Speaker Rubio's "100 IDEAS"
To Kill The Future
of Homeowners! |
An Opinion By Jan Bergemann Published March 26, 2007
Only 64 votes stand between consumer-friendly legislation and a Speaker who has his own agenda and his own innovative "100 Ideas"! 64 votes was the difference between now "Speaker" Marco Rubio and his opponent in a Special Run-Off Election on January 11, 2000. And 3,152 votes actually got him into office in a Special General Election for House Representative District 111 on January 25, 2000. Don't forget, Charlie Crist earned 2,519,845 votes to be our Governor!
But as the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, Marco Rubio has nearly as much power as our governor. Rubio can stop bills from being heard altogether, or order representatives to change their filed bills -- otherwise they will not be heard! Rubio has the power to veto a bill and thus prevent its being voted upon! Rubio is the absolute dictator in the House -- and in the moment it looks like he is abusing his power!
House
Representatives filed many good bills that would have helped consumers all
over
Instead of adding finishing touches to the insurance bill the legislature passed during the special session, Rubio allows a bill to move forward that would remove consumer protection just created during that special session (PCB JEC 07-04). A bill that not only excludes condominium residents and small business owners from consumer provisions, but removes a requirement that insurers pay property claims within 90 days of being notified -- on request of the insurance industry -- and eases the penalty for an insurer who misses those deadlines.
Controversial opinions by Rubio? Where do you want to start? Paying outrageous salaries to his staff members from taxpayers' money, but being afraid of the "fiscal impact" of a regulatory agency for homeowners' associations, financed by the homeowners themselves. But Rubio has absolutely no problem when he favors spending $60 million of taxpayers' money for a new Marlins stadium. Maybe he thinks that will pave the way to fulfill his dream: Being Baseball Commissioner? All at taxpayers' expense?
I guess we consumers desperately need the Governor and the Senate to play babysitter for a Speaker, who obviously lacks the experience to deal with these issues. What happened to his "100 IDEAS", promoted at great expense? It's pretty obvious -- the ideas requested by the constituents are being ignored!
Normally
a young leader relies on a good team of advisors. His great supporters in
Consumer organizations all over the state are pleading for help from the legislature to fix the financial problems caused by high insurance premiums, outrageous property taxes and uncontrolled association spending. So far the House leadership has totally failed to even address these issues – except for some irate ideas voiced by our esteemed Speaker of the House.
While
Governor Crist and the Senate President Ken Pruitt are seriously trying to
find feasible solutions to ease the financial burden for
What
does it tell you if consumer groups are trying to find legal ways to
remove Rubio from office, because they think that Considering
that 64 votes made the difference between whether he won or lost the
election – does the whole State of
For
the moment
Marco Rubio and his so-called "leadership team" have been blocking consumer-friendly legislation left and right!
Does
the entire State of What
happened to the most important part of the The
way it looks our new "Speaker" will do more damage to our
consumers' interest than we could ever have imagined. So, when you receive
your new property insurance premium, have problems with your association
or get sick and tired about listening to irate proposals trying to fix the
property tax problem -- just contact him or his office and vent your
anger! It may not help your cause, because Rubio seems deaf to consumer
requests, but it might make you feel better!
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