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<\/a>\nFlorida Democrats unveil legislative goals for the new session<\/p>\n
Florida Democrats unveiled their plan to increase affordability in the state on Monday, in preparation for the legislative session in Tallahassee that begins next month.<\/p>\n
Lawmakers said the three-point plan is designed to lower costs for Florida families.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s time for Tallahassee to stop ignoring the problem, and instead, it\u2019s time to act,\u201d State Rep. Fentrice Driskell said.<\/p>\n
The first part of the proposal includes a national insurance compact where states split the risk \u2014 which would, in theory, lower property insurance premiums.<\/p>\n
\u201cStorms don\u2019t check party registration,”\u00a0Florida Rep. Kelly Skidmore said. “Rising premiums hurt every family, every business, every community.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Next, lawmakers said they want to audit the state government and send any wasteful spending back to Floridians via a tax rebate.<\/p>\n
\u201cFloridians shouldn\u2019t be paying taxes to fund political stunts, sweetheart deals, and high-paying jobs for politically connected friends,\u201d State Sen. Lori Berman said.<\/p>\n
And finally, they want to eliminate the stamp tax, which would include taxes paid on deeds, mortgages and promissory notes.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the first time, home buyers, we wanna make that moment, that moment when someone finally gets the keys to their first home, a little more attainable, a little more reachable,\u201d State Sen. Tracie Davis said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Republicans are dedicating themselves to reducing property tax.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m optimistic that it\u2019ll yield a good result for Floridians,”\u00a0Republican Senate President Ben Albritton said. “But it\u2019s not simple. It really isn\u2019t simple.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Some of the concerns with the idea come from the local level \u2014 as local governments receive funding from property taxes.<\/p>\n
Florida Republicans are still brainstorming other ways to generate revenue.<\/p>\n
Trump administration responds to criticism of offshore drilling plan<\/p>\n
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum defended President Donald Trump\u2019s recent proposal to expand offshore oil and gas drilling in the Gulf.<\/p>\n
The plan faces stiff opposition from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state\u2019s entire congressional delegation.<\/p>\n
The Interior Department\u2019s proposal to allow new oil lease sales in the Gulf has been denounced by both Florida Republicans and Democrats.<\/p>\n
Despite this, Burgum insisted that, \u201cFlorida is completely protected,\u201d and that, \u201cthere\u2019s no lease options anywhere near Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re talking 100 miles or more offshore from Florida, or not at all when you\u2019re considering the East Coast,”\u00a0Burgum said. “There\u2019s no lease sales plan up and down the East Coast of the United States of America.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The department released a proposed map of the area, which it calls the Gulf of America Program Area B. The department wants to lease exploration rights in this area in 2029 and 2030.<\/p>\n
Members of the Florida Congressional Delegation have noted that the Deepwater Horizon oil spill of 2010 was both environmentally and economically detrimental to the Sunshine State.<\/p>\n
According to NOAA, the spill left oil covering 1,300 miles of shoreline across five states.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is absolutely unacceptable,”\u00a0Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz said. “And we cannot risk that this is a horrendous proposal that has nearly universal bipartisan opposition in Florida, and we need to do everything we can to beat it back.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Florida Congressional Delegation, led by Sen. Rick Scott, has sent a letter to Trump asking him to uphold a moratorium on oil and gas leasing off the Florida coasts through 2032 that he instituted in 2020 during his first term as president.<\/p>\n
Burgum noted that so far, only the planning process for lease sales has been announced.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s defined in federal code. It\u2019ll take 12 months to get through to where there\u2019s a decision, if even there is a lease sale,”\u00a0Burgum said. “And then it\u2019ll be up to the private sector whether or not they want to bid on those \u2014 and they\u2019ve got to go through all the permitting after that. So, this is the beginning of a long process. But there\u2019s no there\u2019s no lease options anywhere near Florida.”<\/p>\n