Ed. note — It’s almost time to say goodbye to several lawmakers, all moving on due to term limits. We thought now would be a good time for a curtain call, a chance to reminisce on serving their districts in Tallahassee. In this series, which initially appeared in INFLUENCE Magazine , you’ll hear about highlights and challenges, how they pursued politics and where they’re headed now. You’ll also get a glimpse of the state as the coronavirus was kicking into a higher gear. The pandemic tests safety standards and hurts the economy, and ideas about how to handle it differ sharply. The COVID-19 pandemic might have something to say about when lawmakers meet again, possibly sooner than anticipated. ___ The joint budget commission worked its way to the wire before approving a $93.2 billion budget for 2020. That sum included $52 million in mostly federal aid in response to the novel coronavirus. Then it turned out COVID-19 was just getting started. Rob Bradley , who chairs the Senate side of the Joint Budget Committee, has seen other emergencies play havoc with state resources. In each of his three years as budget chair, the state has been rocked by a school shooting, a killer hurricane and, now, a pandemic. “What this taught me, and hopefully this is a lesson for those that follow, is that the state should always prepare financially for the unexpected,” Bradley said. “It seems so simple, but it takes discipline.” He’ll soon return to private life because of term limits. The past eight years have given him a chance to serve the state in which he grew up, to protect its waterways and endeavor to help its young people, even those who have gotten in trouble with the law, in keeping with the compassionate conservatism he […]
