GUEST EDITORIAL
My first session as House Representative for District 47 has ended. I am proud and thankful to have been able to be your voice in Tallahassee.
This session, I am told, was like none other in previous years, and I believe that. A record number of bills were presented and passed, a record number of days spent at the Capitol, and a budget completed in record time.
I served on six committees, including criminal justice, justice appropriations, judiciary, choice and innovation, transportation and modals, and a joint committee on public counsel oversight. The information and experiences from these committees have been extraordinary. Many of the bills came through these committees allowing input on them before making it to the House floor.
I stood firm on specific mandates promised to my constituents such as:
- Not reducing women's ability to terminate their pregnancy from 15 to 6 weeks;
- Eliminating a person’s ability to file lawsuits if they have a personal injury or wrongful death action;
- Removing authority from local jurisdictions to oversee housing needs specific to their community;
- Adopting school choice for parents; Supporting the Second Amendment with changes toward constitutional carry;
- Use of separately designated restrooms and changing facilities for females and males.
My votes drilled down into the essence of the bills, and I understand that with the complexities of the bills, explanations may be needed. Please feel free to contact our office should you require additional input into the reasons for my vote.
Then there are the bills I co-sponsored regarding topics such as abandoned and historic cemeteries; deceased individuals; expunction of criminal history records; assault or battery on hospital personnel; homeowners associations; Drivers License, identification card and motor vehicle registration; the Florida Retirement System; prohibited applications on government-issued devices; and a blood clot and pulmonary embolism policy workgroup Our main initiatives were historic preservation tax credits to promote saving our history and values while promoting economic development, re-sentencing reform for non-violent-first time offenders—saving the state $49 million—and a mobile home park renter protection act, all of which didn’t make it through the process this year, but we have pledged to bring them back next session.
What our team did manage to get approved was a Missing Persons bill and a floating vessel platform bill. We had four appropriation requests totaling $7 million. Two of those projects made it into the bill for the governor’s desk totaling $1.925 million.
Projects we are committed to working on are bringing a Veterans Center to the district, promoting and assisting SWAT, and supporting and promoting Youth Shine.
Lastly, the highlight of the session for our team was the opportunity to recognize 102-year-old World War II Veteran Pat Rudd on the House floor. We are grateful for Speaker of House Paul Renner’s approval to introduce her to the House of Representatives, and Senator Tom Wright for assisting her in the Senate recognition. Florida Veterans Hall of Fame honoree Kat Skipper graciously assisted in bringing Mrs. Rudd to Tallahassee. Thank you to the Florida Veterans Foundation for their warm welcome for their fellow Veterans and all they presented.
Although these are the highlights and progress, we have been able to influence to date, we have much more work to do. We look forward to continuing to move these initiatives and others through the upcoming sessions. Serving Osceola and a portion of Orange is a privilege and honor, and I look forward to doing even more work on behalf of the citizens of District 47.
When not legislating in Tallahassee, Paula Stark leads St. Cloud Main Street.
