Commentary: DeSantis Continues to Limit Local Government Power in Florida.
Governor DeSantis and the Republicans are moving to pass more legislation which will limit the power of local governments. The state has already limited the ability of local governments to control the budgets of their police forces and has opened cities to possible civil suits in the aftermath of a protest/riot by those owners who suffered any property damage. The state has suspended COVID regulations passed by local governments including the limiting of business practices and the shuttering of schools. More significantly, the state can now override local orders during any public health crisis.
In proposed pieces of legislation in the House and Senate, the state is now moving to limit the ability of cities to address climate change and environmental issues. Cities will not be able to ban or restrict the type of fuels utilities use to provide power to customers’ houses. Cities will not be able to rewrite local building codes regulations to transfer the building from natural gas to renewable energy. Twenty-seven mayors sent a letter to Republican Speaker of the House Chris Spowls and Republican Senate leader Wilton Simpson in opposition to the legislation. It is well-established that cities are in the forefront of the move to renewable energy and in implementing reforms to deal with climate change across the globe. Cities are well ahead of actions taken by state, especially Florida, and the national governments in the United States. In Florida, several major cities are making dramatic movements to address the issues of climate change and the environment. These include St. Petersburg, Tampa, Sarasota, Orlando, Miami, Miami Beach, and Panama City. This legislation will effectively pre-empt many of their actions.
The actions taken by DeSantis and the Republican dominated legislature are clear violations of conservative principles. Conservatives have long argued that local problems should be solved locally not by some distant, centralized state bureaucracy or cabinet or the national government. These actions were and are being taken simply to appeal to the Trump base as DeSantis prepares for a presidential run in 2024. But the real question is…where is the genuine conservative outrage concerning the usurpation of local power by DeSantis and the Republicans at the state level? Where?
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