The Political Whore

Florida, in light orange-yellow on the Dept of Energy map, above, joins some other states without renewable portfolio standards to require renewable energy production.

By Rick Kriseman
CL Green Community

Cross-posted from the Daily Loaf.

We are long overdue for a renewable portfolio standard (RPS) in this state (a regulation that requires the increased production of energy from renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar, biomass, and geothermal). According to the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, we are not only the most populous state without one, but we are joined by the likes of Alabama, Mississippi, and several other states not known for their progressive agendas.

In 2008, Gov. Charlie Crist signed legislation which required the Public Service Commission (PSC) to develop a renewable portfolio standard by February 1, 2009, which then had to be adopted by the legislature before being implemented.
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By State Rep. Rick Kriseman, D-St. Petersburg
PoHo contributor
Kriseman is blogging throughout the Florida Legislature’s 60-day session.

There is certainly no shortage of blogworthy material in Tallahassee these days. The indictment of our former speaker, Rep. Ray Sansom, has been greeted by mostly silence in the Capitol, with even my Democratic colleagues preferring to focus on the business at hand rather than score easy political points. I had thought the strong language contained in the grand jury’s indictment and the damning assessment of our legislative process would temper the culture of secrecy, but that hasn’t been the case. Participation in the budget process has been restricted to just a few Republicans, a late-filed amendment to allow oil drilling in the Gulf just a few miles off our shores was heard with almost no notice given to the amendment’s likely opponents, and a broader energy package is expected to come before the full House without prior committee or council vetting.

There’s more.

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By State Rep. Rick Kriseman, D-St. Petersburg
PoHo contributor

Kriseman is guest blogging throughout the Florida Legislature’s 60-day session.

The House Democratic Caucus is imploring Speaker Larry Cretul to consider a renewable energy package. At a time when most states are moving forward with innovative policies, such as feed-in tariff, and are making real progress in adhering to a true renewable portfolio standard, Florida appears to be stuck in neutral. Even in the state senate, where at least some energy policy is being considered, the opportunity to create and invest in renewables is being diminished by a “clean” energy standard which includes nuclear power and coal gasification.

As the Ranking Democrat on the Energy & Utilities Policy Committee, my office worked with the Democratic office to craft a letter to the speaker.  In the letter, Democratic Leader Franklin Sands writes that ”after months of committee meetings and four weeks of session, the Florida House of Representatives has no energy package. None. The impression in any thinking Floridian’s mind is that we are ignoring not just initiatives that will directly benefit Florida, but ignoring a worldwide movement, and firmly embracing an obsolete status quo. With no energy policy, we risk losing badly needed federal economic recovery dollars which could spur an explosive growth in green technologies here in Florida.”

We’re just past halftime. It’s not too late for the 4th Floor of the Capitol to see the light. As long as that light is powered by a renewal source of energy.

By State Rep. Rick Kriseman, D-St. Petersburg
PoHo contributor
Kriseman will be guest blogging throughout the Florida Legislature’s 60-day session.

Each member of the Florida House is allowed to file six bills per session, and this is both a challenge and a blessing. The challenge is telling a constituent that their idea may have to wait awhile, as there are no available bill slots. It’s telling a lobbyist or interest group that you can’t help them. It’s putting a cap on your own concerns or passions, then deciding which issues and ideas are most important, and if they can pass both the House and Senate. This rule is also a blessing, as good government shouldn’t necessarily mean more laws. Even with only six bills, in a part-time legislature, there simply isn’t enough time to hear every bill. Witness testimony, member questions, and debate are crammed into hurried committee and council meetings. Thoughtful deliberation is rare, often resulting in new laws with unintended, negative consequences.

One of my six bills, HB 1229, is a contamination notification bill. I filed this bill as a result of the situation surrounding the Raytheon Plant in west St. Petersburg.

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By State Rep. Rick Kriseman, D-St. Petersburg
PoHo contributor

Kriseman and his Republican colleague, Will Weatherford, have agreed to blog for us throughout the Florida Legislature’s 60-day session.

There is no “session” this week, meaning although we are in Tallahassee, only council and committee meetings can be found on the Week Two calendar, along with numerous visits from constituent groups. I spent most of Tuesday in the Energy & Utilities Policy Committee and the PreK-12 Policy Committee, where my service-learning bill passed, and where Rep. Will Weatherford presented and passed his resolution to revise Florida’s voter-approved constitutional amendment on class size by adding some flexibility to the counting process. While I understand satisfying the current class-size mandate is difficult, and that many school administrators and districts favor a re-vote because of the limited flexibility in the amendment, I do not support a change to the 2002 Constitutional amendment.

