"Never held accountable", might be the byline of the obit for the late Senate president Jim King, (R) Jacksonville. (Florida Senate leader Jim King dies... long-time Florida Republican legislator known for one-liners and being passionate about healthcare issues, has died of pancreatic cancer. He was 69." And King was known for more.
An accurate summation of King's legacy would include the politician's key role in legislation suppressing civic engagement, splitting the environmental movement in Florida, and pushing Everglades restoration into the distance. I spent (or wasted as the case may be) a huge amount of time trying to rally citizen opposition to maneuvers that King supported as Senate President: the 2003 "Everglades Whenever Act" by Gov. Bush and his consigliere FDEP secretary David Struhs at the behest of Big Sugar to rewrite the critical 1994 legislation regulating Sugar's pollution of the Everglades.
But the worst of King's involvements against the public interest occurred a year earlier in 2002. That year, the Dayton News Journal put it this way: "On its merits, a bill to shut out the people's voices in order to streamline permit-processing for developers couldn't pass muster with most Florida legislators. Senate Bill 270 was simply badly written legislation that could stop their constituents from protesting harmful local development. But Senate Majority Leader Jim King, the bill's sponsor, was intent on getting it passed this year. So on the last day of the 2002 Legislature, he amended SB 270 to the popular Everglades Restoration Act (SB 813) that sailed through both houses. Now, cloaked in the imperial clothing of a do-good bill, the bad measure is on its way to the governor. ("Sen. King's Everglades foil: Veto essential after bad late-hour amendment", Daytona Beach News-Journal editorial, March 28, 2002) Of course the measure was signed into law.
An enormous amount of civic energy-- and support from editorial boards around the state-- went into trying to dissuade Gov. Bush and Senator King from their chosen path. These bills, now laws, were true stains on the record and must not go unnoticed. In the case of "The Everglades Whenever Act", after numerous legal challenges in federal court, its key provisions have been thrown out. Needless to say, challenging this law cost citizens dearly and the Everglades even more. The result of the 2002 anti-citizens legislation was arguably more damaging: it split the state's environmental movement in ways from which it has not recovered.
The decisions that Senator King was involved with clearly benefited the development industry and the fast-paced growth of the Jacksonville area during the late, great building boom-- now in cinders. One result-- the clamor to shift water resources by pipes from one area of the state to another-- has lately manifested in new legislation signed into law by Gov. Crist, further removing people and citizens from the decisions of the state's water management districts. A recent decision by the St. John's Water Management District to divert billions of gallons of water from historic Florida springs and rivers to the needs of suburban lawns and golf courses falls in that category.
These are important matters. Important history. In summing the life of a powerful state politician, they should not be buried without note.
6 comments:
King had the most to do with the death of the District Cost Differential which earmarked a fair share of education monies to South Florida.
He was a big fat empty-headed Republican legislator who liked the free food at meetings and conferences. R.I.P. big guy!
Regardless of whatever evil acts he may have perpetrated throughout his career, the man died. It would be nice if we could accept the fact that trash-talking a dead man is morally wrong.
Hitler's dead. That policy suggestion apply to him?
A political figure is judged by what he or she did in office. I believe that the highlights of his career chosen by the Herald/Times should have included his significant contributions to issues concerning Floridians and the environment. This is not trash talking. It happened.
Just because you die doesn't make you a saint (i.e., fawning over Nixon and Michael Jackson).
G-Your pithy response reminded me of the quotation at the start of Robert Caro's Robert Moses book: "One must wait until the evening to see how splendid the day has been."
Full is ever fair.
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