Florida Legislators Feel the Heat as Volunteer Leaders Storm Tallahassee!

Grassroots leaders from around the state gathered in Tallahassee this month to lobby their legislators for less and to discuss strategy for starting volunteer CSE networks in their communities. Members of both the Florida House and Senate heard from these elite, volunteer activists about the core issues of the Florida Freedom Agenda, including: No Tax Increases, Medical Liability Reform, and Paycheck Protection Legislation.

These legislators know that the participants in this year’s CSE Leadership Day at the Capitol are the politically well-connected leaders within their communities that care passionately about, and will lobby hard for, lower taxes, less government, and more freedom. The Speaker of the Florida House, Johnnie Byrd (R-62), even held a private meeting with CSE activists where he thanked them for their hard-work and gave them special insight as to where the key obstacles to CSE’s Florida Freedom Agenda lay in the legislature.

Convinced to make Florida legislators truly feel the heat, these activists tirelessly walked the halls of house and senate office buildings, cornering legislators and their staff to lobby them on the Florida Freedom Agenda. In one instance, CSE’s delegation of activists overwhelmed the office of Senate President Jim King (R-8). Viewed as a primary roadblock to meaningful medical liability reform that will end lawsuit abuse, Senator King’s staff got an earful from activists sick and tired of doctors and businesses leaving Florida because insurance premiums have gone through the roof thanks to the trial lawyers.

In addition, these activists used the remainder of their time in Tallahassee to talk about strategies for strengthening CSE’s presence in the state moving forward. At a strategy roundtable, CSE President, Paul Beckner, interacted with activists and discussed building volunteer CSE networks throughout Florida and other ideas for enhancing and focusing the pressure that Florida CSE activists can place on policy makers at both the state and federal levels.