Florida News Straight From the Source
Following incendiary remarks made by Senator Dennis Baxley and Representative Mike Hill, Commissioner Nicole “Nikki” Fried issued the following statement: [Read more…] about Commissioner Nikki Fried Statement on Remarks by Senator Baxley & Representative Hill
On Thursday, March 14th at 11:00 AM, State Senator Dennis Baxley, State Representative Mike Hill, and co-sponsors from both chambers of the Fetal Heartbeat Legislation will participate in a press conference with the leadership of Florida Right to Life on the 4th floor of the State Capitol. [Read more…] about Senator Dennis Baxley and Fetal Heartbeat Bill Co-Sponsors to Participate in Right to Life Press Conference
Senator Dennis Baxley (R-Lady Lake) today announced the filing of SB 792, known otherwise as the fetal heartbeat bill. [Read more…] about Senator Baxley Files Fetal Heartbeat Bill
Senator Dennis Baxley (R-Ocala) today released the following statement clarifying comments made during a recent meeting of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services, during which the committee discussed the tragic deaths that occurred in a Hollywood, Florida, nursing home following Hurricane Irma.
“I apologize if my comments yesterday did not properly convey the deep respect I have for elder members of our communities and the concern I share regarding the preventable tragedy that occurred in Hollywood. As a funeral director and ordained elder of my church, I have spent my entire adult life working with families who are grieving the loss of a loved one. In addition to my faith, working in this field has shown me day in and day out that the life of each and every member of our society is special and worthy of respect. Many of the funeral services we coordinate involve elder members of our community, and I take great pride in the opportunity to ensure their lives are honored and celebrated. No family member should have to fear that their loved one is suffering in a nursing home, particularly during a natural disaster. I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure the Legislature takes the appropriate steps to safeguard our seniors from the horrific and inexcusable situation that occurred in Hollywood.”
Senator Gary M. Farmer, Jr. (D-Fort Lauderdale) on Thursday issued the following statement regarding the heartless remarks recently made by Senator Dennis Baxley:
“Words cannot express how disappointed I am in my colleague’s rationalization of the events in the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills. To mitigate the impact of their deaths by suggesting their inevitability is simply wrong.
“We cannot condone death as a cost of doing business in the State of Florida. Our charge as a Legislative body is to do anything and everything we can to prevent tragedies like these from occurring or repeating themselves. Anything short of that is irresponsible and unacceptable.
“That is why I plan on introducing legislation that will go a long way toward preventing similar tragedies in the future. Ensuring access to life-saving temperatures, reviewing our oversight procedures and personnel, and providing accountability where there is none are just a few of the solutions that I will raise in this coming Session.
“I look forward to debating these issues when the time for a bill hearing comes. For now, it is my hope that Senator Baxley apologizes to the families and friends of the deceased, as well as the countless other nursing home and assisted living facility patients across our State. I ask Senator Baxley and my fellow Senators to join me in taking steps to ensure another tragedy like this never happens in the state of Florida. We owe them more than an abrupt dismissal. We owe them the dignity they were due.”
Outraged by remarks made yesterday by Republican Senator Dennis Baxley suggesting that the deaths of 14 elderly patients at a South Florida nursing home following Hurricane Irma were somehow self-inflicted, Senate Democratic Leader Oscar Braynon, on behalf of the entire Senate Democratic Caucus, demanded an apology.
“These men and women were entrusted to a nursing home that abandoned that responsibility and left them to die,” said Leader Braynon (D-Miami Gardens). “To say that death was imminent regardless of the actual facts that caused these fatalities not only diminishes the role this nursing home played, but the cascade of events that set the stage for such a calamity to happen. Senator Baxley owes the surviving families an immediate apology.”
At a meeting on Wednesday of the Senate Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee, Senator Baxley stunned many lawmakers as well as members of the public when he deflected blame from the nursing home and inadequate policy to the elderly patients themselves.
