We Floridians don’t realize how lucky we are. Not only do we live in a large and continuously growing state in our fair union, but we are also one of the swingiest of swing states. Pretty much every election is contested, and with legislative redistricting being fought out in the courts, elections are only going to prove more interesting going forward.
It’s sad that many students aren’t cognizant of just how important state and local politics are. It's true 2016 is a presidential year. But 2016 is also a year in which every single Florida state senator and every single state representative is up for re-election. Complete Republican control of Tallahassee lies in the balance.
Additionally, we don’t realize how lucky we are to have such great leaders in Tallahassee.
I’m thinking in particular of Senate president-elect, Sen. Joe Negron. As chronicled in the Palm Beach Post, “Negron outlined priorities that include a $1 billion increase over two years for state universities, restoring the Bright Futures scholarships’ top level so that it provides 100 percent college or university funding for students, and heightened state efforts to ease environmental woes caused by runoff from Lake Okeechobee.” I bet Democrats and Republicans alike at UF would be equally excited about these policies.
What jumps out at me is Negron’s plan for our state’s higher education. He wants to take us to the “next level” and be competitive with other top public schools.
He wants Florida universities “to become national elite destination universities like the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Virginia, the University of Michigan, the University of Texas at Austin.”
Negron continues, “Just as students in Florida apply to these universities and many times attend them, imagine a time when students from around the country will apply to Florida universities to come to Florida to get a great education at a national destination.”
In a few years, UF could be competing with Michigan and Virginia for top spots on educational rankings. Thank goodness this will play out in the classrooms, and not on a football field.
On an economic level, this plan is future-oriented. Not only will more money flow into our local economy, but more tech, medical and entrepreneurial jobs that result from university research institutions will become a reality.
This is also fantastic on a political level. I’ve talked to many students who say Republicans don’t care about education and don’t care about the environment and don’t care about students.
But with Negron’s Senate presidency, those qualms could potentially be changed.
What’s more, the Senate has a populist winner in Negron. He “enjoys Chris Rock, ‘Seinfeld,’ ‘Animal House’ references, talking about his favorite team, the Atlanta Braves, and prefers Chick-fil-A over the more-expensive” eateries.
As for ideology, Negron believes “in the supremacy of the individual.” That’s enough to make any libertarian and conservative jump for joy.
What gets me excited about the incoming legislature is how forward-thinking its leaders are. Yes, with each new session, grandiose ideas are often battered around. That’s always true, but I think there’s more to it in this case.
Who among us would argue against making UF a top university? Who among us wants to care more for the environment? I think all of those questions can be answered unanimously and can be agreed upon across party lines.
With all of the promise of a new legislative session, we Floridians don’t realize how lucky we are.
Michael Beato is a UF political science senior. His column appears on Mondays.