Last year, with unanimous and bipartisan support, my committee and the full House passed a bill that provided the needed flexibility for schools, and did so statutorily, rather than through a resolution sending the issue back to the ballot. Best of all, the bill still honored the will of the voters. However, because that bill did not pass the Senate this discussion has returned. Rep. Weatherford wants to go back to the voters and try and convince them they made a mistake in 2002. That is a risky proposition, because failure to obtain the support of 60 percent of the voters in the fall of 2010 means this problem won’t go away for quite awhile.

By State Rep. Rick Kriseman, D-St. Petersburg
PoHo contributor

Kriseman and his Republican colleague, Will Weatherford, will be blogging throughout the Florida Legislature’s 60-day session.

Leadership.

Like most Floridians, that’s what I’m looking for this session – again. It’s encouraging that some House Republicans have finally followed the lead of the Democratic Caucus by exploring the idea of new revenue streams. Florida can’t survive on unpredictable, unsteady sales taxes forever. True leadership requires long term thinking, which has been a rare approach to problem solving up here.

Today, however, is a day for optimism. It is fitting that we convene our session around the same time as spring training in baseball. As with each team in baseball, hope springs eternal. So while the first day of my third session begins with another bleak budget forecast, I am hopeful that leadership will squarely confront our fiscal crisis in a different manner. Maybe they’ll even give Democrats some credit for pushing them in this direction. I did say hope springs eternal, right?

We’re adding two new voices to this blog for the duration of the 60-day legislative session that begins tomorrow: Democratic House member Rick Kriseman of St. Petersburg and Republican state Rep. Will Weatherford of Wesley Chapel. Both legislators have promise to blog a couple of times a week from Tallahassee.

The two lawmakers will provide insights into the most important legislation of the day and contrast their differing ideologies on the issues the Legislature will wrestle with. If you have questions for them, you can leave them in the comments field. I can’t guarantee they will answer them all, but it costs nothing to try.

About Kriseman

Rick Kriseman (D-53)  was first elected to the Florida House in 2006 after serving six years on the St. Petersburg City Council. His district includes parts of St. Petersburg, Gulfport, Pinellas Park, Kenneth City, and the unincorporated Lealman area. Rick is a deputy policy chief for the House Democrats and serves as the Ranking Democrat on the Energy & Utilities Policy Committee, and as a member of the PreK-12 Policy Committee, the House Policy Council, and the General Government Policy Council.

About Weatherford

State Representative Will Weatherford grew up in Pasco County and is one of nine children, seven boys and two girls. In 2006 Will Weatherford married Courtney Bense of Panama City, Florida. In 2008 their first child arrived, daughter Ella Kate. He attended Land O’ Lakes High School, then furthered his education at Jacksonville University where he played football & received his bachelors degree in Business Administration.

Will was elected in 2006 to the Florida House of Representatives. Representative Weatherford is the Chair of the State & Community Colleges & Workforce Appropriations Committee, Vice Chair of the State & Community Colleges & Workforce Policy Committee, Vice Chair of the Policy Council, and serves on the following committees and councils: Full Appropriations Council on Education & Economic Development, Joint Legislative Budget Commission, Rules & Calendar Council, Select Committee on Seminole Indian Compact Review, and the Select Policy Council on Strategic & Economic Planning.  Will is in line to become Speaker of the Florida House in 2012. He will be the first Speaker from Pasco County in over 120 years.

As I reported earlier today, State Rep. RIck Kriseman, a St. Petersburg Democrat, is not going to run for the mayor’s office later today. He posted this on his website this afternoon:

For quite awhile now, people I respect have encouraged me to run for mayor of St. Petersburg. I’m always honored and humbled when someone approaches me about it because the job of mayor has never been more important. I personally have a strong desire to see St. Petersburg shine through this period of economic downturn, and to thrive again as a safe, diverse community, with strong neighborhoods, a vibrant arts scene, a sense of place, and a government which is open and accessible.

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With the simple and unelaborated headline “Running for Mayor” on his personal website early this AM, the legislator shakes up the field drew some attention for St. Petersburg’s mayoral election later this year.

Will Kriseman announce he is running, after seeming like he wasn’t while awaiting a Ken Welch candidacy? Or is the headline prelude to his explanation that he won’t run?

UPDATE: It’s the second scenario from above. A source with knowledge of Kriseman’s decision says the representative is not running. Expect his website to add that info at some point today or tomorrow.

h/t to Jim Johnson.