A Changing Of The Guard

Brad Ashwell, Public Interest Advocate

There’s a new atmosphere at the Statehouse.

Make no mistake—well dressed lobbyists still line the halls of the building. But something is unmistakably different this year.

The difference could be that Florida now has a governor who is pushing for legislative goals that people care about.

Take property insurance. While the property insurance issue is far from being resolved, the governor has stood up to the industry instead of simply allowing them to steam roll Floridians with higher rates and the threat of more dropped policies.

Similarly, Gov. Charlie Crist was instrumental in pushing for legislation to finally replace Florida’s error-prone voting machines with more reliable technology that produces a voter verifiable paper ballot.

This is exactly the type of reform necessary if Florida is ever going to shed our reputation as the nation’s post election laughing-stock.

Political pundits and reporters typically contrast Gov. Crist with former Gov. Jeb Bush. One thing is the same: both of these men are zealous advocates for the issues that they prioritize.

One reason that Florida PIRG-backed measures that failed to gain traction in Gov. Bush’s tenure have passed during Gov. Crist’s administration is our current governor’s predisposition toward prioritizing the public interest over powerful special interests. In fact, many of his decisions will likely not earn him campaign contributions or favor from Florida’s entrenched corporate power structure and lobbying corps.

Don’t get me wrong: Florida PIRG won’t be the permanent cheerleader for any elected leader. We won’t hesitate to shine the light on bad decisions made by the last governor, the current governor, or any future governor. But good deeds should be recognized, too.

If the last four months are any indication of what the next four years will bring, we are fairly optimistic. Hopefully, more legislators will learn to follow the governor’s lead and pay attention to the public interest.