Legislative Update - November 8, 2024

Nearly 11 million Floridians cast their votes in Tuesday's elections, bringing statewide voter turnout to 78.76%, according to the Florida Division of Elections. Turnout varied significantly across counties, with Franklin County reaching a high of 94.1% and Taylor County at 90.72%, while Hardee and DeSoto Counties saw lower participation at 62.68% and 63.91%, respectively. This year's turnout exceeded both the 77% turnout during the 2020 presidential election and the 75% in 2016.

The Florida Senate and House of Representatives still have their Supermajority as Republicans continued to dominate the elections.

Twenty of the forty Senate seats were up for election and the Republicans remain in control with 28 to 12. The Senate will welcome nine new Senators, 5 Republican and 4 Democrats. And there are several familiar names as eight of the nine have either served in the House or Senate previously.

All the 120 seats in the Florida House of Representatives were up this election. They also kept their Supermajority with 85 Republicans and 35 Democrats. Republican incumbent Rep. Carolina Amesty, who was recently indicted on four felony forgery-related charges, narrowly lost her re-election bid in a highly contested swing district, becoming the only GOP incumbent in the state Legislature ousted this election cycle. Democrat Leonard Spencer, a former Disney executive and first-time candidate, defeated Amesty with 50.8% of the vote, a margin of about 1,600 votes.

One returning member of the House is Debbie Mayfield. Her husband, Stan Mayfield, served in the Florida House and died while in office. She ran for his seat and served in the House for six years and then the Senate for eight years. Senator Mayfield is now returning to the House.

Florida voters ushered in two changes to the state Constitution on Tuesday but failed to pass some of the most high-profile issues like recreational marijuana and abortion protection. The pot and abortion efforts, Amendments 3 and 4 respectively, were the two most expensive ballot initiative campaigns in the country, as proponents and opponents spent tens of millions of dollars to sway voters. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis made it a top priority to defeat both amendments, which ended up on the ballot through the citizen initiative process. But those two aren’t the only amendments Florida voters weighed in on this season. Four other amendments, each suggested by the Florida Legislature, were also on ballots.

Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article294501029.html#storylink=cpy

President Elect …

“Donald Trump picks Susie Wiles to be Chief of Staff” via Hailey Fuches, Meridith McCraw and Natalie Allison of POLITICO — Wiles, who amassed outsized influence as one of Trump’s two 2024 campaign managers, will be the first woman ever to hold the title of White House Chief of Staff. Many have credited the professionalization of the most recent Trump campaign to Wiles’ leadership.

“Susie Wiles just helped me achieve one of the greatest political victories in American history and was an integral part of both my 2016 and 2020 successful campaigns,” Trump said in a statement. “Susie is tough, smart, innovative, and is universally admired and respected. Susie will continue to work tirelessly to Make America Great Again.”

Governor …

“Ron DeSantis taps new Department of Environmental Protection secretary after Hamilton retires from public service” via Eric Daugherty of Florida’s Voice — Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Shawn Hamilton stepped down after more than 30 years of service to the state and country. “When I joined this agency in 2007, I could have never imagined where my career would take me,” Hamilton wrote in a letter to his team. “I can attest that today marks the highest level of support our agency has received to address our state’s most pressing environmental issues during my tenure.” Hamilton called his role as secretary “one of the greatest honors” of his career. “We have made significant strides in protecting our natural resources and promoting sustainable practices across our beautiful state,” he said. “From securing record funding for water quality and Everglades restoration projects to acquiring conservation lands at a historic pace and implementing meaningful policy reforms to improve our regulatory framework, we have elevated Florida’s standing as an environmental leader at the state, national and even international levels.”

Legislature …

Albritton Announces Incoming Senate Leadership, Hooper to Chair Budget Panel - Sen. Ed Hooper, R-Palm Harbor, will head up the Senate Committee on Appropriations, the Senate's top budget-writing committee, Senate President-Designate Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, announced Thursday as he named the leadership team for the Senate's upcoming term. Hooper, whose appointment was expected, was chosen in part because of his long experience in the Legislature, but also because of "instincts," Albritton said. "Senator Hooper preceded most of our current Senators with his election to the House in 2006. He has been a mentor to so many of us over the years. I trust his instincts," Albritton said in a memorandum Thursday announcing Senate leadership ahead of the Legislature's organizational session on Nov. 19. Sen. Jason Brodeur, R-Lake Mary, was tapped to serve as president pro tempore for the 2024-26 term, a position the chamber must approve via a vote. Brodeur, elected to the Senate in 2020, initially served in the House with Albritton beginning in 2010. Outgoing Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, will chair the Senate Rules Committee. "The role of Senate President Pro Tempore is a position of significant trust and authority," the memo reads. Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, will lead the Senate Committee on Fiscal Policy, and Sen. Jim Boyd, R-Bradenton, was chosen to serve as Majority Leader. "Together with (Democratic Leader Sen. Jason Pizzo) he (Boyd) will work to ensure a smooth operation on the Senate Floor where all Senators will have the opportunity to have their voices heard," wrote Albritton. Albritton Memo / Florida Phoenix / The Floridian / Florida Politics

