Altamonte Springs proposes to raise taxes by nearly 29 percent

September 9, 2024September 9, 2024 by Your Friendly Republican

Altamonte Springs proposes to raise taxes by nearly 29 percent

By Barbara Haiss Martin

Altamonte Springs proposes to raise taxes by nearly 29 percent – The first of two public hearings was held Tues., Sept. 3 at 7 p.m. at City Hall to discuss approving the budget for next year and included whether to raise the city taxes 29 percent. Four of five Commissioners have already agreed to it. Only Commissioner Jim Turney (Libertarian) is against the proposal.

This brouhaha started with a Press Release to shut down the library due to a $400,000 shortfall (later adjusted to $600,000). Once the community was enflamed at the thought of losing their beloved library, 40 people (whose only interest was in saving the library) came to a hastily called millage rate meeting on July 18, only to hear that in order to save the library the millage rate had to be raised from 3.1 to 4 and that it would only cost them about $8 a month. The increase raises more than $4.37 million — far more than the $600,000 needed for the library budget. City Manager Frank Martz later said in an interview with a TV reporter that the rest of the money would be used to stabilize other departments/programs in the City. While this was mentioned at the meeting, there was minimal discussion about other shortfall problems in the City.

According to the minutes, most of the emotionally charged people spoke at the public hearing and after hearing the choices said, “Yes, raise my taxes.” Only two people, besides Turney, opposed the increase. One person said he had rental properties in Altamonte and while he worked hard to keep the rates down for his tenants, he said he would unfortunately have to pass on the full amount of the tax to his tenants.

The basis of the $8 a month increase was not explained at the meeting but five taxing authorities go into a Seminole County tax bill: County, City, School Board, Fire and the St. John’s Water Management.

A call to the Property Appraiser’s office revealed this about the 2024-2025 millage rates:

County – no change
City of Altamonte Springs – proposed change from 3.1 to 4.
School Board – slight decrease 3.13 to 3.03
Fire – no change
St. John’s Water Management – no change

Additionally, other cities in Seminole either remained the same or had a slight increase except the City of Sanford which had a slight decrease.

According to the clerk at the Appraiser’s office, the $88 a year increase in taxes ($7.33 a month) came from a statement the Property Appraiser made in relation to a general increase throughout all of Seminole County.

But that won’t be the case in Altamonte Springs since the City’s taxes are not spread throughout the County. If the proposed rate is approved from 3.1 to 4, for every $100,000 of assessed value of someone’s home, residents will be charged about $100. The assessed value equals the market value less any homestead or Save Our Homes benefits and less any Exemptions.

Of course, the biggest tax bearers in the City are the business owners and their tenants, including property rental companies (private homes, apartments, businesses). They do not qualify for homestead exemptions or assessment reduction programs. With businesses already struggling, additional taxes would have to be passed on to business tenants and consumers and result in higher prices for goods and services.

The second public hearing will be held on Sept. 17.

Questions:

Why were the July 18 minutes transcribed so meticulously? Minutes usually come with general comments. Was it necessary to get those “Yes, raise my taxes” comments on the record so the Commissioners felt like they had a mandate?
All the cities and counties are feeling the pinch financially, but why is Altamonte the only one raising taxes 29 percent?
Why is the only Republican Commissioner standing with the “raise the taxes” crowd? Why is the Libertarian, Tunney, the only one standing up against this large increase?
Budgets are all about spending for the next year, but what about savings? The last time I noticed an audit by the City (2021), they had $39 million in savings. Can’t they just take $600,000 from the kitty and save the library for a year until the economy stabilizes instead of causing an uproar with the citizens and overtaxing them?
With two Democrats and one Independent (or NPA) rounding out the board, is this just another “Don’t waste a crisis” hustle.
- Create the crisis
- Have a hastily called meeting
- Offer only one solution — overtaxing the populace. (Residents suggested other options but most were dismissed by the Commission.)

Obviously, this was never about the library. It was just a useful tool to emotionally manipulate people to raise taxes.

We all know how we got here. The current administration did everything possible to destroy our economy and the rest of us are waiting for a November election to set things straight and stabilize our economy. I believe the City of Altamonte Springs should wait as well.

