Scott, Corcoran teaming up again, this time on taxes

Gov. Rick Scott called for an amendment to the Florida Constitution on Monday to require that any future tax and fee increases in the Legislature must be approved by a “supermajority” vote.

Scott issued a five-paragraph press release that did not include a definition of a supermajority or a proposed wording of the amendment, which gave this rollout, to be followed by announcements Tuesday in Jacksonville and on Friday in Tampa.

“We will have more details to announce in the coming weeks,” Scott spokesman John Tupps said.

Among the questions: Would a supermajority vote also apply to all House and Senate committee votes on taxes and fees, or only to floor votes? Would a supermajority requirement apply to the full membership of 40 senators and 120 House members, or only to those present and voting?

And in a matter of timing that clearly was no coincidence, House Speaker Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’Lakes, immediately endorsed the idea and was present when Scott announced it at a Verizon office in Lake Mary. (Senate President Joe Negron, R-Stuart, was invited to the event but did not attend, Scott’s office said, and Negron did not issue a statement).

By waiting until now, in his next-to-last year in office, to propose the change, Scott ensures that it won’t apply to him. The earliest is can appear on a general election ballot is November 2018, weeks before Scott will leave office. Scott is widely expected to run for the U.S. Senate in 2018. If it gets on the ballot, it would require the approval of 60 percent of voters. Scott’s statement said he will “work with” members of the Constitution Revision Commission on the idea. The governor appoints 15 of the CRC’s 37 members and its executive director.

The proposal also is the latest example of an alliance between Scott and his former foe Corcoran. It is expected to come before the Legislature in the session that begins in January and must pass by a three-fifths vote of both houses. That’s much less likely in the Senate than in the House, where Corcoran can count on the required 72 votes on almost any issue.

Scott’s statement said in part: “I am announcing today that I will fight during the upcoming legislative session to give voters the opportunity to amend the Florida Constitution to require a supermajority vote by future state legislatures to raise any taxes or fees. I am proud that by working with the Florida Legislature, we have cut more than $7 billion in taxes and I look forward to cutting even more taxes next year.

“While cutting taxes is important, we must prevent against unfair tax increases in the future so our progress is not undone. It is my goal to make it harder for politicians to raise taxes on Florida families and businesses – and that can be achieved with an amendment to our state’s constitution.”

Corcoran’s statement read in part: “For almost seven years, we’ve worked alongside our governor to bring common sense back to governing. We cut taxes. We cut regulations. We cut fees. Now we need to make sure the taxpayers’ pocketbooks are protected. Requiring in the Constitution a supermajority to raise any tax or fee will do this. It’s pro-family, pro-future, pro-worker and pro-taxpayer.”

This story was originally published August 14, 2017 at 3:48 PM with the headline "Scott, Corcoran teaming up again, this time on taxes."