The Florida Chamber of Commerce is releasing its report on how lawmakers voted on a range of bills impacting Florida businesses.
The 2024 How They Voted report is a comprehensive review of what passed this Legislative Session, what didn't, and what remains unfinished business. The votes tracked in the report informed the Florida Chamber's 2024 Legislative Report Card, released last month.
On the whole, lawmakers mostly voted in line with the Chamber's interest. How They Voted — and the report card — take into account more than 5,700 committee and floor votes. The average score among Florida's 160 lawmakers was 87%. Senators were slightly more aligned with the Chamber, scoring an 89% average compared to the House at 86%.
The Florida Chamber informed lawmakers which issues it would be paying attention to ahead of the 2024 Legislative Session in its annual "Where We Stand" and "Florida Business Agenda" publications, which were delivered to every Representative and Senator before any tracked votes were taken.
"It's incredible what gets accomplished for Florida when the Florida Chamber unites the business community like we did again this year and I'd like to thank the members of the Florida Chamber, as well as local chambers of commerce and trade associations who joined with us to make Florida even more competitive," said Keith Koenig, Chair of CITY Furniture and Volunteer Chair of the Florida Chamber of Commerce.
"Advancing the Florida 2030 Blueprint is our focus and, on behalf of the Florida Chamber Board of Directors and our members, I'd like to thank Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature for working together to make sure the right things happen in Florida to help local businesses continue to grow and diversify Florida's economy."
When the Chamber released the 2024 Legislative Report Card, it awarded "Distinguished Advocate Awards" to 15 lawmakers: House Speaker Paul Renner and Reps. Jennifer Canady, Tiffany Esposito, Sam Garrison, Mike Giallombardo, Jason Shoaf, John Temple, Dana Trabulsy as well as Senate President Kathleen Passidomo and Sens. Jim Boyd, Colleen Burton, Nick DiCeglie, Erin Grall, Jay Trumbull and Clay Yarborough.
While the business group re-upped its praise for the Distinguished Advocates upon How They Voted's release, it offered an extra nod to Renner by naming him as the Chamber's 2024 "Most Valuable Legislator" for being a "steadfast and strategic ally who worked tirelessly to ensure passage of pro-jobs, Chamber-backed legislative priorities," specifically citing this year's bill preempting a "patchwork of inconsistent, and potentially unsafe" local heat safety mandates.
"It's an honor to be recognized as the 2024 Most Valuable Legislator by the Florida Chamber of Commerce, an organization that leads and unites the business community in Tallahassee and statewide to ensure the right things continue happening in Florida," said Renner, whose tenure leading the House concludes in November.
"The Florida Chamber has been a trusted ally of mine during my time in office and a fierce advocate for free enterprise in the state of Florida. Our work together has led to a more competitive Florida that has in many ways become a national model, and I am grateful for this recognition of our mutual efforts."
Florida Chamber President and CEO Mark Wilson added, "Partners in our effort to secure Florida's future like Speaker Paul Renner don't come along every day. We've worked hand in hand on a number of issues, from lawsuit abuse reform to flattening fiscal cliffs to constitutional amendment reform to this year's necessary effort to create further regulatory certainty for local businesses, which would not have happened without Paul's leadership.
"Speaker Renner's recognition as the business community's 2024 Most Valuable Legislator is well deserved and I would like to offer my congratulations and thanks for his leadership in making Florida a better place for all Floridians."
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