Moving the Deck Chairs
By Kari Hebrank , Executive Vice President
Now that the 2022 Election is behind us , it is time to start moving the “ deck chairs ” in the Capitol building , rather a shuffling of offices , committee structure , committee assignments , and the coveted chairmanships that follow when there is a changing of the guards in the Senate President and House Speaker posts . Although the Governor ’ s office did not change hands , there are lots of new lawmakers that will be busy trying to find where the restrooms and vending machines are located in the “ big , tall white tower building ” in downtown Tallahassee .
Newly-elected and re-elected legislators convened in Tallahassee on November 22 for Organizational Session whereby they were sworn-in and leadership positions were unveiled . On the Senate side , Senator Kathleen Passidomo ( R-Naples ) takes over as Senate President , only the third woman in the history of the Legislature to become Senate President and will lead with a 28-member Republican majority out of the 40 senators . A long-time friend to NUCA of Florida , Senator Passidomo wasted no time in outlining her priorities relating to affordable and workforce housing , expansion of the wildlife corridor and hurricane recovery efforts and mentioned the need to address escalating property insurance costs . When revealing her leadership team , Senator Passidomo referred to them as “ friends and confidants .” The Senate leadership is comprised of the following :
Senate President Kathleen Passidomo
4 DITCHMEN • OCTOBER 2022