For years, state leaders have worked to seize power from local governments, hampering the ability to make decisions on everything from tree protections to school property taxes. We know best, they often dictated from on-high. That makes what’s happened during the coronavirus crisis so conspicuous. They have let the locals call most of the shots, on issues as important as how to reopen schools and whether to mandate masks. The shift comes with the whiff of hypocrisy, but maybe the lesson will stick: Local governments often have a better handle on what their communities need.
The power brokers in the Florida Legislature usually can’t help themselves. They love to meddle in the minuscule. In the last legislative session alone, legislators debated bills that would have taken away local control over vacation rentals, occupational license requirements and pet store regulations. Last year, they even attempted to ban local governments from banning the use of plastic straws, a policy Gov. Ron DeSantis thankfully vetoed. The idea of local governments having even a sliver of power seems to be anathema to too many state legislators.
Yet when coronavirus took hold, they changed their tune, or didn’t say much at all. Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, for instance, enacted their own safer-at-home orders, as did other counties. Local governments have decided mask policies, too. The state took the same hands-off approach when announcing the plan for reopening K-12 public schools in August. The gist? It’s up to the locals.
No doubt that state leaders need to weigh-in on any number of issues that cross political boundaries — water rights, environmental protections and transportation needs, to name a few. It helps to have a consistent set of rules for ride share companies like Uber and Lyft, so that drivers and customers know they can cross between counties without running afoul of local aberrations. But there’s no reason for the Legislature to interfere in how a beach community handles its vacation rentals, or how Tampa wants to update its tree ordinance.
Maybe coronavirus can become a teachable moment for state legislators. Local leaders understand the nuances of their communities. They can make pragmatic decisions, and when they get it wrong, local voters can give them the boot, all without Big Brother needing to interfere from Tallahassee.
Editorials are the institutional voice of the Tampa Bay Times. The members of the Editorial Board are Times Chairman and CEO Paul Tash, Editor of Editorials Graham Brink, and editorial writers Elizabeth Djinis, John Hill and Jim Verhulst. Follow @TBTimes_Opinion on Twitter for more opinion news
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June 26, 2020 at 10:02AM
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Why are some Florida leaders so hypocritical on local control? | Editorial - Tampa Bay Times
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