The Revolving Door in Tallahassee

In the Free State of Florida, representatives elected to the Florida State House are permitted to serve up to four consecutive two-year terms. Conversely, members of the Florida State Senate can serve up to two consecutive four-year terms.

Often, when someone is term-limited in the House, they will run for a seat in the Senate… and when they do, they are almost always elected because of their high name recognition. When that happens, the elected official will have served a total of 16 years in Tallahassee – eight in the House and eight in the Senate.

Ideally, they are then supposed to return home, resume their career in the private sector, and pass the baton to someone else. After all, there’s nothing better than fresh blood and new ideas to keep liberty alive and the government functioning properly. Likewise, there is nothing worse than self-serving career politicians creating a monopoly on the state legislature.

Sadly, that is what has happened in Florida in recent years. All too frequently, term-limited House members become term-limited Senate members only to run for their old House seat once again. If they win, they are rewarded with up to eight more years in the State House after which they can run for their former Senate seat again… and serve eight more years there.

If you follow this legal but unethical merry-go-round to its logical conclusion, an elected official can continue to go back and forth between the two legislative bodies until they die or are defeated. But is that what the framers of the Florida State Constitution envisioned?

If so, shame on them. If not, shame on the career politicians who continue to use and abuse the revolving door in Tallahassee to maintain their power.

One of the main factors that contributed to the American Revolution was a strong distaste for the idea of a semi-permanent ruling class. Simply put, the colonists didn’t want to be ruled by a king, a queen, or a bunch of lords, dukes, barons, and earls. On the contrary, they wanted ordinary people to represent them in the various state capitals and ultimately, in Washington D.C.

And yet, we see the exact opposite happening in Congress, where despite having an approval rating in single digits, the re-election rate for incumbents is in the 90th percentile.

Congress desperately needs term limits, and I would suggest a maximum of 12 years total. That could be six House terms, two Senate terms, or any combination thereof. After that, thank you for your service… and there’s the door.

In my opinion, Florida should follow the same formula. A person should be allowed to serve up to 12 years in the State Legislature – divided between the two chambers – after which they must return to being a private citizen.

Officeholders need to remember that just because something is allowed, doesn’t mean that it is advisable… or in the best interests of the people you are sworn to serve.