Barbara Haiss Martin is an award-winning journalist who has lived in Altamonte Springs with her family since 1972

Altamonte Springs proposes to raise taxes by nearly 29 percent

Thanks for reading “Altamonte Springs proposes to raise taxes by nearly 29 percent” by the SeminoleGOP.org

Fighting Propaganda: Check Your Sources

January 8, 2024 by Your Friendly Republican

Fighting Propaganda: Check Your Sources

If you’ve been following the findings of Republican Rep. Jim Jordan’s Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, then you know that the existence of a “Censorship Complex” targeting conservatives and right-leaning news outlets is not a “conspiracy theory” but an actual conspiracy. And worse, the collusion between Big Tech and the federal government was funded by your tax dollars through the Department of Defense and its CISA subagency.

The House Judiciary Select Committee report from June 26, 2023 details their findings.

CISA, we learn from the report, is “a little-known agency buried in the depths of DHS” that creepily expanded its mission in the name of combatting ‘foreign disinformation’ and later “began surveilling and censoring American citizens online, directly and by proxy.”

The primary targets were then candidate and President Donald J. Trump, his son Don Jr., and a host of conservative individuals including former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, Mollie Hemingway, Jack Posobiec, Sean Hannity, Dave Rubin, along with media outlets like One America News, New York Post and Newsmax. Even parody publications like Babylon Bee did not escape the attack on free speech.

You can read all the reports from the House Judiciary Committee and Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government on the House Judiciary website.

In the House Select Subcommittee’s Nov. 6, 2023 report it’s revealed that the suppression of free speech began “in the lead-up to the 2020 election, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.” As Americans and lawmakers were openly discussing changes in election laws and procedures that were happening mid-cycle “their constitutionally protected speech was intentionally suppressed as a consequence of the federal government’s direct coordination with third-party organizations, particularly universities, and social media platforms.”

The Supreme Court has previously ruled that it’s a given that the government cannot outsource actions that are unconstitutional. The House Select Subcommittee rightly observes that such censorship-by-proxy is “an especially nefarious form of state action, given that it is designed to evade detection, oversight efforts, and public records requests.”

The Big Tech actors, left-leaning organizations, and, sadly, weaponized government agencies will no doubt be at it again in 2024. They will find new ways to keep tearing down our constitutional republic, through lawfare like denying Trump a place on the ballot, using divisive propaganda, pushing for mass mail-in voting, and censoring citizens (in the U.S. and abroad).

In the March 2023 hearing of the House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, independent journalists Matt Taibbi and Michael Schellenberger, called out a news-rating company, NewsGuard, and the Global Disinformation Index as part of the vast Censorship Complex. In his testimony, Taibbi revealed that NewsGuard received $750,000 in funding from the DoD.

At the same March 9, 2023 hearing, Schellenberger testified:

“NewsGuard and the Global Disinformation Index, both taxpayer-funded, are urging advertisers to boycott disfavored publications, and direct their funding to favored ones. The organizations have been caught spreading disinformation, including that the COVID lab leak theory is a debunked conspiracy theory, and seeking to discredit publications which accurately reported on Hunter Biden’s laptop, such as the New York Post.”

The disinformation spread is pervasive. According to its own website and news releases, NewsGuard partners include Microsoft Education, Bing, the U.S. Department of State, The American Federation of Teachers, University of Michigan, Giphy, PubMatic, Joint Research Centre of the European Commission and the World Health Organization. Elon Musk, CEO of X (formerly Twitter) called NewsGuard a “scam” that should be disbanded.

In true Owellian fashion, it turns out NewsGuard’s “red-rated” media outlets (those deemed unreliable) are likely the most reliable sources around. Among the censored or “red-rated” news outlets are One America News, Newsmax, Gateway Pundit, and The Federalist.

Despite their efforts, a majority of Americans seem to be tuning out the propaganda. Let’s hope.

As we enter the fight of our lives against the statists in the 2024 Election Cycle, we must be vigilant to protect free speech and call out violations to our individual rights. At the very least, we should be aware of the very real collusion between Big Tech and the federal government to suppress free speech.

Here’s a list of favorite conservative news sources from Liberty Nation, no doubt “red-rated” by NewsGuard. But you can be the judge.

Thanks for reading “Fighting Propaganda: Check Your Sources” by the SeminoleGOP.org

Rep. Cory Mills Addresses SeminoleGOP

September 1, 2023 by Your Friendly Republican

Rep. Cory Mills Addresses SCREC

Rep. Cory Mills Addresses SeminoleGOP

On Aug. 17, U.S. Congressman Cory Mills (FL-07) addressed the members of SCREC to report on the current state of affairs in Washington, D.C., and his efforts to protect American values, the Constitution, and our unalienable rights.

