Florida Lawmakers Spread Misinformation while Supporting Anti-Family Legislation, according to Florida Action Committee

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla., April 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Patt Maney, a Republican who represents part of the Florida Panhandle in the state's House of Representatives, implied that police officers in some smaller Florida communities fail to follow traffic stop protocols during a committee meeting on April 17, 2023. Maney, the sponsor of a bill that would require persons required to register as sex offenders to carry driver's licenses and identification cards printed entirely in red, noted that not all police officers "follow [traffic stop] protocol, particularly in the less formal smaller communities" of the state as one reason why Florida should adopt the law, despite the fact that similar laws in Louisiana and Alabama have already been declared unconstitutional.

During the same Florida House Infrastructure Strategies Committee meeting, Maney seemed to misstate the very law the bill he is sponsoring (known as HB 1085) would modify. Florida currently issues special driver's licenses bearing a unique numerical code to those convicted of any sexual offense (regardless of its severity), while licenses issued to court-designated sexual predators feature the term "sexual predator," facts which Maney appeared unclear on during the committee meeting when being questioned by another representative who appeared skeptical of the proposal. Several representatives questioned the need for red driver's licenses given that Florida already brands them with a special code and the term "sexual predator."

According to Gail Colletta, President of the Florida Action Committee, Maney's comments are part of a larger, concerning trend. "It's extremely troubling that some of our elected officials either misrepresent or even fail to understand what effects their own bills will have. The laws they pass have real consequences for Florida's families," Colletta said. HB 1085, in particular, is one of a number of anti-family laws being considered during the 2023 Florida legislative session, according to the Florida Action Committee, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the public through the passage of rational laws based on empirical evidence. Colletta explained that "laws like HB 1085 have devastating effects on Florida's families. Compelling people to carry special driver's licenses printed in red will put them, and their family members, at risk of being targeted by some members of the public." Yet according to Rep. Maney, one of the reasons for this controversial bill is that "it is important to let the public know with whom they are dealing," a purpose that a federal district court in Alabama ruled runs afoul of the Constitution.

Colletta cited a further example of how some legislators seem to be unaware of the details of the bills they vote on. During a committee meeting discussing the Senate companion bill of HB 1085 (known as SB 1252), State Senator Nick DeCeglie, a Republican from Pinellas County, claimed to be unaware that courts in both Louisiana and Alabama have invalidated similar laws, even though that information appeared in the Senate's staff analysis of the bill. "Our elected officials can and must do better for Florida's families," Colletta urged.

Contact:
Gail Colletta
904-655-6916
[email protected] 

SOURCE Florida Action Committee