Sarasota Herald-Tribune reporter Zac Anderson has a trenchant piece today on the large surge of cash that has flowed into Tallahassee in the weeks and months leading into today's first day of the 2011 Legislative Session.
Anderson writes that $8.8 million flooded into the arms of the two political parties during the last two months of 2010, with the overwhelming amount ($7.7 million) going to the Republican Party of Florida. As Bradenton state Senator Mike Bennett tells the paper,
"We have an extremely pro-business governor, pro-business House speaker, pro-business Senate president, and I think the business community knows this is going to be a very good year and they want to have input."
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Business leaders are admittedly looking forward to a legislative session that could produce benefits of historic proportions. The session starts today and is scheduled to end May 6.
"We're set up for the best that we've ever had," said Barney Bishop, a lobbyist for Associated Industries of Florida, one of the state's largest business groups.
Managed care health insurance companies — eager to shape legislation that could give them more access to 3.2 million Medicaid patients and an expected $21.6 billion budget — gave nearly $200,000 to the parties in the last quarter of 2010.
Political committees representing property insurers and individual companies gave the Republican Party nearly $60,000 as lawmakers prepared a proposal to loosen regulations that could allow rate increases and fewer requirements to cover sinkhole damage.
The sugar companies, Florida Crystals and U.S. Sugar — which donated $250,000 and $175,000, respectively — have joined other agricultural interests in opposing a new federal clean water mandate affecting nutrient runoff. They have urged the governor to delay implementing the rules.
Private prison operator Geo Group chipped in $82,500. Private companies run seven of the state's 146 prison facilities under contracts worth $159 million and Scott proposes privatizing more to help reduce a $2.4 billion corrections budget.
In addition, fertilizer interests are supporting legislation to override city and county rules limiting fertilizer use during the rainy summer months when nutrient-laden stormwater runoff can lead to harmful algae blooms.
Fertilizer giant Mosaic gave the Republican Party $25,000 in the fourth quarter and Florid Phosphate CCE, a political committee, also gave $25,000. A group called Mayo Fertilizer Inc. added $5,000.
This article appears in Mar 3-9, 2011.