House Committee Chairs, Leadership Named - Incoming House Speaker Daniel Perez announced on Thursday the leadership team for the coming term, along with some changes in the committee structure, including two new panels to look at security threats and information technology issues (see below) and a hint that tighter control of the budget process may be coming. Jacksonville Republican Rep. Wyman Duggan will head up the House's tax policy panel, the House Ways & Means Committee, while also serving as speaker pro tempore, a key leadership position. Rep. Lawrence McClure will chair the Budget Committee, the top budget-writing panel. Both Duggan and McClure joined Perez in sending messages of caution on government spending. "I look forward to opening up the budget to discover where we make better, smarter choices," McClure said. "Public money doesn't belong to the government; it belongs to the taxpayers," Duggan added. Perez used his memo announcing House leaders to warn that the budget process on his watch is likely to result in more discipline on spending. "We have spent taxpayer funds excessively and indiscriminately in the last few years. Member projects in the House budget have grown from $174 million in 2019 to $1.3 billion in 2024, which is a 645% increase," Perez wrote in the memo."As elected officials, we should not be asking, 'How much of the public's money can we spend?' As a House, we should do what Florida's working families do every day: budget their money responsibly." Other leaders announced by Perez include Rep. Tyler Sirois, R-Merritt Island, who will serve as majority leader, and Rep. Sam Garrison, who will chair the Rules & Ethics Committee. Other committee chairs in the House during the upcoming session will include Rep. Josie Tomkow as chair of the Health & Human Services Committee, Rep. Jennifer Canady, who will chair the Education & Employment Committee and Rep. Chuck Brannan leading the Judiciary Committee. Perez Memo / Florida Phoenix / Florida Politics / News Service Florida / USA Today Network

“House to be ‘leaner’ under Daniel Perez, but with new panels on IT investments, threat assessment” via Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics — Perez is shaking up the House’s Committee apparatus, replacing the chamber’s long-standing Appropriation and Education Committee structures and creating new panels focused on information technology investments and threat assessments. That means fewer members will have lofty titles, he said, but the House will be more effective as a result. “Rather than creating Committees with little work to do just so that a few more members can have the title ‘Chairman,’ we have proposed a leaner structure that will make service on Committees more meaningful for all of you,” he said.

Business …

General Revenue Exceeds Expectations: Florida's general revenue for September exceeded expectations, totaling nearly $4.176 billion, which was $28.4 million more than anticipated. A report from the Legislature's Office of Economic & Demographic Research showed that state investment earnings surpassed projections by $48.6 million, although other revenue sources fell short. Sales taxes, the largest contributor to general revenue, amounted to $2.779 billion — $4.5 million below forecast. Meanwhile, corporate income taxes totaled $1.027 billion, missing the projection by $13.6 million. Despite the impact of Hurricane Helene on the region in late September, most of the sales tax collections had already been submitted before the storm hit. State revenue is vital for funding key programs like education, health, and corrections, with projections used to guide the state budget process. EDR Detailed Report / EDR Monthly Report

Fla Hurricane Insurance Claims Surge to $4.6B After Helene, Milton - Estimated insurance claims from Hurricanes Helene and Milton, which struck Florida's Gulf Coast within two weeks of each other, have surged by over $400 million in the past week. As of Nov. 1, the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation reported claims totaling $4.606 billion in damages. Hurricane Milton, which hit Sarasota County as a Category 3 storm on Oct. 9., represents the largest portion of these claims. Estimated claims for Milton have risen to $3.003 billion from $2.848 billion the previous week. Claims related to Milton now include 269,317 filed claims, up 10% from the prior week, with 215,051 for residential and 9,870 for commercial properties. Meanwhile, claims from Hurricane Helene, which made landfall in Taylor County as a Category 4 storm on Sept. 26, have increased from $1.44 billion in late October to $1.603 billion. A total of 130,859 claims have been filed for Helene, including 58,834 residential and 3,762 commercial property claims. Florida Politics

“Florida’s new unemployment claims return to normal after hurricanes damaged jobs picture” via Drew Dixon of Florida Politics — After a brutal October where first-time weekly unemployment claims skyrocketed in Florida following back-to-back hurricanes within two weeks, new jobless filings in the state have finally returned to more normal figures. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) reported 6,590 unemployment insurance benefit claims in the Sunshine State for the week ending Nov. 2. That’s the first time weekly jobless claims fell below 8,000 since nearly the beginning of October. Following Hurricane Helene, which struck the Big Bend on Sept. 26, weekly unemployment claims spiked to more than 9,000 for the week ending Oct. 5.

Elections and campaigns …

Click here to find a complete list of races for the Florida Senate and the Florida House of Representatives.