One in a series of profiles on state representatives and senators leading to the opening of the legislative session Jan. 22.
Senator Jim King has represented District 8 since 1999. He was recently chosen to serve as president of the Florida Senate for the fall term. Prior to that, he spent 13 years in the Florida House of Representatives.
WHAT’S THE BIG NEWS IN THE LEGISLATURE THIS YEAR?
“The general legislative session that will start in January will not be discussing the special sessions that have occurred. The focus will be, one, redistricting. That’s why we’re going in in January. It’s a reapportionment year. All the lines have to be redrawn. Everybody has to run for re-election in 2002. The first emphasis is going to be on how the lines are drawn. I jokingly say, ‘This is more than just a partisan issue. At the end of reapportionment, if you’re still talking to your wife, it’s a very surprising thing.’”
WITH THE STATE’S RECENT FISCAL SHORTCOMINGS, WILL THOSE ISSUES CARRY OVER THIS YEAR IN THE SENATE?
“The current president of the Senate, John McKay, has made it very, very abundantly clear that he intends to visit the tax problems facing the state from the standpoint that we have such a limited amount of tax that we can get other than sales tax. So consequently what he’s hoping to do is to broaden the base of tax. It’s going to be a tough battle.”
WILL THAT INVOLVE INITIATING A STATE INCOME TAX?
“No. What it will entail is lowering the tax rate across the state from six percent to four. Then taking away from tax exemptions on some items. The things that would be kept tax-free would be health care, food, rent, basic telephone. But you don’t pay tax on dry cleaning. You don’t pay tax on pool chemicals. You don’t pay tax on $23 billion-worth of transactions that take place in the state. You do pay tax on $16 billion. So we exempt, in this state, more sales tax that we actually collect. But everybody who has a sales tax exemption is going to be very vigorous in their defense of keeping the exemption.”
IS A STATE INCOME TAX ANYWHERE ON THE HORIZON?
“No. The state income tax in this state requires a referendum. In other words, the voters have to vote in the state income tax on themselves. Many, if not most of the folks who are transplants to Florida, have come from states that had income tax. Knowing what it was like for them when they left, they would probably be extremely reticent to ever vote in another sales tax.”
WHAT OTHER ISSUES WILL YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH THIS SESSION?
“In 2002, we’ve got to suit it up and be able to run [for office] again. Add all of that with the fact that we start further off in the financial hole than we’ve ever started — and as long as I’ve been elected since 1986. The economy is still soft. We are still a sales tax-dependent state. Unless tourism and spending increases, we’re going to face a real shortfall again in the coming budget year. “
WHAT IS YOUR POLITICAL FUTURE?
“I have to run again in 2002 like everybody else. I have been, at this point, selected to be the next incoming president of the Senate in 2002. I’d run again in 2002, hopefully get elected, serve as president 2002-03 and then be lame duck 2003-04. And then I’d really have to look at myself in the mirror to find out whether or not there was any need to continue in the Senate. I still have tenure left. I still have limits left. But having then been president of the Senate, I’m not so sure that would hold the mystique that it does now. I would then have served over 20 years in the legislature and that’s plenty.”
— by Glenn Tschimpke