In Memory of Lewis Bear Jr.

Baptist Health Care celebrates and honors the life and legacy of Lewis Bear Jr. His leadership, service and philanthropic contributions have made a tremendous impact upon dozens of organizations and thousands of lives in our community. We extend our deepest sympathy to the Bear Family.

Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book, DPlantation, and House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell, D-Tampa, responded to the governor's address.

Book attacked DeSantis' version of freedom, which includes banning books, limiting protests and forcing pregnancy and birth, even in cases of rape and incest.

"The party of supposed limited government has developed a taste for control and, with it, an aversion to accountability," said the Senate Minority Leader, "and hiding behind a brand of "freedom" I don't recognize while the governor amasses nearly unchecked power."

She added, "We must all pay attention to what's happening over the next 60 days because, under the current state of affairs, things have already gone both too far and yet not far enough."

Book agreed with the Republican leaders that Florida's economy is booming. However, families are still struggling—not earning a living wage and unable to afford a home, insurance or health care. "Make no mistake; we are only as free as the least free among us. And together, we must fight."

House Minority Leader Driskell talked about the state being the tale of two Floridas. "In one Florida, Ron DeSantis' Florida, it feels like we are constantly being told to be angry about something, some new enemy to fear or hate. And lately, the policies coming out of Tallahassee have become more and more shocking, unconstitutional, and downright ridiculous."

She accused the governor of being "so obsessed with woke' that he is asleep at the wheel, and all of his culture war victories have defeats built into them."

In her closing, Driskell added, "We can get back to more reasonable times when Tallahassee functioned as more than one man's publicly funded campaign apparatus. We can get back to the business of the people, finding ways to improve the lives of those who sent us here."

HOPE ABOVE FEAR Last week, the Pensacola City Council approved $2,000 for the Hope Above Fear from the City Council Discretionary Funds for District 1. Stephanie Shepard founded the nonprofit to help teens battling addiction in honor of her son, who died from an overdose last fall.

"Stephanie has been a champ and completely got her nonprofit up and running," District 1 Councilwoman Jennifer Brahier told Inweekly. "I'm really excited to be able to move some money in that direction. So for me personally, that's a real win."

She continued, "We're averaging something like a death every 1.2 days in Escambia County from an overdose, mainly fentanyl. Hopefully, we can see something start happening locally for youth a have a way out."

PUBLIC COMMENTS SOUGHT The city of Pensacola is pursuing state grant funding for three infrastructure projects, with plans to ap - ply for funding to complete projects at Hollice T. Williams Stormwater Park, the Port of Pensacola and Fricker Resource Center.

A public comment period to obtain citizen comments concerning the city's intent to apply for these specific projects is now open from Monday, March 6-Monday, March 20. Written comments may be submitted at bit.ly/3L0RyyP.

The final grant application submission will occur on or before 5 p.m. on April 4.

The funding is available through the Rebuild Florida Infrastructure Repair Program, a part of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity's Hurricane Sally Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery program. The program was launched with $67 million available for infrastructure and mitigation activities in communities impacted by Hurricane Sally.

The Hollice T. Williams Stormwater Park Project includes stormwater, flood mitigation and other green infrastructure improvements to the linear park to reduce area flooding and boost community resiliency—$31 million requested.

Port of Pensacola Infrastructure Restoration Project includes work on rail, road, water and stormwater drainage as well as mitigation improvements—$10 million requested.

Fricker Resource Center Demolition and Rebuild Project includes demolishing and rebuilding the Fricker Resource Center to serve various community needs, including shelter, assisting with emergency preparations and response—$5 million requested.

Mayor D.C. Reeves plans to present a resolution at the March 23 City Council Meeting to show full support for the anticipated projects. Additional information about the proposed projects is available at cityofpensacola.com/grants.

COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS

The Pensacola Interstate Fair has announced that applications are now available for the 2023-2024 John E. Frenkel Sr. Educational Grant program. The deadline to submit an application online is April 10.