Cory Mills went through a number of bills he has sponsored or supported that have been introduced or passed by the House including:

H.R.863 aimed at ending the sexualization of children in our public schools by holding publishers accountable for their role in providing visually explicit materials to school-age children
H.R.277, the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act of 2023, or the REINS Act, aimed at increasing legislative oversight of executive agencies’ rulemaking authority by requiring a congressional approval process for a major rule (one that has significant, harmful financial or economic impacts to businesses or consumers, or financial implications to the U.S. economy greater than $100 million)
H.R.26, the Born-Alive Abortions Protections Act stipulating requirements for care by practitioners in the case of a child born alive following an abortion or attempted abortion

To date, several conservative bills have passed the House only to languish in the Senate. Rep. Mills urges all constituents to call their Senators and urge them to act on House bills they support that have passed. Legislation can be researched at www.congress.gov.

The Capitol Hill switchboard number is: (202) 224-3121.

Legislative Roundup Part 3

September 1, 2023 by Your Friendly Republican

Legislative Roundup Part 3

Seniority benefits Seminole Rep. David Smith’s leadership skills

If you read the previous article First-year Representatives Bankson, Plakon, and Plasencia dedicated to hard work and Republican values, then you got a taste of the amount of work first-year Representatives are expected to accomplish and that was just part of their legislative duties.

Senior Congressmen such as Rep. David Smith (Dist. 38) chair the committees with which the first-year Representatives are assigned. For instance, Smith, a retired Marine Colonel, is the Chairman of the Joint Select Committee on Collective Bargaining, Vice-Chair of the Justice Appropriations Subcommittee, and the Republican Committee Whip on the Infrastructure Strategies Committee. A committee whip is responsible for counting heads and rounding up party members for votes and quorum calls and they assume leadership of the committee should the Chair be absent.

He also sits on the Transportation and Modals Subcommittee (a subcommittee of the Infrastructure Strategies Committee), the Rules Committee, the Ways and Means Committee, and the Civil Justice Subcommittee.

Senior Congressmen also debate on the House Floor, participate in budgetary matters advocating for funding for their districts or for statewide initiatives, and, of course, sponsor and co-sponsor bills.

This past session Smith sponsored twelve bills, nine of which successfully passed and three that died in committee. Bills that passed include a bill that adds judicial assistants and their families to list of public records exemptions, a veterans’ services and recognition bill, expunction of criminal history records for certain people, a bill concerning offenses against certain animals, interstate education compacts, a public records and meetings exemption for the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact Commission, modification of a regulation concerning car dealer leasing and rental affiliates, a bill that revises regulations concerning Sanford Airport Authority and a bill which modifies regulations regarding the Florida Institutions Inmate Welfare Trust Fund.

Smith also co-sponsored 11 bills with six passing. Bills included the Catalytic Converter Anti-Theft Act, a bill to preserve abandoned and historic cemeteries, two bills to modify the Florida Retirement System, a bill modifying the public nuisance laws, and a bill that modifies the law concerning assault and battery on hospital personnel.

Besides providing constituent services, Rep. Smith also drafts, promotes, and helps shape legislation and provides oversight on relevant and critical issues as well as collaborates and negotiates with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to find common ground and advance legislation in a bipartisan effort.

Barbara Haiss Martin is an award-winning journalist who has lived in Seminole County with her husband, John, since 1972.

New Laws Passed in 2023 | Legislative Roundup Part 3

Florida’s New Medical Freedom Laws

Gov. DeSantis signed four pieces of legislation into law in the 2023 Legislative session that provide strong protections of medical freedom for Floridians. The laws address medical mandates, empower doctors, and prohibit dangerous gain of function research. For a summary, click here to view a PDF created by the Governor’s Office.

Below is from the Governor’s Office news release issued May 11, 2023:

“The landmark legislative package signed today safeguards residents’ freedom by ensuring no patient is forced by a business, school, or government entity to undergo testing, wear a mask, or be vaccinated for COVID-19. The legislation also affords medical professionals the freedom to collaborate with patients in prescribing alternative treatments and protects physicians’ freedom of speech. Lastly, Florida is the first state to ban unsafe and unregulated gain-of-function research, like the research conducted in the Wuhan lab.”

The bills signed into law include the following:

Senate Bill 252– Most Comprehensive Medical Freedom Bill in the Nation:

Prohibiting business and governmental entities from requiring individuals to provide proof of vaccination or post-infection recovery from any disease to gain access to, entry upon, or service from such entities.
Prohibiting employers from refusing employment to or discharging, disciplining, demoting, or otherwise discriminating against an individual solely on the basis of vaccination or immunity status.
Prevents discrimination against Floridians related to COVID-19 vaccination or immunity status, etc.

