In Retrospect: A Q & A with State Rep. Keith Fitzgerald about this past legislative session
May 19th, 2009 by Susan Nilon in News, Politics, Sarasota-Manatee
Ed. note: This is the first piece in a new series by Contributing Writer Susan Nilon, in which she is meeting with local state legislative representatives to find out their impressions of the recently concluded state legislature session.
How did you view this past legislative session overall?
Overall, the session was a huge disappointment. It was the leadership’s job to produce. The legislature as a whole failed to do just that. We really dropped the ball. Everyone kept saying how hard things were to get anything done in the House and Senate this session. I’ll tell you who has it hard … the person who is on the unemployment line, losing their homes. … That’s hard.
What were your expectations?
I would have liked to have seen this (budget) crisis overall in the tax code. … We could have used this to change how we raise revenue. Our strategy has run its course. We need to think about how we can become a wealth generating state. We didn’t do that.
Did you feel that you were able to accomplish what you set out to do?
I personally had a pretty good year in session. The Affordable Housing Bill (HB 267 amended into SB 360 Growth Management) passed, this bill combined a bill from the previous session that provided help for habitat to expand their projects and bank land. The Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services HB 767 passed. We stopped the Elections Bill (SB 956/HB7149) — I personally led the fight against with the help of the Supervisors of Elections and both Republicans and Democrats. I no longer was considered a “freshman,” but became a part of the leadership.
What are you most happy about when you look back at this past session?
The Feed-n Tariff Bill (HB 1317) went a lot further that I thought it would. Personally, I became much more effective in breaking down barriers and getting things done.
What are you most disappointed with?
The budget was most disgraceful. The impact of the budget is going to be felt for a long time. People are not going to be happy. Given the great support of President Obama and Congress, the State of Florida should have delivered a budget that didn’t cut health care, devastate higher education, and disguise taxes as fees. We placed a larger burden on the working and middle class. There is a tax inequality that the middle class bares too much of the burden.
Where do you see your efforts heading for the next session?
Energy issues have momentum and are a system on how Florida can do business. We can be a “Green Development World Leader.”
How did you feel about the issue of offshore drilling (Environmental Control Bill HB 1219)?
The offshore drilling bill was inspired by a single businessman from New Orleans who wanted to sell his product. He had the money to be able to supply the people who did the work and make an incredible power point presentation to the House. What happened with the offshore drilling bill — introduced on the 53rd day with one overdraft committee stop while many other bills had to go through several committees and hours of hearings before they would even be considered being brought to the floor — is indicative on what’s wrong with our legislature procedurally.
What will you do if off-shore drilling is out back on the table for next year?
Leadership will sell off-shore drilling as an energy issue. Studies have shown that drilling of the west coast of Florida will only produce maybe 2 billion barrels of oil — 100 days of supply. It will have no effect on our economy. It won’t create jobs for Florida. The company that is selling off-shore drilling here has packaged their services that will bring everything they need over by boat from New Orleans, including the people who will work on the rigs. Where are the jobs in Florida? What this is all about is to loosen the grip on off-shore drilling, so they can get to their real goal of drilling in the Destin Dome. [Ed. note: The Destin Dome lies 25 miles south of Pensacola, Fla. It contains more than 3 trillion cubic feet of dry natural gas.] That’s what they really want.
Business is changing their tune on the energy issue. Companies that would have never introduced the idea of renewable energy are now coming to the table to talk about its prospects and how it can become a part of a new business model.
Why do you think Renewable Energy and the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) took a back seat to everything else this past session when they were key issues for the people of Sarasota County?
Bi-partisan work was going on with renewable energy, we just ran out of time. It’s just a disgrace that we didn’t come up with an RPS. The year before we mandated the PSC (Public Service Commission) to recommend the RPS, all we had to do was sign off on it. The responsibility lies of the feet of the leadership. The silence was deafening from Governor Crist. He is smart and charming, but he didn’t spend a lot of political capitol this session. We made progress the year before; we were ready to take the first step. It would have taken political courage to make it a priority. This session was a big disappointment and a major failure when it came to renewable energy.
How do you think Gov. Crist’s decision not to seek re-election as Governor affects his R.E. initiatives?
It depends on his campaign platform. I personally urge him to veto the budget and call a special session. He needs to make us do a better job.
You introduced the Feed-in Tariff bill (HB 1317) this past session, based on the Gainesville model. Representative Kreegel and you worked on the bill the entire session, but it was never brought to the floor. Will you put Feed-in tariffs back on the table for next year?
Yes. The Feed-in Tariff is a good starting point to create a Green economy in Florida. I am open for discussion and will work on getting the Feed-in Tariff a champion in the Senate. It might make sense to work on having a pilot program to start with.
Why will the upcoming legislation be any different from the one that just past?
The Republican Party will be for ways to show people that they are not wedded to the past.
What did you learn from this past legislation session?
We need to take a pragmatic approach, identify consensual goals, and then figure out how to get there. We need to change the way the whole system works. A perfect example is Representative Cannon’s Off-shore Drilling bill (Environmental Control Bill, HB 1219). Off-shore Drilling was added as an amendment to another bill on the 53rd day. It should have been sent to the energy committee have gone through the previous bill stops. Offshore drilling needs to be studied. Majority parties have a cartel on legislative resources. When you have a large number of people who agree, they control the agenda. The system has got to be changed.
What are the keys issues that you feel your voters would like you to focus on next year?
We need a better economic incubator model for a revolving venture capitol fund for Renewable Energy within the state. I will do whatever it takes to get it done. I will work with anybody and everybody. The system that is run by the power of money and special interest groups has got to change. Knowledge and truth is the answer. If you master your area and use your knowledge, you can overcome the obstacles.
May 20th, 2009 at 10:44 am
Excellent observations by Rep. Fitzgerald with respect to renewable legislation. I hope that his colleagues feel the same disappointment and shame. The inaction on the part of the House is unacceptable and we need to make the necessary changes to replace these leaders with individuals that will advance renewable energy. Florida is falling behind and cannot afford to wait any longer to take action.
June 25th, 2009 at 11:54 am
[...] is the second installment of my interviews with our local state legislators. I met with Rep. Holder at his office to talk about his thoughts on where we’ve been and [...]