2009 WEST ORANGE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
TOP LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Supports…
 Any legislation that gives any charter county the authority to implement the Charter County Transit System
Surtax in order to bring Orange County in line with other County Charters.

Any legislation that creates or reinstates Economic Development Incentives or stimulus packages that
positively impact West Orange County.

HB 73 & SB 852 Expedited Process for Economic Development Projects. This legislation designates “Mike
McHugh Act”. It requires DEP and Water Management Districts to adopt programs to expedite processing of
permits for certain economic development projects. HB 73 passed.

HB 47 & SB 350 Entertainment Industry Economic Development. Revises entertainment industry financial
incentive program to provide corporate income tax & sales & use tax credits to qualified entertainment entities
rather than reimbursements from appropriations to recruit and retain film and television to areas like Central
Florida and West Orange County. HB 47 and SB 350, both were indefinitely postponed and withdrawn
from consideration. However, the existing appropriation for incentivizing Film & Television
production was funded at $10 million. ($5 million more than last year)
EDUCATION
Supports…
 Legislation, including but not limited to SJR 232, that will immediately increase funding to accelerate
excellence in education in all areas including teachers’ pay, capital expenditures and educational materials, to
a minimum a national average. SJR 232 was indefinitely postponed and withdrawn from consideration.

Expanding Corporate Income Tax credits for education to all donations to local education foundations that
serve public schools.

The permanent school wide average amending the Class Size Reduction Amendment requirement. This
revision would make the Class Size Reduction Amendment more flexible and less detrimental to the budget.
HJR 919, and matching Senate bill SJR1828, both were indefinitely postponed and withdrawn from
consideration.

Full funding in the 2009-10 budget, and as needed going forward in future budgets, for the University of
Central Florida’s (UCF) College of Medicine. This will allow UCF to meet the accreditation standards placed
on its med school, as well as to support our growing life sciences cluster in fulfilling its potential. UCF’s
College of Medicine was fully funded.

Continued funding for the highly successful “2+2 Partnership Program” that UCF has in collaboration with
Valencia Community College.
Opposes…
 Unfunded or under funded mandates.
GOVERNANCE AND GOVERNMENT SYSTEMS
Opposes…

Any state or federal legislation that unduly infringes on the right to operate a business and establish
economically sound workplace policies including changes to the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) as it
relates to secret-ballot elections for use in determining Union representation.
HEALTHCARE
Supports…
 Legislation that will fund Level One Trauma Centers including a portion or percentage of funds collected by
the State and Local Municipalities for red-light traffic offenders and the citations they incur acquired through
red light cameras with the remainder of the funds to stay with the local administrative jurisdiction.

Appropriate and adequate Medicaid funding for all healthcare providers while maximizing federal Medicaid
matching funds

Initiatives to reduce the number of uninsured and underinsured citizens.

Legislation to increase the tax on cigarettes in order to fund the meds Aged & Disabled program and the
medically needy program.
INSURANCE
Supports…
 Legislation that stabilizes the property insurance market and providing more affordable and available
hurricane insurance to Florida’s business owners.
CS/CS/CS/HB 1495 Property and Casualty
Insurance: Revises dates of insurer's contract year for purposes of calculating insurer's retention;
requires SBA to publish statement of estimated claims-paying capacity of Hurricane Catastrophe Fund;
provides dates on which claims-paying capacity of fund will increase; provides that insurer may repair
damaged property in compliance with its policy; authorizes insurer to include in its rates actual cost of
certain reinsurance, etc. passed.

Legislation that fights to maintain the landmark workers’ compensation reforms and plaintiff attorney’s fee
caps that have reduced workers’ compensation costs for Florida employers CS/HB 903 Attorney's Fees in
Workers' Compensation Cases: Clarifies requirements for payment of fees & costs under retainer
agreement; specifies amount of attorney's fees which claimant is entitled to recover from carrier or
employer. Passed
JUVENILE JUSTICE
Supports…
 Any legislation stating that the court has exclusive power to determine appropriate dispositions of juvenile
offenders. HB 173 died on Second Reading Calendar.

Legislation that addresses funding issues for prevention of juvenile crime and funding to better manage
placement and treatment of existing juvenile offenders. Each county should be permitted to create a juvenile
crime prevention fund through assessment of additional court costs.
TRANSPORTATION
Supports…
 Maintaining construction dollar funding for the widening of S.R. 50 between Avalon Road and S.R. 429 in the
5 year work plan and include construction funding for the section from S.R. 429 to Good Homes Road. This
project is an economic stimulus for business in West Orange County. As of 4/23/09, The American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 was signed by President Obama on February 17,
2009. As part of the ARRA, federal funds are being provided to pay for needed transportation
improvements in Florida while providing jobs and other economic benefits. The construction of S.R. 50
in Winter Garden (from Avalon Road to S.R. 429) is one of the improvement projects that will be
funded by this legislation. The S.R. 50 project includes widening and reconstructing the existing fivelave rural roadway to a six-lane urban divided roadway with a raised 30 foot wide median and
sidewalks.