"The fair, for a long time now, has been making $30,000 in scholarships available to the community," Dondi Frenkel told Inweekly. "Ever since its beginning, one of our slogans has been "Progress through Education."

The Pensacola Interstate Fair has always had a strong focus and passion for strengthening the community by furthering education. Each year, the Fair awards up to 30 students $1,000 each. To be eligible, applicants must have participated in the Fair through volunteering, displaying an exhibit or being active in the livestock program during their high school years.

All grants are for one year only, beginning with the Fall Term of 2023 and ending with the Summer Term of 2024. The grant is for graduating seniors, made payable to any accredited college or vocational school. Finalists will be selected during the fourth week of April.

For more information, visit pensacolafair. com/scholarship-info. {in}

The 2023 Florida legislative session opened on Tuesday, March 7, and will run through May 5. With a possible 2024 presidential run by Gov. Ron DeSantis, the eyes of the nation will be on the Sunshine State as lawmakers deal with bills about abortion restrictions, school vouchers, immigration, gun reform, transgender rights and a bevy of other red meat issues that will surely fire up the Republican base.

The session kicked off last week with speeches outlining the battles to be fought over the next 60 days. In the audience for those speeches, and the session in general, were the four Republican lawmakers representing Escambia and Santa Rosa counties and part of Okaloosa County—State Senator Doug Broxson and Representatives Alex Andrade, Joel Rudman and Michelle Salzman.

Sen. Broxson represents Senate District 1, which covers Escambia and Santa Rosa counties and the northern part of Okaloosa County. As chairman of the Appropriations Committee, he is one of the most powerful lawmakers in Tallahassee. Because of demands of the chairmanship, he has only filed one bill (SB 1670) this session, which proposes changes to the Deferred Retirement Option Program (DROP).

Rep. Salzman's House District 1 covers north Escambia County, dipping as far south as West Fairfield Drive. She serves as the vice chair of the Health Care Appropriations subcommittee and Republican Committee whip for Health & Human Service committee.

Most of her bill proposals have drawn little attention. Her most controversial piece of legislation is HB 633, which lowers the penalties for violating the Florida Constitution amendment that voters passed in 2002 to limit the number of students in core classes. The bill also gives preference to students of active-duty military personnel for enrollment in magnet schools, advanced studies programs, advanced placement, dual enrollment, Advanced International Certificate of Education and International Baccalaureate programs.

House District 2 Rep. Andrade represents south Escambia County, including Perdido Key and the city of Pensacola, and south Santa Rosa County from Gulf Breeze to just west of Na- varre. He follows in the footsteps of Clay Ingram and Jayer Williamson in serving as the chairman of the Infrastructure & Tourism Appropriations Subcommittee, which gives him a seat at the table when the final state budget is hammered out between the Senate and House.

A staunch conservative Republican, Andrade has been willing to take heat for handling legislation that fits Gov. DeSantis' agenda. Two bills have drawn significant criticism. HB 991 makes it easier for journalists and the media to be sued for defamation. HB 999 outlaws diversity and inclusion statements in a state university's hiring process, eliminates classes on Critical Race Theory (CTR) and gender, and puts the institution's board of trustees in charge of the hiring and firing of faculty.

The newest member of our delegation is Dr. Joel Rudman, whose District 3 covers the rest of Santa Rosa County and the northern portion of Okaloosa County. He serves on the Commerce Committee and the subcommittees for Insurance & Banking, Healthcare Regulation, Higher Education Appropriations, and Postsecondary Education & Workforce Subcommittee.

He has filed HJR 131 and HB 209. HJR 131 proposes a state constitutional amendment to establish procedures for the recall of county officers and commissioners for charter counties. HB 209 provides commissioners of a non-charter county to be removed from office by the county's voters. Escambia and Santa Rosa are non-charter counties.

