Politics

Tina Polsky, Lindsay Cross hope to make it easier for people to vote after disasters

Published

6 hours ago

March 3, 2025

A pair of Florida Democrats are pushing legislation to make it easier for people to vote after a natural disaster. Sen. Tina Polsky and Rep. Lindsay Cross have filed bills (SB 1486 and HB 1317) in their respective chambers to afford additional opportunities to vote in disaster areas.

Dubbed the “Disaster-Affected Voter Bill of Rights,” the measure would ensure all voters living in communities impacted by a disaster, such as a hurricane, have an equal opportunity to vote as those in areas unaffected by the disaster.

The measure would allow voters to call the local Supervisor of Elections to request a vote-by-mail ballot at a temporary address. Currently, displaced residents must submit a signed statewide form. The bills would also allow voters to have their already requested mail ballot forwarded by the U.S. Postal Service.

The measures would allow voters to return ballots to an elections office in a different county or at polling places on Election Day, a perk not currently allowed that would provide displaced voters the opportunity to cast a ballot where they are living temporarily in cases where damage to their home or community requires them to relocate to a friend, family, rental, or other living situation necessitated by the disaster.

Additionally, the measure would give voters an extra two days to request or return a ballot or to cure any signature issues with a vote-by-mail ballot. It would also provide for early voting 15 days before the election, through Election Day, with mobile polling locations as an option. The bills would open the option for additional early voting sites, offer intake stations beyond early voting hours, and allow ballots to be held at local offices in areas where post offices are impacted.

The additional voting measures would apply to any county designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency or the Governor as a declared state of emergency.

“Natural disasters shouldn’t prevent voters from casting a ballot. During the aftermath of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, thousands of residents in my district were scrambling to pick up the pieces and rebuild their lives. With their polling places also underwater, the last thing they needed to worry about is where, how, or if they could vote. As a state, we should be looking at ways to make it easier for people impacted by disasters to exercise one of their fundamental freedoms as Americans – voting. These changes will ensure that, come hell or high water, Floridians can exercise their right to vote,” said Cross, whose St. Pete-based district was heavily impacted last hurricane season by back-to-back storms Helene and Milton.

Polsky likewise said voters “deserve the peace of mind that, even in the face of natural disasters like hurricanes, they will be able to easily and fully participate” in the democratic process.

“The response to a natural disaster amidst the election season should be applied uniformly. All voters deserve protection and ease of access when facing emergencies,” she said.

The measures, filed on Thursday, have already garnered support from voting rights groups.

“The unfortunate reality in Florida is that elections often coincide with hurricane season,” All Voting is Local Action Florida State Director Brad Ashwell said. “What doesn’t have to be a reality, however, is natural disasters becoming politicized by the state that will ultimately get to pick and choose which counties’ voters get help and which ones don’t. This bill ensures that a hurricane wouldn’t automatically make it harder for Floridians to vote, as it would equitably spread relief measures across the state like extended vote times and grant more flexible vote-by-mail options while ensuring that election officials have the resources they need.”

Added Amy Keith, executive director for Common Cause Florida: “It is common sense to make sure that voters in all counties affected by a disaster have the same opportunities to vote. Our state prides itself on common sense and freedom – let’s ensure those in disaster areas, regardless of which county they live in, have the same access to the ballot as they recover and rebuild their lives.”

The Southern Poverty Law Center is also on board.

“Florida voters who suffer from the consequences of natural disasters deserve to have an equal opportunity to participate in our elections,” the group’s Florida Policy Associate, Aurelie Colon Larrauri, said. “Last year’s hurricane season was the most destructive to date, forcing many Floridians to evacuate due to fear of flooding, tornadoes, and a multitude of other reasons that led to displacement during and after the storm. That is why we are grateful to Rep. Lindsay Cross and Sen. Tina Polsky for sponsoring the Disaster-Affected Voter Bill of Rights, which ensures that all Florida voters can cast their ballot in upcoming elections.”

Post Views: 0

Source link

Politics

Kelvin Enfinger tapped to chair Associated Builders and Contractors of Florida Board

Published

3 minutes ago

March 3, 2025

May Greene

The Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) of Florida has selected Kelvin Enfinger as its 2025 Board Chair.

Enfinger is the Vice President and Partner of Greenhut Construction Company in Pensacola.

A native of Northwest Florida, Enfinger has worked in construction and as a tradesman his entire career, working his way up to leadership at Greenhut, where he is part of a management team overseeing more than $650 million in construction in a variety of sectors, including retail, health care, aviation and education.

ABC of Florida represents more than 2,000 member companies and has five chapters across the state. It is the largest commercial construction association in Florida, and serves as the “voice of commercial construction” in Tallahassee.

In addition to his new role as Chair of the ABC of Florida Board, Enfinger is also a member of the group’s National Tech and Innovation Committee and its National Free Enterprise Alliance Committee. He also serves on boards for the NAIOP Northwest Florida, FloridaWest EDA and BRACE in Escambia County.

