The brutal political fight over mandatory sick time for workers in Orange County is about to move to Tallahassee, as two Central Florida lawmakers want to block locally driven efforts supporting the idea.
Sen. David Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs, and Rep. Steve Precourt, R-Orlando, say the proposed sick-time measures now being considered in Orange and Miami-Dade counties could put those counties at a competitive economic disadvantage. They argue that such policies should not be adopted patchwork-style across Florida.
"The discrimination that would occur to employers only in Orange County is so significant, we would need to have a statewide solution to this issue," Simmons said.
That could undo the efforts of Citizens for a Greater Orange County, a progressive coalition that secured more than 50,000 voter signatures to get the sick-time measure on the Nov. 6 ballot in Orlando. However, Orange County commissioners on Sept. 11 voted to delay the referendum.
If approved, the measure would require businesses with 15 or more workers to provide paid sick leave for their workers. A host of business leaders oppose the idea, saying it would be expensive and "kill" jobs.
A court battle over the referendum, as well as a separate legal fight over a raft of text messages related to the commission's delay vote, are both still pending.
None of that might matter if Simmons and Precourt are successful in creating legislation blocking local efforts.
In Wisconsin, Milwaukee voters overwhelmingly backed a similar measure in 2008. It survived legal challenges only to see Republican lawmakers and Gov. Scott Walker pre-empt it with a statewide law in 2011.
In Orange, Citizens leaders say the Central Florida lawmakers pushing pre-emption are ditching their professed beliefs in local control and suppressing local voting rights in order to protect the profits of restaurants and tourism interests.
"It's no surprise that [Simmons and Precourt,] ... who have voted 100 percent with [Gov.] Rick Scott against middle-class Floridians, would go out of their way to deny more than 50,000 Orange County citizens the right to vote for an issue they petitioned their government" for, Citizens leader Stephanie Porta said. "They are flacks for big-business special interests."
Supporters say the sick-time measure would provide economic stability for ailing workers or those who risk being fired to care for a child. For businesses, it would curb job turnover and health-care costs, they say.
Opponents say sick-time measures are well-intentioned but would cause bureaucratic headaches and hurt businesses still reeling in the tough economy. And passing a variety of sick-time measures across the state would be even more unwieldy, they say.
"Many variables come into play that could be extremely burdensome on business," a briefing from the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association said. "If a business has locations in 30 counties in Florida, they could have 30 different [paid-sick-leave] rules to follow."
Porta said companies could avoid that by adopting statewide sick-time protections. She said large businesses already navigate differing regulations from county to county.
In interviews, neither Simmons nor Precourt expressed interest in adopting a statewide sick-time standard, although both said they were willing to listen to all sides in the debate.
However, Simmons said a statewide sick-time standard "would be a heavy lift."
In Orange, Walt Disney World, Darden Restaurants and Mears Transportation all lobbied to kill the sick-time measure. A coalition of business groups also legally challenged the ballot language as misleading.
Orange County GOP Chairman Lew Oliver worked behind the scenes to delay the local referendum. In a newly released text message, he argued that a delay in Orange was necessary so the "Legislature can deliver the kill shot."
Those text records also show Precourt texted county leaders, including Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs, on Sept. 11, just before four other county leaders voted to delay the measure. At the time, Jacobs did not know who sent the text. He wrote: "Just letting you know I'm here to support you folks as necessary."
In an interview, Oliver said ballot referendums that allow slim majorities to create new benefits for themselves are "borderline evil" and in Orange would drive away new and existing businesses.
"I don't think the economy can absorb it," Oliver said.
January 6, 2013|By David Damron, Orlando Sentinel
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