which provides an appropriation for the Cross College Alliance through the Ringling College of Art and Design.

And then there is Sen. Gruters. Just as he was man-on-campus in our day at Cardinal Mooney High School, Gruters is holding court in Tallahassee. The man is in his element.

Not only has he filed 69 bills, he seems to be having a good ol’ time doing it. Unfazed by any scrutiny, Gruters is a no-nonsense yet jovial senator navigating the political waters expertly while being able to cross party lines as demonstrated with his work with Rep. Good on red tide.

Equally impressive as our legislators were the number of Sarasota-Manatee community leaders representing our area in Tallahassee. Seen lobbying on behalf of their organizations:

• State College of Florida President Carol Probstfeld with Trustee Robert Wyatt;

• Jewish Family and Children’s Service CEO Heidi Brown

• Arts and Cultural Alliance Executive Director Jim Shirley with Board member Rebecca Hopkins of Florida Studio Theatre

• Casey Welch, University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee assistant vice president of external affairs and government relations

• Jon Mast, Manatee-Sarasota Building Industry Association CEO

• Jack Brill, acting chairman of the Republican Party of Sarasota County. Brill’s daughter, Victoria, is Gruters’ senior legislative aide.

Seeing Sarasota-Manatee represented in such a strong force on the legislative and constituent side filled me with pride for our region. If you ever have the opportunity to see our elected officials in action during session, do it. You’ll be reassured they are there for the right reasons.

Rep. Margaret Good in her brightly colored and decorated office in the Capitol building in Tallahassee.

DÉCOR MATTERS

Rep. Margaret Good, D-Sarasota, has the most colorful and brightly decorated office at the Capitol among our local legislators.

Sen. Joe Gruters comes in a close second only because his desk is flanked by the impressive spears usually carried by Chief Osceola at Florida State Seminole football games.

Walking into Good’s office you’re struck instantly by the bright colors usually seen in Lilly Pulitzer clothing. Hanging above her desk are four brightly colored Florida seals colored created by the girls at Girls inc.

The Girls inc. girls wrote Good a letter encouraging her to be brave. A vintage Lilly Pulitzer scarf, featuring the Florida map is framed on the wall. Anchoring everything is a bright, floral rug underneath a modern glass coffee table.

And one can’t miss the retro-turquoise mini-fridge in the corner.

Good is waiting on one more piece of décor to complete her office: a tile mosaic of the state seal made by the students of Oak Park School, which is a Sarasota district school offering educational services for more than 300 students with disabilities.