House Bill 1387 – Banning Gain of Function Research:

Prohibiting “gain of function” research, also known as enhanced potential pandemic pathogen research.

Senate Bill 1580 – Physicians Freedom of Speech:

Providing that health care providers and health care payors have the right to opt out of participation in or payment for certain health care services on the basis of conscience-based objections.
Providing requirements for a health care provider’s notice and documentation of such objection.
Providing whistle-blower protections for health care providers and health care payors that take certain actions or disclose certain information relating to the reporting of certain violations.
Prohibiting boards, or the Department of Health if there is no board, from taking disciplinary action against or denying a license to an individual based solely on specified conduct, etc.

Senate Bill 238 – Public Records/Protection from Discrimination Based on Health Care Choices

Providing an exemption from public records requirements for certain information relating to complaints or investigations regarding violations of provisions protecting from discrimination based on health care choices.

These laws make Florida a leader in medical freedom — something to remember as talk of mask mandates and new COVID variants increases, just in time for the Presidential primary season. The 2024 Iowa Republican presidential caucuses will be held on January 15, 2024. Florida’s Presidential primary is on March 19, 2024.

In case you missed reading the more than 200 laws passed during the 2023 Florida Legislative session, here are the links to the chapter PDFs:

View all new 2023 laws »

View 2023 bill summaries »

2023 Elections 3 cities 7 seats Here is what you need to know

April 25, 2023 by Your Friendly Republican

By Barbara Haiss Martin

2023 Elections 3 cities 7 seats Here is what you need to know – Altamonte Springs, Lake Mary, and Oviedo all have seats up for re-election. Qualifying dates last anywhere from four to eight days and candidates can generally pick up a qualifying packet a month prior to the qualifying period but can call the city to see when the city clerks have them ready.

Forms and documentation must be filled out prior to submitting an application or affidavit to the city. Most city commissioners/mayors will serve a 2-year term, although, some mayors serve a 3-year term. See specific city information below.

2023 Elections 3 cities 7 seats Here is what you need to know | The SCREC is a great option for you.

Unfortunately, municipal non-partisan elections give the Democrats an advantage as Dems generally put up only one candidate and put all their support behind them. Republicans don’t restrict anyone who wishes to run for office. Support can then be diluted for the Republicans.

I did list the party affiliation of current seat holders so Republicans can determine which seats they want to run for, but it doesn’t mean a Republican can’t run if there is an (R) behind someone’s name.

I can tell you from covering the City of Altamonte Springs meetings as I did for almost a year as a member of Grassroots for America, it is difficult to tell where an existing commissioner stands on a topic unless they make some sort of comment or you can catch them to ask a question. I was seven months into covering the Commission when a minor controversy arose about the City’s graffiti ordinance and how many hours property owners/homeowners had to clean it up before the Code Enforcement penalties would start accruing.

While the two Republican City Commissioners said nothing, the lone Libertarian, Jim Turney, was having none of it. He felt the proposed update to the City Ordinance did not provide adequate due process for the homeowner/property owner and asked that it be rewritten.

Turney said the City had a lot of absentee property owners who rented their property and may not even get the Code Enforcement notice before the clock runs out. Even after the rewrite, Turney opposed the ordinance, but on Oct. 5, 2021, it passed 4 to 1. At the time, I was hoping the two Republican Commissioners would join Turney in opposing the amendment to the ordinance as he bought up some valid points, but they did not.

Unless you attend city meetings, watch them online or read the minutes, you won’t know who is acting on your behalf or standing up for your rights. I was always glad to see Turney show up at SCREC meetings to speak in the Candidate’s Corner when campaigning for his non-partisan seat and I expect we will see him again this year.

2023 Elections 3 cities 7 seats Here is what you need to know – written by Barbara Haiss Martin

Altamonte Springs

Qualifying Dates: Noon on Monday, Aug. 28, 2023 to 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023
Positions up for Re-election:

Mayor (3-year term) Currently held by Mayor Patricia Bates (D) – Served since 1997 as a commissioner and since 2008 as Mayor
Commissioner District 1 – Jim Turney (Libertarian Party of Florida – LPF) – Served since 2017
Commissioner District 3 – Sarah Reece (D) – Served since 1997

The City does not have term limits for these offices. Interested candidates should contact the City Clerk Angie Apperson at 407-571-8122. Appointments are requested.

