Politics

Travel ignores budget crunch

Florida lawmakers praise their out-of-state conferences, but other officials must cut trips.

By ALEX LEARY
Published July 9, 2007

TALLAHASSEE – Nearly 80 of the same lawmakers who are forcing cities and counties to slash their budgets are flying out of state this summer to attend weeklong conferences at a cost to taxpayers of at least $125,000.

The trips to Philadelphia and Boston normally would draw little attention. But officials are ordering state agencies to curtail travel to ease a $1-billion budget shortfall at the same time local governments are trimming billions more under property tax rollbacks.

"They are asking everybody to tighten their belts, but it's pretty obvious they don't take their own advice," said St. Petersburg City Council member Jamie Bennett. "It would make me feel better if we were all sharing pain."

In all, 77 lawmakers and 18 staff members will go to the conferences, with the state paying at least $1,200 for House members and about $1,500 for each senator.

Legislators defend the conferences as a worthwhile expense, providing ideas on emerging trends and laws that have worked, or not worked, in other states.

"It's a unique opportunity to talk to your counterparts across the nation. We don't live in a box," said Sen. Arthenia Joyner, D-Tampa, who will attend the National Conference of State Legislatures, held Aug. 5 to 9 in Boston.

- - -

The National Conference of State Legislatures is packed with events and seminars on everything from the upswing in violent crime to climate change and improving analytical skills. One seminar is titled, "No Cup of Coffee -- the Line Between Legislators and Lobbyists."

There are a few social diversions, too, such as a tour of Fenway Park, home of the Red Sox, and a Boston Pops concert.

The other conference is July 25 to 29 in Philadelphia and hosted by the American Legislative Exchange Council.

The ALEC agenda is generally more politically conservative, dealing with fiscal policy and school choice. The final day includes a prayer breakfast, golf tournament and tips on "grass roots fundraising."

Both conferences typically draw Florida lobbyists, who covet access to lawmakers. In the past, lobbyists could pay for meals, drinks and other expenses. Florida's gift ban law shut down that practice last year, causing a dropoff in attendance at the ALEC conference in San Francisco.

But that has not stopped an annual dinner hosted by a prominent lawmaker, Sen. Jim King.

The Jacksonville Republican has agreed to pick up the tab for lawmakers and their spouses. King "is enabling us to continue the tradition," lobbyist Barry Horenbein recently wrote in an invitation letter to Sen. Evelyn Lynn, R-Ormond Beach.

Horenbein, whose clients include towing services and the Seminole Tribe of Florida, is handling the arrangements for King, even securing $210-a-night rates at the prestigious Rittenhouse Hotel.

Opportunities to share

Lawmakers have gone to the conferences for years and those who attend say they are far from junkets.

Rep. John Legg, R-Port Richey, said he got an idea for a bill to provide corporate scholarships to foster children. It passed the House this year, but not the Senate.

Headed to Boston, Legg said he wants to learn more about universal health care now in practice in Massachusetts. "Florida doesn't know it all," he said. "It's a great place to learn from other states."

Legg initially planned to fund part of the trip from an account filled with unspent campaign funds -- an option available to anyone who attends the conferences. In a subsequent interview, Legg said he would fund the entire trip from that account.

Rep. Will Kendrick, a North Florida Republican, is also going to Boston despite plans to leave the Legislature next year to run for school superintendent in Franklin County.

"Just because I'm a lame duck doesn't mean I intend to sit on a turtle shell," he said when asked about the value of spending state money.

"Without vision and new ideas, our state will become stagnant and we'll have bigger problems than we have now," he said.

Still, some lawmakers are skittish about attending this year because of the budget constraints and the intense focus on city and county government spending habits.

"We see what some of the local governments are doing, and I think we need to set an example at our level," said Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, who passed on a trip this year.

Hypocrisy suspected

Even critics agree conferences are worthwhile. But after enduring the scorn of lawmakers during the past legislative session for "wasteful" or "excessive" spending, some local government officials detect a whiff of hypocrisy.

"If they are going to be criticizing us for doing it, why would they do it themselves?" asked Pinellas County Commissioner Susan Latvala.

Latvala has felt the sting. She helped organize the annual meeting of the Florida Association of Counties in Orlando, which coincidentally began the same day as the special legislative session on property taxes, June 12.

The conference was dotted with speakers and seminars on growth management and even the threat of Africanized bees.

But a planned "death by chocolate" reception sparked ridicule from Tallahassee as another sign of wasteful spending. The event, sponsored by Waste Management, was eventually scaled back and a golf outing was canceled.

Latvala and other county commissioners across the state will travel Friday to Richmond, Va., for the annual meeting of the National Association of Counties.

Dominic Calabro, head of Florida TaxWatch, an independent group that scrutinizes state spending, agreed conferences are beneficial. But not in this climate, he said.

"It may send a message that everyone has to make sacrifices except some in the Florida Legislature. Whenever budget cuts are made, they should be from the top down. But they seldom get done that way."

Times staff writers Steve Bousquet and Jennifer Liberto contributed to this report. Alex Leary can be reached at aleary@sptimes.com.

[Last modified July 9, 2007, 07:10:24]