LARGO – Mayor Pat Gerard wants to see the city focus on bills filed about Emergency Management Services and encourage the Pinellas County Legislative Delegation to stay out of local issues.
She made her comments Nov. 15 during a City Commission discussion on an update of the Florida League of Cities’ priorities for the next legislative session. That’s not a League of Cities priority, but it is for Gerard.
“In the same way that we would like to retain our home rule, I don’t think the Legislature has any business taking up an issue like that. They seem to mess things up more than fix them.
She said in her communications with lawmakers, she has told them to leave the issue alone and “we will fix it ourselves,” she said.
The legislative delegation may take two local bills to Tallahassee. The bills seek state approval to modify the 1980 special act governing the county’s EMS Authority.
The first bill, filed on behalf of county commissioners, seeks to change the funding method used to pay ALS providers. The second, requested by local firefighters, requires consolidation of advanced life support and emergency medical services and elimination of the county’s private ambulance provider. The bill also supports a funding formula based on average actual costs.
Rep. Peter Nehr and Sen. Jack Latvala are sponsoring the county’s bill. Rep. Ed Hooper and Latvala are sponsors of the firefighters’ bill.
Latvala, who is chair of the county legislative delegation, scheduled a public hearing for Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2 to 4:30 p.m., in the Pinellas Park Performing Arts Center, 4951 79th Ave. N.
Local legislators want to hear opinions on the two bills from county officials, emergency management staff, from agencies throughout the county, as well as the public.
City staff will present final legislative priorities in December to the commission that are adopted by the Florida League of Cities full membership.
About 475 bills have been filed as of last week, city Grant Administrator Stephanie Waters said. The session begins Jan. 10.
Among the league’s subcommittee legislative priorities are municipal police and firefighter pension reform, preservation of the local business tax, property tax reform, opposition to the repeal of an act authorizing the use of red light cameras and the support of legislation that allows cities to retain tools necessary to achieve federal or state water quality standards.
“I don’t think I have ever seen our cities being in conflict with anything the League of Cities was doing,” said Gerard.
Gerard asked for a list of legislative bills that have been prefiled. She also asked for links to those bills with the potential to move forward or are of particular importance to the city.