Additionally, Enfinger is also a member of the University of West Florida Construction Management Advisory Council and is a past Chair of the ABC North Florida Board (2024) and is a past member of the ABC National Board (2024).

ABC of Florida employs a full-time team of lobbyists to advocate in Tallahassee for the interests of the organization and its members, and for legislation that benefits the broader construction industry.

Each year, members of the group participate in one of several “Capitol Days” in which various groups, organizations and businesses share with lawmakers and other members of the legislative process what they do and why. ABC of Florida members wear hardhats and discuss real-life impacts of government regulations affecting construction.

The industry is one of the top five economic drivers in Florida’s economy, according to the group.

Its chapters include Central Florida, the East Coast, the First Coast, the Gulf Coast and North Florida.

Post Views: 0

Source link

Politics

Democrats file bills to expand Medicaid, raise teacher pay

Published

34 minutes ago

March 3, 2025

May Greene

Outnumbered Democrats acknowledge that bills to expand Medicaid, raise teacher pay, and protect unions are long shots to pass this Legislative Session, but they are still trying to push their agenda in hopes it catches Republicans’ attention.

“No one is more keenly aware of the numbers in Tallahassee than us, and we know that these bills are not likely to move,” House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell told journalists while outlining some of the Democrats’ priorities before the Session begins Tuesday.

“It’s important to push the conversation, and that’s what we’re doing. Besides, Democratic ideas get poached all the time, so you never know when one of the concepts in these pieces of legislation might show up in a bill that gets heard on the floor.”

Rep. Dotie Joseph filed a bill (HB 1507) to expand Medicaid that would provide health care to low-income Floridians and children.

“Florida is one of about a dozen states that has refused to expand Medicaid, and because of that over 2.4 million Floridians … are uninsured,” the North Miami Democrat said. “That’s the fourth-highest rate in the nation. “

HB 1177 would strengthen unions and add heat safety protection for outdoor workers.

“Unions are what has brought us to the place where we are today,” said Rep. Michael Gottlieb of Davie, the bill’s sponsor. “In terms of workers’ protections, we need to safeguard their ability to remain a stalwart protection for workers.”

HB 1019, filed by Rep. Christine Hunschofsky, would require background checks on gun sales and transfers as well as add new restrictions on “ghost guns,” which are weapons without serial numbers that are assembled together in a kit or pieces.

Among the changes proposed by Rep. Jervonte Edmonds’ legislation (HB 1045) are overriding the current minimum teacher base of $47,500 to make it either the national average for a full-time teacher or 10% higher than the minimum base pay was for the previous year — whichever of the two is higher.

And Rep. Rita Harris of Orlando sponsored a measure (HB 1471) to add more protections for renters, including requiring renters to get three months advance notice if rent is increasing by more than 5%.

With Democrats up against a GOP supermajority in both chambers, they will need significant cross-party support to get any of these measures onto Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk.

Post Views: 0

Source link

Politics

Jay Trumbull, James Buchanan file bills to make stem cell therapy more available

Published

1 hour ago

March 3, 2025

May Greene

New legislation could make stem cell therapies more accessible to patients in the Sunshine State.

Panama City Republican Sen. Jay Trumbull and North Port Republican Rep. James Buchanan have filed similar measures (SB 1768, HB 1617) on the topic.

Trumbull’s bill is aiming to tap into the significant potential of stem cell therapies in advancing medical treatments and improving patient outcomes. The bill aims to ensure that stem cell therapies are available, but without using stem cells that haven’t been obtained in an ethical manner, particularly from aborted fetuses.

Trumbull is instead urging the use of stem cell sources that are harvested from adults, umbilical cord blood, and other ethically sourced products.

Both bills would authorize health care providers to perform stem cell therapy that has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under certain circumstances, such as treatments that are related to orthopedics, wound care or pain management.

Stem cells would be required to be manufactured in a certified clean room space, and must be retrieved, manufactured and stored in facilities registered and regulated by the FDA. They must also be registered or licensed with specific entities like the National Marrow Donor Program, the World Marrow Donor Association, the Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies, or the American Association of Tissue Banks.

Health care providers who provide stem cell treatments would be required to adhere to good manufacturing practices for collecting, processing and using stem cells. Health care providers would further need to give patients written notice before performing any stem cell therapies and inform them that the therapy is not FDA-approved, while encouraging them to consult with their primary health care providers.

Written consent from a patient would also be required before a stem cell therapy could begin, detailing the nature of the procedure, the expected results, risks, benefits of the treatment, and any alternative treatments that might be available to them.

Providers with FDA-approved investigational new drugs or those working with certified institutions would be exempt from these requirements.

The Department of Health would be responsible for implementing the provisions of the bill by adopting rules, while violations could lead to disciplinary action for the health care provider.