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House may vote on flag protection for renters

Today is the 18th day of the 60-day session.

The House may vote next week on a measure that prohibits apartment complexes and landlords from barring tenants from flying the American flag under most circumstances.

The bill (HB 1009), which was debated Thursday, resulted from a case in Boynton Beach, where apartment complex residents were told to remove a flag from their window or keep it behind blinds. They sued.

Under intense media coverage, the complex backed down.

"This legislation will ensure that does not happen to any renters in the future in the state of Florida," said Rep. Adam Hasner, R-Delray Beach.

Condominium dwellers and those subject to homeowners associations already have a law protecting their flag flying.

A week after the House killed a similar measure, the Senate advanced to final reading a bill (SB 234) repealing a sales tax exemption for ostrich feed.

For years, the exemption has been cited as an absurd one in the debate over Florida's tax system, even though repealing it would bring in less than $35,000 - chicken feed in state government terms.

"There's not a day goes by that I don't see people walking their ostriches," joked Senate President Jim King.

"It's time to look at some of these exemptions, particularly those that don't seem to have any adverse effect to anybody," said King, R-Jacksonville.

The Senate advanced legislation that would name Florida A&M University's new Journalism & Graphic Communication building after Thelma Thurston Gorham and longtime journalism school dean Robert Ruggles, who led the school's program into national prominence before retiring last fall after disagreements with administrators.

The bill (CS/SB 624) originally called for naming the building after Gorham only.

An amendment offered by Sen. Al Lawson, D-Tallahassee, added Ruggles.

"It would be hard to find anyone more significant than Dean Ruggles," Lawson said. "He built the program."

Gorham was a pioneer black female journalist.