The Pasco County Commission last week voted to not renew the contract of its lobbyist when it expires next year. Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward told Inweekly he has no plans to discontinue his relationship with The Fiorentino Group.
Both Pasco County and Mayor Hayward pay their state lobbyists $60,000 a year.
House Speaker Richard Corcoran, who represents Pasco County, has called the practice of cities, counties, school boards and other local governments to hire Tallahassee lobbyists a “disgrace.â€
In an interview with Inweekly, Speaker Corcoran said, “The point is this, the concept that a public government would pay, with taxpayer dollars, somebody to go to another level of government and see what they can extract out of the taxpayers at that level, is one of the most reprehensible things that I think goes on in government today.â€
At its Nov. 29 meeting, the Pasco County Commission voted to not renew its agreement with lobbyist Shawn Foster, when the contract expires Nov. 30. 2017.
Inweekly caught up with Mayor Hayward on Friday at Pensacola State College’s press conference on the HighTech Initiative. The mayor said he is aware that Speaker Corcoran’s plans to crack down on lobbying by cities and counties.
Mayor Hayward said lobbyists are essential as a “part of doing business,†and they “amplify” the city’s voice and its initiatives. Since taking office in January 2011, the mayor Ashton Hayward has spent over $450,000 of taxpayer’s money lobbying the state and federal governments.
Mayor Hayward did laud Corcoran’s other rules to make House members and legislation more open.
“I applaud Corcoran for wanting to make (the House) more transparent,” Hayward said, pointing out, for example, the Land O’ Lakes politician plans to stop House members from inserting 11th hour expenditures into bills.
The Florida Legislature should amend Chapter 166 Municipalities, Florida Statutes, to expressly prohibit local governments to include municipalities, counties and special districts (such as the Pensacola CRA, Pensacola DIB, SRIA, ECUA, etc.) from expending public funds on lobbying activities. That seems a common sense prohibition that both the Florida House and the Florida Senate could agree upon and that Governor Scott would sign into law without hesitation. As imagined, the Florida League of Cities will go nuts because their primary function is to apply pressure to legislators in Tallahassee. Perhaps the Florida Legislature could ensure that its anti-lobbying legislation addressed the problems with groups like the Florida League of Cities that even hosts so-called “Legislative ‘action’ days in Tallahassee during legislative session.” From the standpoint of city residents and businesses, fewer and lower taxes are better. Yet, as seen right on its own website, the Florida League of Cities wants to protect the Local Business Tax and the Local Communications Service Taxes. The fewer special interest groups pushing their own agenda we have lobbying our legislators the better. If local government officials in the two-county Pensacola Bay Area want to discuss issues with our local state legislative delegation, there is nothing stopping them from doing so as often as they want to include on a Saturday afternoon during the legislative session because most of our delegation probably drives home on the weekends. By the way, city voters can also amend the City Charter to prohibit the expenditure of public funds for lobbying activities. The Florida Attorney General’s website includes 420 published Opinions related to Charter Amendments and another 12 that include the word “lobbyist” if anyone wants to study the issue more.
get that sorry pos out of office before the city is bankrupt seems the city coffers are is personal bank acct. he spends money like it grows on freaking trees the city and county are so freaking corrupt there’s not one lawyer or politician that is trust worthy any more .they all lie cheat and steal treat the citizens like we are their underlings .worse part it will never change