Manatee County commissioners are working on their 2012 legislative priorities months ahead of schedule because the next Florida legislative session begins earlier than usual.
The session is set to begin Jan. 10, 2012, and end March 9, 2012.
Legislative committee meetings will begin as early as September, according to county information outreach coordinator Nick Azzara. So, the county commission likely will adopt its legislative platform next month.
The commission reviewed a priorities list Aug. 9. Priorities also were discussed at a Manatee Council of Governments meeting earlier in the month.
Azzara presented a draft of legislative priorities that, as has been the case for past sessions, ranks beach renourishment near the top.
The proposal states that the county “supports the continuation of a dedicated state funding source for beach renourishment at or above the statutory levels. Manatee County supports legislation that protects the sovereign immunity of counties with regard to beach mitigation liability where a county conducts beach renourishment according to federal and state regulatory requirements.”
County officials, along with officials from other coastal communities, lobbied hard during the 2011 session for funding for renourishment projects. The governor had proposed eliminating renourishment money in his budget, but the final $68 billion budget approved in June contained $16.2 million for renourishment work, including on Anna Maria Island.
Other proposed priorities include:
• Supporting requirement for out-of-state vendors doing business in the state — especially Internet retailers – to collect and remit Florida state and local-option sales taxes.
• Supporting a thorough review of Florida sales tax exemptions and exclusions.
• Opposing more reductions to the public library system. Manatee County operates the local public libraries, including the Island Branch Library, 5701 Marina Drive.
• Opposing oil and gas drilling in state waters, and supporting a constitutional amendment to ban oil drilling in near-shore waters.
Azzara identified a pressing, potential legislative issue for commissioners — dealing with the dissolution of basin boards in the Southwest Florida Water Management District.
The 2011 legislative session left Swiftmud facing a 30 percent drop in funding. The governor, despite calls from conservationists for a veto, signed a bill mandating a property tax cap in each of the state’s water management districts.
In May, the Swiftmud governing board responded, approving a resolution to merge the district’s eight basin boards into the governing board. The basin boards had worked with local governments and organizations on water-resource projects, including a number of projects for the Island. Half of the money for the projects came from the basin boards and half from local entities.
Swiftmud said the change should save $400,000 a year, but commissioners last week expressed concern about how Swiftmud money will be allocated in the future and the loss of local input on projects.
Commissioner Joe McClash questioned the legality of the move. “You have a taxation without representation question,” he said. “I think it’s an urgent issue and that we need to get involved.”
Commissioner John Chappie said, “We keep losing more control of the decision-making process with regards to our tax dollars. …I’m disappointed. I would hope that we would have ability to determine where the local dollars are distributed.”
Commissioners agreed to further discussion on the matter.