After three terms as a county commissioner, Fred Hawkins was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2020, to serve as eastern Osceola and much of Polk County’s district 42 legislator.
Hawkins spoke with the News-Gazette to talk about his first session in Tallahassee, his voting record and favorite bills, and what’s in store for the 2022 session.
Osceola News-Gazette (ONG): Compare starting out on the County Commission to debuting in the State House.
Fred Hawkins (FH): I went in with the same mindset: to talk less and listen more. It served me well. I put what’s best for the county and district ahead of politics. Let your votes speak for you, and ask questions, but not to make a point. Probably my most vocal was when the Right to Farm Act came in front of me, I stood up for agriculture, of course. Outside of committees I spoke with people I respected like (Chair of the Education and Employment Committee) Chris Latvala and (future House speaker) Danny Perez. It’s the same up there as in the county, you have to work with staff and hear presentations from groups. You’re hearing other people’s bills, and you’ve got your own bills. The reading is tremendous. You have to have a great legislative aide and mine (Andrew Goran) is tremendous. Going from one of five on the County Commission to one of 120 is different, Tallahassee is more political party driven. But I think I gained a lot of respect for the bills I ran.
I wanted to learn the appropriations process, so I asked if I could sit in on their meetings to learn their process. They let me but told me not to speak. I was like a sponge. But you’re talking about a $105 billion budget that covers everything.
ONG: Talk about your 2021 bill to require CPR to be taught in high school.
FH: I think everybody co-sponsored that bill. The debate on the floor was stories of why this bill is important, it brought tears to my eyes. I went to each committee chairman and it got unanimous support. We’re enhancing chances of survival of cardiac episodes.
ONG: Looking at your voting record in the last session, you voted almost right down party line. Is there pressure to do that, or were you voting your convictions?
FH: There’s committee whips, which is exactly what they are. They have to “whip” up the votes. They’d have me on the phone until 1 a.m. some nights. You sometimes vote for something in committee that will die before it ever gets to the floor, but you’re on the record for it, so it’s tough. There’s party and lobbyist pressure, but that’s how a lot of bills get changed. You don’t want to co-sponsor something that will get changed, because you can’t “un-co-sponsor” something. Party drives some of the process.
We had a special session on the gaming bill. I told them “I’m not with you, I need these changes,” and then those things changed.
ONG: For instance, you voted ‘Yes’ on the election reform bill (much like Georgia’s that added layers of scrutiny to the voting process).
FH: Yes. I suspect there will be more bills on election reform.
ONG: And the bill that reduced by half the Sadowski Fund (earmarked for affordable housing the Legislature pulls from almost annually for other uses).
FH: Prior to me coming in, the governor pulled it to be held for reserves for COVID-19 uses, which ended up a pretty smart thing. Many in my freshman class are Realtors, who were vocal enough to get it increased from $141 million to $250 million. The money was used for Florida’s best interests like resiliency and flooding issues, that will save money in the long run. Nothing says we can’t add future money to it, especially for teachers and first responders to buy homes.
ONG: And, as the president of the Education Foundation Osceola, you voted for expanded private school vouchers.
FH: I believe parents should have a choice, that’s why I support the Parents’ Bill of Rights. I’m not a big mandate person. If you feel your child will have more success in a charter school, you should be able send them there. We set apart NeoCity Academy because there was a place for it, just like career and technical education for some who college isn’t the best option. We have to encourage that, and that’s why I like school choice. I’m also proud the governor is getting rid of the FSA (testing).
ONG: What committees will you sit on in 2022? What bills do you hope to pass?
FH: I’m on every education committee except for one. They put me on K-12 Appropriations, a big honor. I will sit on the redistricting committee for the State House seats. I’m also on Civil Justice and Property Rights, which I love.
We’re working on making EKGs required for high-school athletes statewide like they already are in Osceola County to go with the CPR bill, a data privacy bill for those who adopt animals, and to offer computer science in elementary school and offering teachers bonuses for it. In St. Cloud, we’ll put appropriations in to expand Canoe Creek Road and 10th Street, which is a dangerous road headed toward Narcoossee.
ONG: You’ve got to already go back out and campaign. What’s that like?
FH: We’ve already kicked off. You’re always campaigning. People should pay attention. The difference now for me is that the party is all about making sure you’re successful. It’s an honor to serve this community and the agriculture community.
