Today in Tallahassee: Flowers, speeches, gaming and protests

TALLAHASSEE — Florida lawmakers christen the start of the 2012 legislative session today with midday speeches from Gov. Rick Scott and House and Senate leadership. The session officially starts at 9:30 a.m., which means campaign-checks have to be received by 9:29 a.m. to avoid the fundraising ban. Desks in the House and Senate chambers will be adorned with flower arrangements from lobbyists — the only tokens of appreciation (other than very large campaign checks to political funds) they are allowed to give to lawmakers under Florida’s gift-ban. The actual committee work will be light. Scott is slated to give his annual State of the State address to a joint session in the House chambers at 11:30 a.m. Entering his second year in office, Scott is expected to reiterate his proposal to boost education spending and cutting Medicaid. The speech is also going to tout Florida’s economic progress over the last year. Meanwhile, “Awake the State” protesters who don’t think the governor’s performance has been so swell plan to picket at the Capitol and cities elsewhere. The Florida Chamber of Commerce, Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association and Florida Retail Federation plan to hold a press conference outside the House chamber of the Capitol’s 4th floor to rail against the destination casino bill that passed its first Senate committee on Monday. The Senate actually plans to conduct some business

this afternoon, taking up claims bills for William Dillon and Eric Brody . Dillon, a former Brevard County resident, spent 27 years in prison for a murder that DNA evidence exonerated him of committing. Brody, of Sunrise, was brain-damaged in a car accident in 1988 when a Broward sheriff’s deputy crashed into his car. Both men were on the cusp of having their claims paid last year before House Speaker Dean Cannon killed the bills in the midst of a literal 11th-hour showdown with Senate President Mike Haridopolos . The two outgoing presiding officers are already at odds this session over whether to pass a $1 billion in budget cuts quickly — or wait until later this spring the revenue picture could improve. The tension isn’t exactly Def Con 1 yet, but stay tuned. The House doesn’t plan to do any business on the floor for a while, but its Appropriations Committee will get an afternoon briefing on Scott’s budget proposal from Jerry McDaniel , the governor’s spending guru. Scott’s budget calls for plugging $1 billion back into public school funding, although not all of it is actually new money. He also wants to cut Medicaid funding by $1.9 billion, and increase tax-incentives for companies willing to move to Florida or expand here.

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Today in Tallahassee: Flowers, speeches, gaming and protests

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