Photo by Jacob Ogles: Bill Galvano made sure Bradenton benefitted from his first year as Senate President.

The president of the Florida Senate may be one of the most powerful politicians in Tallahassee, but he has a lot more to worry than most pols as well. State Sen. Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, faced questions throughout session about school vouchers, sanctuary cities and health care regulation. All these issues have local ramifications, of course. But none of those things earn unified applause at the local Rotary the same as a multi-million-dollar grant to the Easterseals school in Bradenton.

But Galvano made sure not to let the major issues driving the 2019 Legislative Session, his first as the presiding officer for the Senate, overshadow local priorities.

“I still represent District 21,” he said. “My career has been based on making sure that we are focused as a region.”

Indeed, Galvano in some ways laid groundwork for years to make sure the duties of Senate President don’t prohibit work on behalf of the greater Bradenton area.

Galvano as a House member founded the Bay Area Legislative Delegation to create a bipartisan force focused on boosting the region’s statewide influence. He chaired the BALD again this year, an ambitious action considering he also runs the Senate and must conduct the intimate and demanding negotiations that occur between the Senate President, Speaker of the House and Governor. But because of the role as a delegation chair, he stayed involved in budget fights through a network of members focused more purely on their home constituencies. 

That bore fruit. Galvano the state Senator can celebrate dollars coming home for an extension of 44th Avenue in Manatee County, operational funding coming down to the University of South Florida, Sarasota-Manatee campus, and maybe most importantly, millions delivered for a Red Tide initiative based out of Mote Marine Laboratory. That Sarasota facility, not coincidentally, hosted the BALD’s annual pre-session delegation meeting, where Tampa Bay represents from Pasco to Sarasota voted to make red tide the top priority for the region this year.

State Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, made the motion and sponsored the bill. And of course, he deserves credit, as do local House members, for yeoman’s work securing funding. But Galvano arranged the menu, the venue, the seating. Hopefully that all results in some long-term solution to a problem the savaged the area economy and ecology last summer.

“I’ve been involved for years in research funding for red tide,” Galvano said. “There has been a lot learned but there has not been an acute focus of prevention, mitigation and remediation.” After red tide savages most of Florida’s west coast last year, with Sarasota and Manatee in many ways the center of the struggle, the time seemed right to seek long-term focus.

Galvano dismisses criticism that the Senate focused too much on cleaning water and not enough on preventing pollution. This year saw unprecedented amounts spent on water quality projects, he said, including water storage north of Lake Okeechobee. That again serves a statewide role while addressing a regional problem.

The same goes for Galvano’s top priority this year, an expansion of Florida’s toll roads. That includes creating a toll road from Polk to Collier counties, something which should generate economic stimulus in one part of the state while relieving pressure and congestion on the coast.

Galvano didn’t sponsor a single bill this year, but final negotiations on the Florida budget happened in a room with himself and House Speaker Jose Oliva. Galvano ultimately kicked off work on regional issues through his work with the BALD and other outlets, then got final say on what made the final cut—which included some Easterseals money as it turns out.

That’s benevolent puppet-mastering at its finest, with Galvano hoisted to the highest heights which still guiding the small and subtle movements below.

Jacob Ogles is contributing senior editor of SRQ Media Group.

Photo by Jacob Ogles: Bill Galvano made sure Bradenton benefitted from his first year as Senate President.