Bills To Watch

The News Service of Florida put out its "10 Big Issues in 2023"* for readers to watch during the legislative session a week before the opening session, but more controversial bills were filed before the noon deadline on Tuesday, March 7. So we used that list as a jumping-off point and made a few key additions. Some of these bills are being fast-tracked by the House and Senate leaders, so they may be passed before this issue hits the stands. The progress of those bills through the various legislative committees can be followed on myfloridahouse. gov and flsenate.gov. The House and Senate versions may vary.

ABORTION RESTRICTIONS SB 300/

HB 7 bans doctors from knowingly performing or inducing a termination of pregnancy after the sixth week of gestation. Last year, lawmakers set the threshold at 15 weeks, and that law is being challenged in court. These bills would allow abortions up to 15 weeks of pregnancy in cases of rape or incest, but they would require women to present proof that they were victims.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING HB 627/SB

102 aligns with one of Senate President Kathleen Passidomo's priorities for the session. On Wednesday, March 8, the Senate quickly passed its version bill that includes providing incentives for investments in affordable housing and encouraging mixed-use developments in struggling commercial areas. The bill carries a $711 million price tag. Among other things, it pre-empts local-government rules on density and building heights in certain circumstances, creates tax exemptions for developments that set aside at least 70 units for affordable housing, speeds permits and development orders for affordable housing projects and bars local rent controls.

SCHOOL CHOICE HB 1/SB 202 would massively expand the of eligibility for vouchers, allowing anyone who is "a resident of this state and is eligible to enroll in kindergarten-grade 12 in a public school" to receive the aid, regardless of income status. The proposal would nix income requirements for vouchers and also make vouchers available to home-schooled students.

DEATH PENALTY HB 555/SB 450 would scrap a requirement that unanimous jury recommendations are needed before death sentences can be imposed. House and Senate bills would allow death sentences based on the recommendations of eight of 12 jurors and also give judges more authority.

DEFAMATION HB 991/SB 1220 would revamp the state's defamation laws, potentially weakening protections for journalists. Gov. DeSantis, who frequently criticizes the media, and House Speaker Paul Renner have called for revisiting the 1964 U.S. Supreme Court ruling known as New York Times v. Sullivan, which helps shield reporters from lawsuits. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Andrade.

GUNS HB 543/SB 150 would allow people to carry concealed weapons without obtaining state licenses, an idea that supporters call "constitutional carry." The proposal has drawn opposition from gun-control groups—and from some gun-rights groups, who say the state should allow people to openly carry guns.

IMMIGRATION HB 1617/SB 1718 aligns with DeSantis' criticism of federal border and immigration policies and would expand the use of the E-Verify system, which is used to verify the employment status of workers, and bar out-of-state tuition waivers for undocumented students.

LAWSUIT LIMITS HB 837/SB 236 includes far-reaching changes to help shield businesses and insurance companies from costly lawsuits. The proposal, which targets issues such as attorney fees, have touched off a lobbying fight, with critics arguing they would harm the ability of injured people to go to court.

SCHOOL BOARDS HJR 31/SJR 94 would put a Florida Constitution amendment on the 2024 ballot to change school-board races from non-partisan to partisan. Also, lawmakers are considering eight-year term limits for school board members, down from the current 12 years (HB 477/SB 1110).

Transgender

TREATMENT FOR MINORS HB 1421/SB 254 makes it illegal to provide treatments such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy to transgender minors. Doctors lose their licenses if they commit violations. The bill also prevents health insurers and HMOs from providing coverage for treatments such as puberty blockers, hormone therapy and gender-affirming surgery and would largely block people from changing the sex listed on their birth certificates. It also grants courts temporary emergency jurisdiction over children if they are at risk of or are being subjected to the provision of sex-reassignment prescriptions or procedures, even though their parents or legal guardians have approved. The bill empowers the government to remove children from an affirming parent by favoring custody for a parent or guardian who is unsupportive of gender-affirming care.

BLOGGERS SB 1316 requires bloggers who are paid to post about the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, a Florida Cabinet officer or any member of the Florida Legislature must register with the Office of Legislative Services or the Commission on Ethics. The bloggers complete monthly reports on their posts and compensation received.

