FOLLOW US

By BRANDON LARRABEE
THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

©2017 The News Service of Florida. All rights reserved. Posting or forwarding this material without permission is prohibited. You can view the Terms of Use on our website.

THE CAPITAL, TALLAHASSEE, May 9, 2017......... After lawmakers ignored their calls to vote down a sprawling education bill, opponents of the wide-ranging measure have turned to Gov. Rick Scott as their last hope to stop the proposal from becoming law.

It is not clear when the bill (HB 7069), which covers everything from charter schools and teacher bonuses to school uniforms and sunscreen, will hit Scott's desk. It could be weeks before the Legislature decides to forward the budget-related bill to the governor.

But within hours of its passage Monday night through the Senate by the narrowest possible margin, 20-18, opponents were already beginning to urge Scott to use his veto pen on the measure.

In addition to complaints about individual policy issues in the bill, critics have seized on the fact that the measure --- which includes pieces of roughly a dozen separate bills considered during the legislative session --- emerged from budget negotiations Friday afternoon.

"Where's the government transparency that the leadership promised this session?" Florida Education Association President Joanne McCall asked in a statement issued by the union demanding a veto. "Floridians expect a fair process, not backroom deal-making."

In a sign that the bill has taken on added political significance, former Democratic Congresswoman Gwen Graham --- who's running for governor --- also issued a statement calling on Scott to nix the bill, along with the state budget approved before lawmakers ended the session Monday.

"As governor, I will veto any budget or policy that shortchanges our schools in favor of the education industry," Graham said. "I'll cancel the Legislature's summer vacation and demand they start over from scratch. We no longer have time for rhetoric or games."

Many of the social media accounts that railed against the bill as it moved through the Legislature on Monday pushed for a veto. Some organizations were slower to state the next step.

Sen. Bill Montford, a Tallahassee Democrat who also serves as CEO of the Florida Association of District School Superintendents, said Monday night it was too early to say what position his group would take.

"I know the superintendents throughout Florida are very concerned tonight about the budget that we just passed, and rightfully so," Montford said.