Crist vetoes rule-making bill

Gov. Charlie Crist on Friday vetoed HB 1565, saying the rule-making bill violated the separation of powers between the legislative and executive branches of state government.

The bill required the Legislature to approve agency rules that would cost economic growth in excess of $1 million or affect private sector innovation or competition with other states for jobs.

Those supporting the bill included the Florida Association of Counties, the Florida League of Cities, the Florida Association of Home Builders, the Florida Chamber of Commerce and the Association of Florida Community Developers. They said it would curb unreasonable rule-making by agencies.

But Department of Community Affairs Secretary Tom Pelham said the bill would "greatly complicate" the approval of rules that are needed to carry out state law. Audubon of Florida, 1000 Friends of Florida, Sierra Club Florida and the St. Johns River Water Management District also called for a veto.

"If HB 1565 did become law, nearly every rule may have to await an act of the Legislature to become effective," Crist wrote in his veto letter. "This could increase costs to businesses, create more red tape and potentially harm Florida's economy."

(Story provided by The Florida Tribune. Story copyrighted by Bruce Ritchie and FloridaEnvironments.com. Do not copy or redistribute without permission, which can be obtained by contacting brucebritchie@gmail.com.)