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Florida Legislature 2005 (click for ongoing coverage)

THE LATEST Man gets $2M for 22 years he lost Mystery: Who left money faucet on? Many hurricane relief measures get blown away Dramatic proposal, cautious response Legislature doesn't act on minimum wage deal For open-government cause: 'a mixed bag'

Plan would lift veil on lobbyists

Gov. Bush is among those saying it's time we all knew exactly how special interests spend money on lawmakers.

By STEVE BOUSQUET, LUCY MORGAN and ALISA ULFERTS
Published March 9, 2005

TALLAHASSEE - The Florida Legislature opened its 2005 session Tuesday with calls from Gov. Jeb Bush and Senate President Tom Lee to bring lobbyists out of the shadows.

Lobbyists should be forced to disclose the millions of dollars they are paid each year and exactly how they spend the money to influence lawmakers, Bush and Lee said.

The proposals, spearheaded by Lee and supported by Bush, would shed light on one of the most powerful but least understood aspects of lawmaking.

Special interests have far too much control over state government, said Lee, 43, a Brandon home builder who has railed against special interests since he joined the Senate in 1996.

The lobbying proposal was just one of numerous goals Bush laid out in his seventh State of the State speech. He had already announced most of them, such as controlling Medicaid costs, raising teacher pay and finding new ways to pay for growth.

"This is not the time for timid tweaks to the status quo," Bush said. "This is the time for bold, brave ideas in Florida that will shape our future and define us as dreamers, builders and problem-solvers."

But the boldest idea came from Lee, who challenged a culture long dominated by lobbyists in a small-town capital isolated from much of Florida's population.

"Tallahassee has an image problem," Lee told senators.

Lee said public confidence in government is undermined by outdated state laws that don't require lobbyists to disclose how much money they make and how much they spend entertaining individual lawmakers. Lobbyists must file reports twice a year, listing only the total amount of money spent on entertaining. Spending on individual legislators is not disclosed.

"Here in Florida, the process is dated and not readily transparent to the public, raising questions not easily answered about influence not easily identified," Lee said.

Lee's proposal, released Tuesday, requires lobbyists to disclose areas of clients' interest, the amounts of money spent on entertaining, and the name of every person entertained, amount, and date.

Expenditures would have to be reported online and reports would be subject to audits and fines of up to $5,000 for violations. Lobbyists would be required to retain all records for four years.

"All compensation provided or owed to the lobbyist ... must be reported," saysthe bill. That provision would require lobbyists to reveal future fees from clients.

In his speech to legislators, Bush embraced greater disclosure. "The people who sent us here deserve transparency in Tallahassee," he said.

House Speaker Allan Bense, R-Panama City, was noncommittal but said Lee's ideas would receive careful consideration.

"I think there are some improvements we can make," Bense told reporters.

Florida's disclosure requirements are less strict than most states.

Tallahassee has more than 1,800 registered lobbyists, about 12 for every legislator. Some of them buy lawmakers food and drink, and help pay for campaigns that are more costly every election. Legislators consider lobbyists their friends and rely on them to write bills and amendments.

As term limits sapped the Legislature of much of its institutional knowledge, lobbyists play an increasingly important role as unofficial advisers to inexperienced policymakers. Dozens of prominent lobbyists are former legislators.

Lobbyists, usually wary of being the subject of attention, kept their distance.

"It's something lobbyists probably ought to stay out of," said lobbyist John Thrasher, a former House speaker. He said "never in my wildest dreams" did he imagine the money he is making at the lobbying firm he joined five years ago.

But some lobbyists say disclosing their fees won't accomplish much. "I don't see what people would get from it, and I told the governor that, back when I worked for him," said Jim Magill, a lobbyist who once worked for Bush.

Lee has said disclosure would help voters better understand the extent to which special interests influence legislation.

After listening to Bush's speech, Democrats accused him of glossing over problems, especially homeowners' insurance and health care. They accused Bush of embracing ideas they advocated for years, such as raising teacher pay, and were critical of him for seeking to expand school vouchers when a constitutional challenge is pending.

Sen. Walter "Skip" Campbell, D-Fort Lauderdale, said it was ironic Bush talked about cutting taxes even as he decried skyrocketing Medicaid costs.

"Why are there so many poor people on Medicaid if our economy is doing so well?" Campbell said.

Rep. Bob Henriquez, D-Tampa, faulted Bush for linking a teacher pay raise to a lessening of class-size limits. "That muddles the debate," Henriquez said.

Rep. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach, said Bush's state of the state "is a state of denial." He cited rankings showing Florida has the lowest high school graduation rates of any state. Bush said graduation rates are up from 60 percent to 72 percent.

Many elements of Bush's agenda may be out of reach in a 60-day session. Bush and legislators agree that revamping Medicaid may need two years of work. Past legislatures have stumbled in tackling Medicaid, growth management and limiting lawsuits.

"The concern, I think, ought to be, is this too much?" Bush said.

Bush's plan to cap some types of lawsuits, a long-standing goal of the business community, has drawn little support in the Senate, and his package of tax cuts may face trouble in the Senate too.

In his 30-minute speech, Bush recalled the "dynamic spirit" of Floridians who suffered through four devastating hurricanes, and the state employees who worked around the clock to help them recover.

Paying tribute to the foreign policies of his brother, President Bush, the governor hailed an Iraqi from Clearwater and a Florida National Guard officer who helped train Iraqi defense forces in Baghdad.

He also singled out Columba, his wife of 31 years. Looking up to the visitor gallery, the governor who has made strengthening families a priority said to a statewide TV audience: "Baby, I love you."

Times staff writers Adam C. Smith and Joni James contributed to this report.

[Last modified March 9, 2005, 00:56:05]