BATHROOMS HB 1521/SB 1674 mandates "exclusive use" of restrooms and changing facilities by gender. The legislation bans people from "willfully entering" such a facility designated for "the opposite sex." Violators of this law could face second-degree misdemeanor charges and fines of up to $10,000.

MORE "ANTI-WOKE" IN SCHOOL

HB 1223/SB 1320 prevents school employees from telling students their preferred pronouns if those pronouns "do not correspond to his or her sex" or asking students about their preferred pronouns. The bill prohibits sexual orientation and gender identity through eighth grade and expands the "age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate" standard for classroom instruction to ninth-12th grades.

RIFLES FOR TEENS HB 1543 lowers the minimum age from 21 to 18 to buy rifles and other "long" guns. The bill reverses the law change made in 2018 after Nikolas Cruz, then 19, used a semi-automatic rifle to kill 17 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High students and faculty members and injure 17 others.

DRAG SHOWS HB 1423/SB 1438 authorizes DBPR to fine, suspend or revoke the license of any public lodging or public food service establishment that admits a child to an adult live performance. Though Florida law already prohibits exposing minors to shows considered sexually explicit or harmful, this bill expands state law to include vague language that can be used to shut down drag shows.

THE ULTIMATE CANCEL ACT SB 1248 requires the Division of Elections to immediately cancel the filings of a political party if certain conditions, which effectively eliminates the Florida Democratic Party for its pre-Civil War views.

*Some of these summaries are from "10 Big Issues in 2023 Session" by Jim Saunders, which was originally published Tuesday, Feb. 28, by the News Service of Florida.

Ways To Keep Up

If you want to stay engaged during the 2023 session—and we hope you do—here are some resources we recommend.

GARY FINEOUT'S FLORIDA PLAYBOOK FOR POLITICO

A digital newsletter that gives an informative rundown of politics throughout the state and includes links for further reading politico.com/newsletters/floridaplaybook

JOHN KENNEDY ON TWITTER

A reporter for the Gannett Capital Bureau twitter.com/jkennedyreport

FLORIDA POLITICS

A statewide media platform covering campaigns, elections, government, policy and lobbying floridapolitics.com

CAPITAL SOUP

A source for Florida news and opinion, serving daily content about government agencies, political campaigns, statewide associations and research capitalsoup.com

Progress Florida

A nonprofit organization promoting progressive values through digital organizing, media outreach and collaborating with Florida's leading progressive organizations progressflorida.org

LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF FLORIDA

A nonpartisan political organization that publishes regular "Capitol Reports" lwvfl.org

FIRST AMENDMENT FOUNDATION

A nonprofit that advocates for the rights of freedom of speech and press enshrined in the First Amendment, as well as for open meetings and access to public records protected by the Florida constitution and statutes floridafaf.org

Equality Florida

The largest civil rights organization dedicated to securing full equality for Florida's LGBTQ community; they are tracking the slate of bills targeting LGBTQ Floridians closely this session eqfl.org

How To Contact Your Representatives

We included Facebook pages, so you can see what our are lawmakers are posting. We also listed their email and office phone numbers and addresses, if you want to contact them about certain bills and votes during the session.

SEN. DOUG BROXSON

• facebook.com/dougbroxsonfl

• broxson.doug.web@flsenate.gov

• (850) 595-1036

• 418 W. Garden St., Pensacola, FL 32502

REP. ALEX ANDRADE

• facebook.com/votealexandrade

• alex.andrade@myfloridahouse.gov

• (850) 595-0467

• 226 S. Palafox, Ste. 401B, Pensacola, FL 32502

REP. JOEL RUDMAN

• facebook.com/docrudmanforhouse

• joel.rudman@myfloridahouse.gov

• (850) 936-6012

• 2045 Fountain Professional Court, Ste. D, Navarre, FL 32566

REP. MICHELLE SALZMAN

• facebook.com/thepeoplesconservative

• michelle.salzman@myfloridahouse.gov

• (850) 471-0624

• 3212 S. Highway 95-A, Cantonment, FL 32533 {in}

Recognition And Awards

1. United Negro College Fund, Distinguished Leadership Award, 1983

2. Pensacola Chamber of Commerce a. Pace Award, “Business Leader of the Year”, 1985 b. Distinguished Service Award, 1988 c. Pace Award, “Spirit of Pensacola”, 2001 d. Board Member of the Year, 2011