2023 Elections 3 cities 7 seats Here is what you need to know – written by Barbara Haiss Martin

Lake Mary

Qualifying Dates: Noon on Monday, Aug. 28, 2023 to Noon on Friday, Sept. 1, 2023
Positions up for Re-election:

City Commissioner Seat 2 – George Duryea(R) – Served since 1987
City Commissioner Seat 4 – Justin York (R) – Served since 2019

Lake Mary does not have term limits and Duryea is one of the longest serving city commissioners in Florida. Candidates can pick up a qualifying packet from City Clerk Michelle McCurdy’s office approximately one month prior to the beginning of qualifying week. McCurdy suggests calling her for an appointment at 407-585-1423 so she can go over the packet with you and answer any questions you may have.

Oviedo

Qualifying Dates: Monday, Aug. 7, 2023 to Noon, Friday, Aug. 11, 2023
Positions up for Re-election:

Mayor – Megan Sladek (R)
Councilmember Group 1 Natalie Teuchert (D)

The City of Oviedo does not have term limits and both candidates up for re-election have served one term. A Candidate’s Packet with more information may be picked up at the City Clerk Elianne Rivera’s office or call her at 407-971-5504.

Thanks for reading the article written by Republican Barbara Martin on “2023 Elections 3 cities 7 seats Here is what you need to know” Remember to follow us on Facebook!

Barbara Haiss Martin is an award-winning journalist/editor who has lived in Seminole County with her husband, John, since 1972.

Florida teams find voter, $$$ and campaign fraud

April 18, 2023 by Your Friendly Republican

Florida teams find voter, $$$ and campaign fraud

Jay Valentine, founder of Omega for America, assists voter integrity teams in several states, including Florida, to expose phantom voters on their voter rolls. His latest article on the topic, “A Gigantic Egg all over Brad Raffensperger’s Face” is about the problems with the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) and Georgia’s Secretary of State Raffensperger’s support for the program.

Besides reciting the problems he’s been finding since 2019, Valentine also revealed two little known fraudulent issues with ERIC while working with voter integrity teams in Florida.

Valentine explains: “Three county sheriff’s departments contacted our team because they were interested in this kind of voter fraud — registered voters in vacant lots. They each, separately, performed other analyses and found that vacant lots had accumulated fraud.

Many of those addresses harbored clearly fake voters — or real voters who were not there. When they ran those addresses against the PPP (Payroll Protection Program), where Biden gave out free dough — guess what! You got it! Those address might not be able to get mail, but somehow, they got the dough! “

“A team in Florida, working with law enforcement found some of those scammy addresses harbored as ‘contribution mules.’ The contribution mule is the guy who has no discernible wealth but makes 4,000 donations a year, to candidates all over the country, in $50 increments. So where does that guy get his dough?” Valentine said.

Thanks for reading the article written by Republican Barbara Martin on “Florida teams find voter, $$$ and campaign fraud”

Florida is one of several states that have recently evicted ERIC and more states are abandoning the George Soros-funded program each week. To read Valentine’s entire article, go to: https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2023/03/a_gigantic_egg_all_over_brad_raffenspergers_face.html

Dems fume as school board term limits and partisan elections pass out of subcommittee

March 2, 2023February 28, 2023 by Your Friendly Republican

Dems fume as school board term limits and partisan elections pass out of subcommittee

By Barbara Haiss Martin

In February, the Florida House Choice & Innovation Subcommittee debated, then voted on Joint Resolution HJR-31 which gives voters a choice to restore partisan school board elections through a Constitutional Amendment. The subcommittee also voted on House Bill HB-477 which seeks to set eight-year term limits on school board members.

On the subcommittee were 18 members: 13 Republicans and five Democrats, including local Representative Doug Bankson (R) of Apopka.

Rep. Spencer Roach (R) of Lee and Charlotte counties, co-sponsor and originator of the HJR-31 explained the resolution’s intent was to provide transparency for the voter. He said it was the No. 1 issue in his district until the arrival of Hurricane Ian.

All five Democrats opposed the resolution because they deemed it was important to keep politics out of schools and the school board.

Roach said there are “real differences between the two parties about curriculum, bathrooms and how the superintendent should be voted in.” He reiterated the importance of transparency for the voter throughout his rebuttal to the Democrats.

Comments of committee members opposed to the joint resolution

Rep. Kevin Chambliss (D) of Miami-Dade County said: “Transparency may be the intent, but the results will be different. This will bring the extreme ideologies into the school board.”

