Revamped congressional delegation sworn in
By BRANDON LARRABEE
THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA
THE CAPITAL, TALLAHASSEE, January 3, 2017.......... Amid an ethics uproar and a raft of new legislation, Florida's congressional delegation --- including 10 new members elected in November --- was sworn in Tuesday to start the 115th Congress.
Among the newcomers were political neophytes, a party-hopping former governor and the state's first Puerto Rican congressman. Many were elected at least in part because of new U.S. House districts drawn by the courts to comply with anti-gerrymandering rules approved by voters in 2010.
The biggest name among the new group, former Gov. Charlie Crist --- a former Republican governor turned Democratic congressman --- kept a relatively low profile on Tuesday. He did tweet out a picture taken with the Swiss ambassador.
Other new members include former state Rep. Matt Gaetz, former Jacksonville Sheriff John Rutherford, Neal Dunn, Brian Mast and Francis Rooney, all Republicans; and former state Sen. Al Lawson, former state Sen. Darren Soto, former Orlando Police Chief Val Demings and Stephanie Murphy, all Democrats.
Republican Congressman Dan Webster was also elected to a different seat after his old district, which Demings now represents, was redrawn in a way that heavily favors a Democratic candidate.
Across the U.S. Capitol, Republican Sen. Marco Rubio was sworn in for the second term he won in November.
In the House, the revamped 27-member delegation adds new hints of Florida's diversity. Soto is the first Puerto Rican congressman from Florida, and Murphy, who defeated former Congressman John Mica in one of the election's few bright spots for Florida Democrats, is the first Vietnamese-American woman in Congress.
"My family fled Communist Vietnam for the United States because my parents wanted my brother and me to have a better life," Murphy said. "My parents instilled in us the values of education, hard work, and public service, and I am forever grateful for their love and sacrifice."
The day wasn't without controversy. After an outcry that included mildly critical tweets from President-elect Donald Trump, Republicans were forced to abandon a proposal that opponents said would have gutted the Office of Congressional Ethics.
Even some members of the GOP spoke out against the proposal, particularly after it was dropped. Florida Republican Congressman Gus Bilirakis said Monday in a tweet that he was against the change.
"I opposed the measure to change the Office of Congressional Ethics from the start & I'm glad it will not have a place in the 115th Congress," Bilirakis wrote.
Members also began filing legislation for Congress to consider over the next two years. U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, a Republican who represents a district in Northeast Florida, unveiled a proposed constitutional amendment that would limit House members to three two-year terms and senators to two six-year terms. Trump has voiced support for similar ideas.
"Term limits for members of Congress will change the prevailing Beltway power structure, realign incentives for members of Congress and bring accountability to Washington, D.C.," DeSantis said.
Republican Congressman Vern Buchanan announced plans to file seven bills covering topics including a balanced federal budget, tax reform, screening social media sites of potential foreign visitors for signs of terrorist sympathies, the fight against citrus diseases and tougher penalties for people who kill police officers.
