Reapportionment of House and Senate districts, condominiums and environmental dollars are among the priorities for the Keys representative in the Florida State Senate, Ana Maria Rodriguez, in her second year.
Districts in which the Keys and portions of Miami-Dade lie are the farthest from the state capital in Tallahassee. While some legislators travel by air, others hop in the car. Rodriguez is one of them who leaves from her home in Homestead for an 8-hour or longer trip up the Turnpike and 1-75 — “if there’s no accidents; it can be longer,” she said. “It can be quite exhausting.”
She’s made a few trips to Tallahassee in recent time to examine and discuss district maps as a member of the Senate Committee on Reapportionment. After each decennial census, the legislature redraws districts from which Florida voters elect their state representatives, state senators and members of the U.S. House. It’s done to adjust for uneven growth in different parts of the state.
Per census data, Florida’s population increased from 18.8 million in 2010 to 21.5 million in 2020. Average number of people in each congressional district rose by 769,000, while the number of people in each of the 120 state House districts went up by almost 180,000. In state Senate districts, figures rose by 538,000.
Per the Florida Constitution, the legislature is directed to redraw district boundaries at its regular session in the second year following the decennial census. That all begins Jan. 11, 2022, but committee meetings are underway.
Rodriguez said feedback remains positive on the Senate maps as a 12-member committee works through the process. Map lines for Rodriguez’s District 39, which represents the Keys and portions of Miami-Dade, hasn’t changed much, she said.
“My district keeps all of Monroe County, but I lose some northern parts of the district and pick up portions on the east side,” she said. “It shifts around a little bit, but from a distance it almost looks the same.
“It does keep Homestead, which is where I currently live,” she continued. “I’m happy that I don’t have to move. We love living in Homestead because we’re close to the Keys.”
Like state Rep. Jim Mooney, Rodriguez worked to secure $20 million for the Florida Keys Stewardship Act — a major win for the island chain. And like Mooney, Rodriguez will file a bill on the Senate side to go after more money for a program that supports water quality projects.
“I think that making sure that we bring home environmental funding for such a delicate area like the Keys is extremely important,” Rodriguez said. “From a funding perspective, Stewardship money is of utmost importance to me.”
Mooney told the Weekly in a recent interview that his bill will seek funds for the Stewardship Act on a recurring basis. Rodriguez said she’ll file a companion bill in the Senate with similar language. She’s uncertain of its prospects, however.
“I don’t know if appropriation chairs in the House and Senate want to see this forever and ever. They might say maybe we should lower to $5 million or $10 million after that,” she said. “Thankfully, Florida is in a very sure financial position, but will we be in a strong financial position forever? I don’t know. I hope so.
“I think Jim and I have what it takes to get it in the budget, even if it’s not a recurring item,” she continued.
On the policy side, Rodriguez will look into condominium reform following the tragic Champlain Towers South collapse in Surfside on June 24, which took 98 lives. It came as the building was under a 40-year recertification.
“I feel like we need to take a close look at condo laws and make sure people who serve on boards have proper education to ensure they know what they’re getting themselves into,” she said. “A lot of people come from a good place and are well intentioned, but they don’t have knowledge to serve. I’d like to see some education surrounding studies and what you need so you’re not stuck in a hole financially for your condo.”
A bill filed by Rodriguez proposes the creation of the Condominium Fraud Investigation Pilot within the Department of Legal Affairs. The program would investigate corruption and condo-related fraud in Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. According to the bill text, the department may contract with a private entity that employs retired law enforcement officers who have expertise in financial fraud.
The bill comes in light of a recent arrest involving a former bookkeeper who reportedly stole more than $13,000 from Calusa Campground Resort & Marina in Key Largo. Misglenia Guerra, 42, of Homestead, was charged with fraud, grand theft and multiple counts of uttering a forged instrument after the resort’s property manager alerted the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office of fraudulent activity in April. It was discovered that Guerra was allegedly writing fraudulent checks on behalf of the business to a cleaning business she owned. Misglenia posted a $5,000 bond on Nov. 18. She went before County Judge Luis Garcia on Jan. 4 for a hearing.
Calusa Campground Condominium Association filed a lawsuit on Dec. 13 and is seeking compensation from Guerra. According to court documents, Guerra “made unauthorized checks payable to ‘King Ocean Services and Crowley Services, Cleaning Details, or ‘KOS CS Cleaning’ from Calusa’s bank account.”
Rodriguez’s legislation currently sits in the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Environment and General Government.
Legislative session in Tallahassee begins Jan. 11, 2022.
