Even as work remains for the 2015 Florida Legislative Session, Governor Rick Scott and House and Senate leaders begun laying out their agenda for the 2016 session. What work remains in 2015? The Congressional Redistricting now sits in the hands of the Florida Supreme Court, with Leon County Judge Terry Lewis choosing a map drawn up by a coalition of voters’ rights groups over maps submitted by the Florida House and Florida Senate.

Today at noon, another Special Session of the Florida Legislature was convened for the purpose of redrawing Florida’s 40 state senate seats. And true to form, the session started out almost immediately with the House and the Senate at each other’s throats. At stake this time is a disagreement over who will have to stand for re-election in the Florida Senate in 2016 after the new district lines are drawn and agreed upon. The Florida House believes that after the new districts are in place, every member of the Senate will be up for re-election. “We’ve always understood it to be everyone has to go back and run again”, stated House Speaker Steve Crisafulli (R-Merrit Island).

State Senator Bill Galvano (R-Bradenton), head of the Senate Redistricting Committee disagrees. He stated that his attorneys told him that only Senators up for re-election in 2016 will have to run, regardless of district changes. That would mean senators elected in 2014, including Sen. Galvano, would not have to seek re-election even though every single proposed map has him representing thousands of citizens he does not currently represent. “It is the legal position we are taking” Galvano told the rest of the Senate. Galvano’s position seems contrary to a 1982 Florida Supreme Court ruling from 1982 that declared that when a Senate seat is revised by redistricting, a senator’s term ends. Senate Democrats also are taking issue with Galvano’s position. “What has happened is, Florida has seen when there’s a larger turnout, it’s a Democratic turnout”, said Sen. Oscar Braynon (D-Miami Lakes), noting that 2016 is a Presidential election year.

This special session is scheduled to run through November 6.

Looking ahead to 2016, Senate President Andy Gardiner (R-Orlando) plans to focus on education issues and working with families impacted by disabilities, calling for more educational and employment options for the disabled. House Speaker Crisafulli praised Gardiner’s work with the disabled community and promised to work with Gardiner on this agenda. Crisafulli will also work to push “bold, conservative reforms” to aid the economy, including cutting taxes and regulations on businesses. He will also work for more school choice options.

Meanwhile, Governor Rick Scott (R) has vowed to make 2016 “the year of the manufacturer” in Florida. He has announced plans for more tax cuts, including the elimination of the manufacturing sales tax. “We will propose the total repeal of the state business tax on every manufacturer in Florida.. Taxing multimillion-dollar pieces of equipment will kill jobs. It’s that simple”. Both House and Senate leaders have indicated some support for Scott’s plans. Scott also spoke about working to reform the State’s Enterprise Florida/Quick Action closing fund that is used to attract competitive projects to Florida.

What remains to be seen is whether a Legislature still embroiled in conflict over items left over from the 2015 session can come together and work more smoothly in 2016