Your

EDUCATION

1963 Troy State University, Bachelor of Science degree in Math and English

1960 Vanderbilt University, Chemical Engineering

1959 Webb School, Bell Buckle, Tennessee, High School Diploma

WORK EXPERIENCE

1985 - 2023 President and CEO, The Lewis Bear Company, Pensacola, Florida

1968 - 1985 Vice President, The Lewis Bear Company, Pensacola, Florida

1965 - 1968 Sales, The Lewis Bear Company, Pensacola, Florida

COMMUNITY & PROFESSIONAL INVOLVEMENT

Board Chair, Pensacola Escambia Development Commission (PEDC) FloridaWest (Community Economic Development Agency)

Executive Committee, Florida’s Great Northwest (16 county economic development organization)

Member, National Beer Wholesalers Association

Life Trustee, Pensacola Museum of Art

Trustee, University of West Florida; Chairman

Board Chair, Pensacola Escambia Development Commission (PEDC)2006-2022

Chairman, Pensacola Area Chamber of Commerce, Vice Chairman for Economic Development (3 yrs)

Board Member, Pensacola Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation

Board Chairman and Campaign Chairman, United Way of Escambia County

Chairman, Pensacola Museum of Art

Trustee, Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC)

Charter President, Five Flags Rotary

Founding Member, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida

Board Member, Baptist Health Care Foundation

Board Member, Past Chairman Fiesta of Five Flags

Board Member, Space Florida e. Pace Award, “Pioneer” 2013

Board Member, Enterprise Florida, Inc.

3. Pensacola Museum of Art, Life Member of BOD, 1992

4. United Way of Escambia County a. Distinguished Community Service, 1999 b. Tocqueville “Legacy”, 2004

5. American Cancer Society, Excalibur, 2003

6. African American Heritage Society, Heritage Award, 2005

7. American Heart Association, Chairman’s Award, 2007

8. Independent News Weekly a. “Power List”, 2008-20, Most Powerful, 2010 b. Best Politically Connected, 2011, 2012, 2013 c. Best Person to Have on Your Side, 2013

9. University of West Florida, Foundation Fellow, 2010

10. Florida Bar, Liberty Bell Award, 2013

11. Rotary International, Service Award, 2013

12. Boy Scouts of America, Golden Eagle Award, 2013

13. Florida Beer Wholesalers Assoc., Lifetime Service, 2021

14. National Beer wholesalers Assn., Life Service Award 2022

Board Member, Ringling Museum; Sarasota, Florida

Chairman, Florida Beer Wholesalers Association

Board Member, Beer Industry of Florida

Chairman, Anheuser-Busch Advisory Board

Board Member, North American Wholesale Grocers Association

Board Member, National Beer Wholesalers Association

Secretary of State Appointee, Florida Arts Council (3 terms)

Florida Senate Appointee, Statewide Health Planning Council

Board Member, Tourist and Convention Commission (TACC)

Vice President, Arts, Culture, and Entertainment, Inc. (ACE)

Board Member, Past President, Pensacola Country Club

MILITARY SERVICE

1963-1969 United States Air Force Reserve, Technical Sergeant, Honorable Discharge

PERSONAL

February 10, 1941 – March 3, 2023 in Pensacola, Florida

Married to Belle Yates Bear -1966

Three children – Lewis III, Cindi, and David

Four grandchildren – Lauren, Chad, Julia, Max

Hobbies

Hunting and Fishing