Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

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'

Issue of lobbyist reporting not dead, Lee vows

By LUCY MORGAN
Published May 8, 2005

TALLAHASSEE - It looked like a party.

Lobbyists carried cups of their favorite alcoholic beverage to toast the end of the 2005 legislative session and the death of a bill that would have forced them to report their fees and identify each lawmaker they wine and dine.

A short distance away, Senate President Tom Lee admitted the lobbyists won - this year. He promised he'll renew the fight next year.

And House Speaker Allan Bense said Saturday he is now convinced some of the changes Lee wants are needed. "Hearing some of the comments being made by lobbyists makes me want to work harder next year," he said.

Lobbyists say they are willing to help with reforms if lawmakers will also consider reforming what lawmakers can do.

Ken Plante, president of the Florida Association of Professional Lobbyists, says the Legislature needs to extend its fundraising ban during its annual session to weeks when legislative committees meet. And political parties, he said, should be barred from being used as a money laundry so lawmakers can use airplanes, skyboxes and other facilities lobbyists are asked to donate for use by officials.

Plante said lobbyists would also support banning or limiting gifts except for food and beverages and probably would support disclosing fees in ranges of income instead of exact amounts.

Bense said the lobbying bill, Lee's top priority, might have passed the House if Lee had not angered House members by eliminating new judges in the district represented by Rep. Bruce Kyle, D-Fort Myers.

"Everyone rallied to Bruce's defense," Bense said.

Lee conceded that was a mistake - "It wasn't the right call." He axed the judges because Kyle used the issue to embarrass the Senate during a special session in December, Lee said. The Senate was angry that Kyle wanted to create the new judicial slots "to use as an exit strategy" when he leaves office next year.

Lee also angered Miami members of the House Hispanic caucus when he publicly declared dead the effort to gain legislative approval of a $60-million tax break so the Florida Marlins could build a stadium in Miami.

The final straw came Thursday night when 10 Republicans in the Senate joined Democrats to defeat a rewrite of liability laws important to the business community. The bill was important to Bense, and some House members viewed the vote as a slap in the face.

Lee said he considered trading the liability law for the lobbying bill but is glad he didn't "bow to temptation." Friday afternoon, House Republicans overwhelming rejected Lee's lobbying bill and passed a watered-down version that eliminated requirements for lobbyists to identify lawmakers they entertain and for felons to be barred from lobbying without legislative permission.

The Senate rejected the altered bill and shipped it back to the House, where it was again rejected.

"I thought there were cowards down there who didn't want to go on the board and vote for meaningful lobbying reform," Lee said, referring to the House. "They frankly didn't want to have to go and run for office and explain why they wanted to let felons lobby and why they didn't want their constituents to know who they were being wined and dined by and how much it was costing."

By then legislators were running out of time. Their annual 60-day session must end at midnight on Friday unless the two houses agree to an extension.

That was when Lee decided to let go of bills he had been holding in the Senate in an attempt to gain passage of the lobbying bill.

Lee said he considered skipping the traditional hanky drop at the end of a session but decided to participate after passing growth management, Medicaid reforms and other important bills.

"There is a point at the end where you have to stop negotiating and do what is right for Florida," Lee said.

Bense called Lee's decision "statesmanlike" and refused to respond to the criticism.

"I'll just chalk that up to comments being made late at night," Bense said.

Times staff writer Joni James contributed to this report.

[Last modified May 8, 2005, 00:44:03]