Osceola County’s state legislative contingent came home after passing some key legislation and the largest budget in state history that included key appropriations.
But, the work’s not finished — there’s a special session in two weeks.
And, when it comes time for our state representatives to run again, they’ll be doing it in new districts — four will represent Osceola County in the State House.
That $112 billion budget includes some $2.5 million in appropriations coming to the county, including a water quality and hydrilla study on the north end of West Lake Toho, affordable housing initiatives at the Hope Partnership and Victory Village and for a Kissimmee public safetyTraining Support Annex.
That budget also includes sales tax holidays for disaster preparedness supplies (early June), Freedom Week recreation sales (early July) back to school (early August), tools used in trades (Labor Day week) and permanent ones on tickets to the Daytona 500, World Cup and other sports.
“It’s the biggest middleclass tax cut in Florida history,” Rep. Fred Hawkins (R-St. Cloud) said.
“We’re holding our breath that the Governor doesn’t break out his red pen and veto them,” said Rep. Kristen Arrington (D-Kissimmee).
Hawkins, who sits on a number of education committees, sponsored House Bill 225 that set earlier deadlines for the renewal of school charters for the following school year, and co-sponsored HB 1421, an enhancement of the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas Safety Act enhances transparency around school safety and security.
“I remain committed to Florida education,” Hawkins said. “Our state colleges are No. 1 in the country, but I want our education system to be No. 1 from VPK to 12th grade.”
Arrington’s HB 229 passed the House: it requires middle school guidance counselors to include information on career and technical education pathways — appropriate since Osceola County is home to multiple O-Tech campuses and Valencia College’s advanced manufacturing institute.
And there’s still work to be done. Gov. Ron DeSantis has called a special session for April 18-22 in order to approve new Congressional district maps; he vetoed the ones the Legislature put forward last month. Neither Arrington or Hawkins were on the committee that drew those, so they await the “new final product.”
But their new state Legislative districts, based on the 2020 Census that got pushed back a bit due to the pandemic, are in, so they know who their constituents are for this fall’s election cycle. Parts of four House districts are in Osceola County. Arrington is now in District 46, which no longer includes Buenaventura Lakes but takes in all of Poinciana, which she now splits with Hawkins.
“It’s nice that all of Poinciana will be together, finally,” Arrington said. “It was hard when someone would call us and we had to figure out which side of a road they’re on.”
That district now includes the U.S. 192 hotel corridor. Celebration is now part of a District 45 that includes Reunion, Four Corners and fastgrowing parts of southwest Orange County along State Road 429.
The redistricting created a new District 47 that includes Buenaventura Lakes, areas along Neptune Road east of downtown Kissimmee including Kings Highway, Kindred and Tohoqua, north of East Lake Toho along Boggy Creek Road, and roughly the city limits of St. Cloud, south along Canoe Creek Road to Deer Run/Friars Cove.
Hawkins will now be running for District 35 — which got a major overhaul. Previously in an east Osceola and Polk district, his one goes from the southern county line north around 47 to include areas in Orange like part of Lake Nona, Waterford Lakes, Avalon Park, Bithlo and Christmas.
“There’s a small piece of the city of Orlando in it, but it’s very rural,” Hawkins said. “Our last campaign had great support, so we’re excited about the prospect of it.”
As for the Florida Senate, if you are reading this from Osceola County, your Senator, currently Victor Torres, will remain the same, but the number changes from District 15 to 25, and it shrinks in size on the Orange County side, now only including Meadow Woods.
