Friday, March 02, 2012

I Shudder Every Year When the Florida Legislature Meets. By Geniusofdespair

I was in an artists' cooperative with a bunch of former Hippie types in Manhattan. It was about 25 of us in a factory loft. We held meetings once a month and added a rule here and a rule there, until we had too many rules and everyone was miserable.  That is what I think is going on in Tallahassee. With nothing better to do, they are concocting stupid legislation in their pea brains, goaded on by manipulative lobbyists...and we are all miserable.

Today Senator Ellyn Bogdanoff has put an amendment on HB 4003 prohibiting Local Governments from requiring super majority votes to pass CDMP amendments. We have always won battles to save the Urban Development Boundary because of super majority votes.

Call Miami-Dade Senators - Braynon (850) 487-5116, Bullard (850) 487-5127, Flores (850) 487-5130, Garcia (850) 487-5106, Margolis (850) 487-5121, Rich (850) 487-5103 - Tell them NO on the Bogdanoff amendment.

13 comments:

Ross Hancock said...

Most bills this session are not as disastrous as The Bog's bill, but there are about 2,000 sociopathic, intolerant, or just pea-brained bills introduced this session. Here are some of my faves in the pea-brained category (some have died already, and some have passed):

- Bill to make “Merry Christmas” the official greeting for December 25, and SB 1136 to change the name of schools’ “Winter Break” to “Christmas Break.”
- A bill to make car racing the “official sport of Florida.”
- SB 344 would put 2-by-6-foot paid advertisements on public school buses.
- SB 1132 would prevent all cities from restricting beekeeping in neighborhoods.
- HB 609 would prevent local governments from enacting important wage theft protection ordinances.
- SB 1456 would allow African wild animals from zoos to roam on state lands.
- Senate Resolution 1326 wants to recognize January as “Pregnancy Center Month.”
- New bill to allow septic tank waste discharge to extend to drinking water aquifers without violating rules or requiring cleanups.
- Bill to prevent Miami-Dade from regulating pit bulls.
- Bill to prohibit counties and cities from imposing nightime curfews on operation of airboats.
- HB 1103 to give away 500,000 acres of publicly owned land around our lakes, rivers and streams.
- SPB 7172 to turn all the state prisons in the southern half of Florida over to private operators.
- Obviously unconstitutional bill to allow “voluntary” student-led prayer in secondary schools.
- HB 1209 bans “Sharia law” from ever becoming the law of the land in Florida.
- Bill to allow corporations to have naming rights for hiking trails in state parks.
- HB 4099 eliminates the right of cities and counties to levy business taxes.
- HB 603 restricts the right of cities and counties to impose impact fees on new developments.
- HB 4087 would remove cost-saving independent oversight of workers’ comp rates.

Any more to add?

Anonymous said...

if you would learn the process that would be great. you would know that she had to withdraw that amendment on one bill and got a rule challenge on it as it was offered to another bill. Civics 101... This system worked because other members were alerted to this amendment by.................. lobbyists.

Geniusofdespair said...

This is eye on Miami not on the legislature and their crap. I only report on what effects Miami. I have never been to Tallahassee but will be sure to watch out for arrogant people like you if I ever do go. I cannot know everything. One reporter on a myriad of subjects --so lose the condescending attitude.

Anonymous said...

so if you're a 'reporter' as you state and you blog about things and write under the premise of it being fact when it isn't... it's reckless .

Geniusofdespair said...

This is a blog not a newspaper. People know what they are reading...except you. They know this is a voluntary undertaking by a regular Joe and I have never said I am A real reporter. I guess you didn't like your photoshopped picture lobbyist.

Anonymous said...

anonymous should give us all a primer on the backroom deals and rule waivers. How about a list of all the bills proposed which are blatant violations of the constitution. That would be a nice public service.

Anonymous said...

The amendment is disastrous for the Everglades. Bogdanoff should remove it. What more needs to be said? Thank you, again, Eye on Miami.

Here's the amendment: http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Documents/loaddoc.aspx?FileName=832626.DOCX&DocumentType=Amendments&BillNumber=4003&Session=2012

Anonymous said...

I’m opposed to all of Ross Hancock’s list above except the one about beekeeping. Bees need all the help they can get.

Ross said...

They've amended the free-the-bees act to allow cities to impose some buffers around schools or where it makes sense, so I'll drop my opposition. That's a win for the bees.

Anonymous said...

A primer on insider deals is right. The lobbyist on attack is in a bubble that he thinks we all should be as sleazy as he is and be registered in his class 101 of deception. Sorry Genius. Keep it up.

Anonymous said...

Last session, in all their wisdom the legislature delegated this authority to Dade county, and after Mayor Gimenez announced he was going to hold the line in his address we see this end run....we must stand behind our Mayor on this!

Anonymous said...

Actually Mayor Gimenez who needs to stand behind his commitment to hold the line on UDB and demand this bill Amendment be withdrawn. Gimenez should immediately fly to Tallahassee and have showdown with the Florida legislature. If not, it shows his big UDB speech was just politicking.

Anonymous said...

Gimenez has been disappointing. He has been slow to reduce the vast number of County employees who suck up vast amounts of pay and benefits and he continues to allow the disgusting illegal LED billboards.