Tonight will close out the 2014 Legislative session, and big events took place yesterday in Tallahassee.
The Florida Senate approved House Bill 851, a bill that would dramatically expand college access for undocumented students who grew up in the state and graduated from local high schools. The bill now goes back to the House today for approval.
The measure had been before the Legislature for more than a decade, and in the interim 20 other states have passed such a bill. Call it pragmatic politics in an election year, but the fact that House Speaker Will Weatherford had made the proposal a priority helped its chances tremendously, as did the leadership in the Senate of Clearwater state Senator Jack Latvala. The veteran Pinellas County lawmaker was determined against at times formidable odds to get the bill passed. Thankfully for its supporters, Senate President Don Gaetz allowed for the vote, though the way power works in the Legislature he could have refused to put the bill up for a vote. And at times it looked like it wouldn't happen. But it got done.
There is major disappointment, however, in some quarters this morning because the proposal sponsored by Venice Republican Nancy Detert that would replenish the tax incentive package to bring film and television productions to the Sunshine State was not approved in the Senate.
Detert's bill would have provided $50 million a year until 2020 in incentives to lure Hollywood producers, a figure that some in the industry called weak in comparison to other nearby states, but bigger than what's available now for those producers, which is nothing. A House proposal calling for $200 million in incentives wasn't ever taken too seriously by those in the industry, but yes, that died out as well.
This jeopardizes The Infiltrator, the $47.5 million production that would be the biggest Hollywood film ever produced in Tampa. Producers for the film have been explicit in waiting to see what would happen with the incentive plan before officially committing to the region.
In other news… It's a big deal in St. Pete, and so Rick Kriseman says he wants to get it right this time. The Mayor introduced his plan to get a new Pier to the "Sunshine City" — by 2017.
Among the Democrats who won't be running for the nomination in CD13 this summer is Eric Lynn, a foreign policy advisor to President Obama with roots in Pinellas County.
You can call Duke Energy many things, but a power company for the people probably isn't one of them.
Shortly after we published our post about Hillsborough Democrats being thrilled to have activist Pat Kemp challenge Al Higginbotham in the District 7 County Commission race later this year, former Kevin Beckner aide Mark Nash wants in on the fun — he too has announced he's running for the Democratic nomination in District 7.
And last I checked the Florida Legislature hasn't passed that law that would add more regulations to the craft brewing industry in Florida, meaning Mark Sharpe remains a Republican — we think.
