If there were ever a special session of the Florida Legislature to earn the dubious distinction of not being all that special, it’s the one scheduled this Tuesday. In effect, state lawmakers are returning to Tallahassee to kowtow to the governor, who wants to redraw congressional districts to give Republicans a significant advantage in the next Congress.
Partisan politics again trumps policy. Last week legislative leaders threw in the towel and assured Gov. Ron DeSantis could usurp the redistricting process. After threatening to veto any maps lawmakers had drawn, the Governor will get his way, with a map he drew that boosts Republican representation at the expense of Black and Brown voters.
“At this time, legislative reapportionment staff is not drafting or producing a map for introduction during the special session,” Senate President Wilton Simpson and House Speaker Chris Sprowls wrote in a memo. “We are awaiting a communication from the Governor’s Office with a map that he will support.”
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Hoist the white flag, and hold a special session to rubberstamp a new map that will end up in costly litigation. So much for the equal branches of government, not to mention any concern about spending $100,000 a day for a suspect session.
For that type of money, lawmakers should be spending time fixing real problems, not creating them. The good news, if indeed any comes to pass, is that some legislators are still trying to address one issue that eluded them during the regular 60-day session — the state’s soaring property insurance rates. SB 1728 would have helped but it died on the last day of the regular session, after Senate President Wilton Simpson failed to win support for the bill from House Speaker Chris Sprowls.
Credit state Sen. Jeff Brandes, R.-St. Petersburg, for starting the process of forcing the issue onto this week’s agenda. Using a procedural vote, he and 20% of the Legislature forced a vote to determine if three-fifths of the Legislature would agree to make it happen. Now, if only Simpson and Sprowls could come to terms, which hasn’t happened yet and makes the likelihood of reconsidering property insurance iffy at best.
Fixing property insurance is complicated. It takes time and needs consensus. No wonder Gov. DeSantis has been comfortable leading from behind on this issue, unlike his badmouthing The Walt Disney Co., signing voter suppression laws on “Fox and Friends,” or going after black majority congressional districts, which are legally rooted in federal law and the Florida Constitution.
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The governor is fixated on creating “race-neutral” congressional districts. Translation: diluting minority votes. His priority is to redraw congressional districts in north Florida and Orlando, to strip Black and Brown voters there of having minority representation in Washington. The change would give Republicans a chance at 20 of the state’s projected 28 congressional seats, up from their current, 16-11 majority.
So, residents who have seen their home insurance premiums raised beyond belief or cancelled outright are left to rely on a special session that may not address their concerns. For Annette Taddeo, a state senator and Democratic candidate for governor, there is another option. She’s urging her colleagues to boycott. “If the governor wants to make a real difference in Floridians’ lives and tackle the insurance rate crisis or the housing crisis, I’ll see him in Tallahassee,” she tweeted. “But, I’ll be damned if I’m showing up to kiss his ring and waste taxpayer money for an unconstitutional map that erases Black and Brown voices from the electoral process.”
Lawmakers can still address property insurance but only if enough of them agree to push for it. Otherwise, the idea of boycotting a meaningless session is as good as any.
Editor’s Note: There is still a chance property insurance could make the cut in this week’s special session and we’d like to hear from you, to let state leaders know how serious this crisis is. Send your comments, detailing the challenges and the steps state leaders should take in making affordable property insurance available, to letters@pbpost.com. Letters shouldn’t exceed 200 words, are subject to editing and must include your name, address and daytime phone number (We will publish only your name and city). Let your voice be heard on this critical subject.
Alice J. Roden started working for Trending Insurance News at the end of 2021. Alice grew up in Salt Lake City, UT. A writer with a vast insurance industry background Alice has help with several of the biggest insurance companies. Before joining Trending Insurance News, Alice briefly worked as a freelance journalist for several radio stations. She covers home, renters and other property insurance stories.