Rep. Angie Nixon (D) of Duval County said, “Voters already decided in 1998 about this.” She was referring to the 1998 Amendment 11 which passed granting, among other things, non-partisan school board member elections. The Amendment was placed on the ballot by the Constitutional Revision Commission.

Roach responded: “Yes, but it was one item in a mixed bag of seven education election issues – did they really vote for this one? We’ve had partisan elections for 150 years. The goal is to provide voters with as much information as possible.”

Nixon further stated: “This is not about transparency. Keep politics out of our schools! Freedom from party politics!” Her voice got louder and she nearly came out of her seat while raising her hand to emphasize her point. “This is absurd! It will create a contentious climate. You see the craziness of party politics in D.C.”

At one point, Nixon asked Roach, “Are you more concerned about politics than our children?”

Roach responded, “Those two things are not mutually exclusive.”

Chambliss was also concerned that NPA (No Party Affiliation) voters would not be allowed to vote in the primary.

“They are not even a party,” he said.

Roach replied that the NPA designation is seen by the State of Florida as a party and if they had other NPAs wanting to run for a school board seat, there would be an NPA primary – “so, yes, they can vote in a primary.”

Comments from the public

Five people spoke from the following organizations: The League of Women Voters, Fund Education Now, Pastors for Florida Children/Together for Hope and the Florida AFL-CIO who all said they could not support the resolution. They all agreed that it was best to “keep politics out of schools.” One woman implied it would draw money into campaigns from those “extreme ideologies.”

Also opposing the resolution, but not speaking, was the Florida PTA. Supporting the resolution but not speaking were the Florida Citizens Alliance and Opportunity Solutions Project.

Then there was Shawn Frost of Vero Beach who apologized for being late. He said he had already spoken at another committee and just happened to be walking by and came in.

Frost said, “I’ve heard them say they want to get politics out of the schools, but they just want to get one political party out of the schools.” He said he was in favor of the measure.

There were eight lobbyists interested in the resolution from five organizations: Florida Supervisors of Elections, Inc, Florida Citizens Alliance, Florida Education Association, Opportunity Solutions Project and the Florida School Boards Associations. None of them spoke.

A few days before the committee meeting, lobbyist Danielle Thomas with the Florida School Boards Association, returned my call about what her remarks would be at the meeting.

“Oh, I never speak at the committee meetings,” Thomas said. “I only speak to the sponsor of the bill.”

Several Republicans spoke in favor of the resolution including Bankson, co-sponsor Jenna Persons-Mulicka of Lee County, Thad Altman of Brevard County, and Fabian Basabe and Juan Carlos Porras who are both from Miami-Dade County. Bankson, who spoke just before the vote, stated he agreed with what his fellow Republicans had said.

“I know it passed in 1998, but there were many other issues in that (Amendment). I am content to hear what the voters have to say,” Bankson said.

The resolution passed 13 to 5 along party lines. It now heads next to the Ethics, Elections and Open Government subcommittee.

House Bill – 477

House Bill -477 on term limits of school board members also passed 14 to 5 with Chambliss, the lone Democrat, voting for the bill stating he agreed with the eight-year term limit. There were discussions about whether the term limits should be eight or twelve years.

Chambliss said in Miami-Dade, they had one school board member who was on the board for more than 20 years and was just voted back in during the 2022 election.

“We need new faces and ideas,” he said.

Representative Susan Valdez, the Democrat Ranking Member on the subcommittee and former teacher, spoke about her achievements as a former Hillsborough County school board member and why an eight-year term limit is not enough to accomplish what is needed to get done especially in turning around low-performing schools.

Rep. Alex Rizo (R) of Miami-Dade and sponsor of the bill said he thought eight years was enough for any school board member to get their agenda accomplished especially with the increased involvement of parents over the last two years.

Valdez and Nixon were both getting blustery about the bill with Nixon spouting loudly, “Children’s lives are at stake! Especially Black and brown lives. Leave your politics at the door!”

Shawn Frost also spoke on this bill but not before revealing he was a “recovering school board chairman and member.” His slogan on this bill was “8 is great, shelve the 12.”

The bill heads next to the Education and Employment Committee.

Barbara Haiss Martin is an award-winning journalist/editor who has lived in Seminole County with her husband, John, since 1972.

To read the full text of HJR-31 and HB-477, visit myfloridahouse.gov. You can also follow legislative issues at Ballotpedia.org. The Florida legislature is scheduled to convene their Regular Session on Tuesday, March 7, 2023 and to adjourn on Friday, May 5, 2023.