While the new Senate President and Speaker of the House were in Tallahassee this week organizing for the Spring Session, they held a one day Special Session to overrode the vetoes of seven bills vetoed by Governor Crist and took action on three other issues.
Overrides require at least two-thirds support in each chamber. Here are the issues and how the House and Senate voted.
Veto overrides
Home-sale info (HB 545): Requires sellers of homes in coastal areas to disclose the home's windstorm mitigation rating to potential buyers. Critics said the information could scare off potential home buyers in an already foundering real estate market. House: 120-0. Senate: 39-0.
Yard waste (HB 569): Allows local governments to combine yard waste with household waste in landfills to save money. Opponents of the override wanted the compostable material in separate landfills because it's better for the environment. House: 114-5. Senate: 39-0.
Ag tax exemption (HB 981): Allows farmers putting farmland up for sale to keep agricultural tax exemptions, even if the appraised value increases because the land has been put on the market. The measure undoes a court ruling that would have required farmers to pay more in taxes if their property became worth more when it went up for sale as a higher and better land-use designation. House: 120-0. Senate: 35-2.
Passive cleanup (HB 1385): Allows state environmental officials to use passive techniques to clean sites contaminated by petroleum. Crist wrote in his veto letter that it would take money away from cleaning up the most dangerous sites and lower standards for the sites, usually former gas stations. House 118-1. Senate: 39-0.
State land database (SB 1516): Requires the state Department of Environmental Protection to create a database of all state-owned lands and buildings. Crist vetoed it in part because the Department of Management Services had already been assigned the task and he didn't want DEP to take it over. But Senate budget chief J.D. Alexander has been displeased with DMS's inability to get the job done. House: 116-1. Senate: 38-1.
Government limits (HB 1565): Limits state agencies' ability to make rules by requiring the legislature to ratify rules that cost more than $1 million to enforce over five years. Opponents, including Crist, said it was a legislative encroachment on the governor's powers. House: 99-21. Senate: 32-7.
Roadwork notification (SB 1842): Requires state transportation officials to notify local officials before beginning road projects, thus giving business more notice. Transportation officials objected because it will slow their projects. House: 117-0. Senate: 39-0
Shands budget line item: Provides $9.7 million to the Shands Healthcare System, which would allow the hospital to get $30 million in Medicaid money. Without the override, Shands would be forced to shut down several units serving Medicaid and charity patients. House: 120-0. Senate: 39-0.
Other issues
Septic tanks (SB 2a): Postpones the effective date of a law requiring septic tanks to be inspected every five years from Jan. 1 to July 1, allowing lawmakers to reconsider the law next spring. Septic tank owners say the inspections will cost too much, but environmentalists say septic tanks are among the leading causes of dirty Florida rivers and lakes. House: 112-7. Senate: 38-1.
Air conditioning and solar rebates (HB 15a): Appropriates $30.4 million in federal stimulus money to provide rebates for solar power and energy-efficient air conditioners. House: 118-0. Senate: 36-2.
Medicaid: Passed a 'memorial' to tell Congress that Florida lawmakers want to make major changes in Medicaid. Passed both chamber on a voice vote.
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