“Look at the population,” he reportedly said. “You’re dealing with the 90-somethings. Some of these deaths would naturally occur, storm or no storm. Eventually everyone who was in that nursing home will die. But we don’t need to attribute those all to the storm and bad policy.”
The deaths at the Hollywood Hills Rehabilitation Center are currently under criminal investigation. The nursing home, one of many statewide that lost power during Hurricane Irma’s landfall in Florida, did not have a functioning backup generator to maintain air conditioning in the sweltering heat. The catastrophic conditions led to 14 of the patients eventually succumbing following days of exposure to the intense heat. Eight of them died three days after the power loss; six of them died following their evacuation from the nursing home after authorities were summoned.
“If the fault lies with anyone, it begins with the Scott Administration that allowed bad actors in the nursing home industry to flourish with no effective regulatory oversight. It ends with a nursing home that ignored these helpless souls entrusted to their care,” said Leader Braynon. “Senator Baxley should know better, and he should be ashamed for refusing to place the blame where it actually belongs.”
Senator Dennis Baxley makes the following announcement regarding the delegation public hearing and deadlines.
The Marion County Legislative Delegation Meeting will be held on Thursday, October 19, 2017, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The public hearing will take place at the Klein Center at the College of Central Florida, located at 3001 SW College Rd, Ocala, FL 34474, for the purpose of hearing public testimony on general issues, legislation, local bills and appropriations.
To be placed on the agenda to address the Marion County Legislative Delegation, please contact Alex Bickley in Senator Baxley’s office prior to October 13, 2017.
State Senator Linda Stewart (D-Orlando) on Wednesday filed Senate Bill 1398 with Senator Dennis Baxley (R-Ocala) to create a voluntary program that promotes accessibility for the disabled, provides businesses with guidance on compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and gives courts a tool to reject claims for attorneys’ fees and costs in “drive-by” lawsuits. The lawmakers will join State Rep. Tom Leek (R-Ormond Beach) to discuss the legislation on Friday, March 10, 2017 at 9:30 AM in the State Capitol’s House Media Room.
“We are taking key steps to ensure the Americans with Disabilities Act is used for the purpose for which it was intended—to protect our friends and neighbors with a disability, and not as a money-making scheme for unscrupulous attorneys,” said Sen. Stewart. “Florida’s small businesses will now have access to information and guidance that ensures they are taking proactive steps to accommodate anyone who wants to shop there.”
Drive-by lawsuits were recently the focus of CBS’s 60 Minutes, which highlighted the abuses of certain law firms that have sought out unsuspecting hotels, restaurants, and other local employers to file hundreds of frivolous lawsuits based on highly technical violations of the ADA. Violations can be as simple as misplaced signs or failing to include the words “Van Accessible” on parking signs. Senate Bill 1398 provides businesses with resources to increase accessibility for places of public accommodation and gives courts a tool to handle drive-by ADA lawsuits accordingly.
“This is good, common sense public policy that makes a real difference in our communities, and gives the ADA back to the people for whom it was written—Americans with disabilities,” said Rep. Leek, who filed House Bill 727 as a companion bill in the Florida House of Representatives.
“This bill is a big win for both the disability and business communities, and I am proud to stand behind it,” said Senator Baxley.
Senator Dennis Baxley filed a bill to improve the efficiency of local governing boards. Similar to the practices in the Florida Legislature, under this bill, two members of a Board (of five or more) would be permitted to gather information and discuss topics without such an action constituting an official public meeting, all the while ensuring that no public policy is being made. The goal of this bill is to improve efficiencies in local government while still maintaining strict safeguards to ensure the public’s business is conducted in the sunshine. Representative Byron Donalds filed the House companion bill.
“It’s time to clarify what Sunshine law means with local officials and to add a level of common sense and reason,” Senator Dennis Baxley said.
“This bill provides the opportunity for public servants to be more effective while maintaining the intent of Florida’s government in the sunshine principle,” Representative Byron Donalds said. “We should allow local officials to have the same flexibility we have in the Legislature to educate themselves on matters they are addressing.”
