Commissioner Bishop takes on new committee for Florida League of Cities

Longboat Key Commissioner-At-Large BJ Bishop was recently appointed to serve the Florida League of Cities’ Resolutions Committee, which is tasked with setting the league’s legislative priorities.

The FLC is an organization that acts as a unified voice for local municipalities across the state, according to its website. Local municipal officials from more than 400 cities work with the league in various committees tasked with sharing ideas and sometimes attempting to advocate for or against legislation. 

The Resolutions Committee appointment is a new one for Bishop, though she has been an active member of the FLC for years prior.

Bishop has been on the Longboat Key Town Commission for a little more than four years and was on the Planning and Zoning Board for 15 years prior to that. During her time as a town commissioner, Bishop has served on several of the FLC’s legislative policy committees.

Aside from the new appointment, Bishop is a part of three policy committees this year: Utilities, Natural Resources and Public Works; Public Policy Administration; and Federal Action Strike Team. 

Bishop said that FLC President Greg Ross asked her to come on board the committee this year. The committee comprises roughly 30 members. 

The Resolutions Committee is one of the league’s overarching committees that prioritizes the league’s resolutions for the upcoming legislative year. Bishop said the separate policy committees will all recommend specific legislation to prioritize and submit those recommendations to the Resolutions Committee to select the most important. 

Bishop will head to Hollywood, Florida, for the first meeting of this committee on Aug. 15. The committee will reconvene in October. 

Though it’s still early in the process, Bishop said she thinks issues of home rule, short-term rentals and land-use interference will be prominent. 

“There are so many issues that keep coming back year after year,” Bishop said. “Home rule issues are always huge.” 

Bishop has also historically been an advocate for home rule, which is the ability of a local municipality to address local issues with minimal state interference. For advocacy efforts in the past legislative session, Bishop was awarded a Home Rule Hero award from the FLC, along with Mayor Ken Schneier and District 2 Commissioner Penny Gold.