TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida is unlikely to be seriously hurt by sending a Republican-dominated congressional delegation to a Democratic-controlled House, some lawmakers and political observers said Wednesday.
Democrats picked up two Florida seats in Tuesday's election, contributing to their party's takeover of the House, but that still left the state with a 16-9 Republican advantage.
A third GOP seat would switch if a recount reverses a 373-vote victory by Republican auto dealer Vern Buchanan over Democrat Christine Jennings, a former banker, in the 13th District on the state's southwest coast. It now is held by Rep. Katherine Harris, R-Longboat Key, who gave it up to run for the U.
S. Senate and lost.
There's no question that Florida is going to lose its clout somewhat, but we're still a big state, said former Republican U.
S. Rep. Lou Frey of Orlando.
With the growth that we have, with the importance in the '08 presidential race on both sides of the aisle, Florida's not going to be ignored.
The Democratic takeover potentially could be to Florida's advantage, said University of South Florida political scientist Darryl Paulson, also a Republican.
Parties are wise enough to know that resources can be sent to a certain state in order to try and influence the politics of that state, Paulson said.
It wouldn't surprise me a bit to see special attention paid especially to Florida as probably the largest megastate that's in this competitive position today.
The new Democratic seats were won by state Sen. Ron Klein of Boca Raton.
He beat incumbent Clay Shaw, a Fort Lauderdale Republican, in the 22nd District. Tim Mahoney, a financial services executive from Palm Beach Gardens, defeated state Rep. Joe Negron, a Stuart Republican, in a race for the 16th District seat formerly held by Mark Foley, a Fort Pierce Republican.
Foley resigned after being confronted with sexually explicit computer messages he sent to male, teenage congressional pages.
Two other Florida seats will get new occupants. Hillsborough County Commissioner Kathy Castor, a Democrat, won the 11th District seat given up by Rep.
Jim Davis, D-Tampa, who ran for governor and lost. Republican state Rep. Gus Bilirakis will succeed his father, retiring GOP Rep.
Mike Bilirakis in the 9th District. Both are from Palm Harbor.
Rep.
Robert Wexler, a Boca Raton Democrat who was re-elected without opposition, said Florida will benefit from Democratic control because the new majority will push for legislation important to the state's large elderly population.
That includes measures to allow the government to bargain with drug companies for lower prices on prescription drugs and encourage stem cell research that scientists hope will lead to cures for such ailments as Parkinson's disease and spinal cord injuries.
Wexler also predicted Democratic leaders will resist efforts to bring offshore drilling closer to Florida's coasts.
There's no question that Florida beaches, Florida's economy and Florida's environment won victory when Democrats took over the House, Wexler said.
Perhaps more significant was the defeat of Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Calif.
, who had led efforts to open Florida waters to drilling as chairman of the House Resources Committee, said Mark Ferrulo, director of Environment Florida.
He was the most anti-environmental, pro-drilling congressman in Washington, Ferrulo said. But he added: We're under no illusions that now that the Democrats are going to control the House that everything's going to be hunky-dory for the environment.
Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Chumuckla, predicted Florida's position now will become less tenable because the Bush administration will continue to press ahead with plans to open portions of a tract known as Lease Area 181 off the Panhandle coast to drilling.
Miller and several other Florida Republicans had compromised with Pombo on proposed legislation that would have opened more areas to drilling but kept it out of military training and testing ranges in the Gulf of Mexico.
The Legislature also would have been able to ban drilling within 100 miles of shore.
That legislation now will not resurface, Miller said.
He said Florida also will be disadvantaged because several of the state's Republicans will lose committee or subcommittee chairmanship they held or were in line to get.
That includes the state's most senior member of the Appropriations Committee, Rep. C.W.
Bill Young, R-Largo, who will lose his chairmanship of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.
Young recently stepped in to stop a plan to transfer a test wing from Eglin Air Force Base in Miller's Panhandle district.
Rep.
Alan Boyd, D-Monticello, didn't share Miller's pessimism. Boyd, who serves on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Quality of Life and Veterans Affairs, said he has worked closely on issues affecting his district with its Republican chairman and ranking Democrat. Now they'll probably switch positions.
That will be the same way now, Boyd said. Both of those men will be in the room with me, helping me solve that problem.
Florida's veteran Republican lawmakers still will hold important positions, although not chairmanships, while some of the state's Democrats will be become more influential, Boyd said.
I don't think the state will suffer because of this, he said. I think it will be a good thing.
Associated Press writer Brian Skoloff in West Palm Beach contributed to this report.
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