Education

Rick is committed to improving Florida's education system by reducing class size, paying teachers and support staff more, and restoring discipline and parental involvement in our schools. As a member of the Committee on 21st Century Competitiveness, Rick has been a strong and reliable ally for Florida educators. On March 22, 2007, Rick was one of 4 legislators to vote against the flawed Merit Award Program. He delivered a passionate speech on the floor of the House explaining that he could not support a bonus plan until an across the board pay increase was given. You can read an entire text of the speech here.

Building character, promoting civic awareness, and preparing students for careers in a global economy is also high on his agenda. In his first year in Tallahassee, Rick filed a bill that aimed to integrate meaningful community service into the classroom curriculum. He has filed a similar bill in 2008.

Energy & Environment

As the Ranking Democrat on the House Committee on Energy, Rick has spent much of his first two sessions in Tallahassee working to make Florida a leader in the area of energy efficiency and sustainability. In 2007, he worked across party lines to craft an energy bill that provided sales tax exemptions for the purchase of hybrid vehicles, and required state and local governments to construct energy-efficient buildings.

Rick's passion for the environment began during his service on the St. Petersburg City Council, where he supported a resolution to ban oil drilling off the coast of Florida, helped implement the use of hybrid vehicles in the municipal fleet, led the fight for a local climate protection agreement, and oversaw a citywide effort to determine energy efficiency.

Rick's proudest moment came on his very last day on council, when he stood on the steps of city hall to announce a public-private partnership called EcoZones. EcoZone is the flagship brand of EcoMedia, the world's premier environmental media company dedicated to pioneering marketing and media programs that generate funds to address critical environmental challenges in our community. Our ecosystem is already benefitting from this program, at no expense to taxpayers. He is now working to bring this unique public-private partnership to all of Florida.

Family & Values

As a husband and father of two, Rick understands the importance of family and the need for strong values in our society. He believes his number one job is that of a parent and husband, and that all parents should strive to be role models for their children while also teaching the value of hard work, respect, responsibility and community.

As a councilman and legislator, Rick has focused on quality of life issues that aim to keep families happy and healthy. Whether prohibiting smoking on and around municipal athletic fields, making the roads safer for pedestrians and families on bicycles through stricter crosswalk laws, creating alternative recreation facilities such as skate parks, helping to keep drunk drivers off our roads, or sponsoring legislation that allows our parents and grandparents to achieve peace of mind in their waning years, Rick considers the family unit one of his main priorities while in office.

But he also understands that not all families are created equal, and that so many are facing challenges greater than we've seen in generations. Too many children are being raised in broken homes. African-Americans continue to face institutional disadvantages. Single mothers are struggling. Grandparents are raising many of our children, instead of enjoying retirement. And we neither achieve "family" or "values" when allowing thousands of children to live every single day without a loving home. Today in Florida, nearly 5,000 children are available for adoption, with 41 percent waiting up to two years before a permanent, forever family is found. Rick believes this is unconscionable, and even more so given the fact that the State of Florida continues to prohibit gay and lesbian foster parents from formally adopting these children in desperate need of a home.

Government can't and shouldn't do it all, but Rick believes we can and must do better.

Fairness

Believing that diversity should be celebrated and tolerance promoted, Rick has a strong record of fighting for civil rights and equal rights for all.

In 2002, he led the charge for an expanded human rights ordinance at the municipal level, and has carried the fight to Tallahassee as the co-sponsor of HB 191, which prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation. He has signed on to a resolution that grants Equal Rights to Men and Women – which will ultimately ratify a proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and has co-sponsored a bill that would allow homosexuals to adopt in certain circumstances.

Rick has twice co-sponsored a bill that gives financial relief to Alan Jerome Crotzer, a former St. Petersburg resident who was wrongfully imprisoned for more than 24 years. Rick is committed to ensuring fairness and accuracy in Florida's criminal justice system.

Seniors

After a lifetime of hard work, our seniors deserve dignity and quality care in their later years. Since arriving in Tallahassee, Rick has been a champion for senior citizens. In 2007, he worked with the AARP to pass HB 359 into law, which protects volunteer drivers from auto insurance hikes, thereby allowing individuals to maintain their independence through the utilization of community-based volunteer driver programs.

Rick entered 2008 with a new priority: increasing the personal needs allowance for seniors and other residents in nursing homes or institutional facilities. In 1974, federal law mandated that nursing home residents receiving assistance from Medicaid could keep $25 of their monthly income to cover personal needs such as supplemental vitamins, clothing, additional hygiene products, stationery, occasional outings, and anything else associated with a decent quality of life. The federal mandate was raised to $30 in 1988, and although most states have voluntarily exceeded this amount, it has been twenty years since Florida raised the personal needs allowance for its seniors. We rank near the very bottom, but hopefully not for long.

If the Cecelia Baci Act becomes law, the personal needs allowance will increase to $70 and include an annual cost of living adjustment. Rick's creative approach to funding this increase during fiscally challenging times has earned him national recognition, and has brought much needed attention to the problems plaguing Florida's nursing home population.

Taxes

"Philosophical policy decisions need to be made. In order for the Legislature to provide true property tax relief, we must have a serious policy debate regarding how we expect local government to fund the services they provide."

Rick has been a voice of reason on property taxes since entering elected office in 2000. He voted to decrease the millage rate five times while a member of the St. Petersburg City Council, while still delivering a high level of service to residents. He has continued to stand up for taxpayers at the state level by advocating for a complete review of the more than $30 billion in mostly corporate and outdated sales tax exemptions. In a June 2007 op-ed in the St. Petersburg Times, Rick called for "political bravery" on this issue, and later fought on the behalf of the millions of Floridians who received little or no benefit from the 2008 tax reform amendment, such as commercial property owners, seniors, and the poor. He continues to call for the elimination of 'highest and best use', which has financially crippled many of our most treasured businesses.

In a further attempt to save taxpayer money, Rick is holding Florida's special taxing districts accountable through HB 795. This bill declares it state policy to codify the charters of each special district every decade following a complete independent review of each entity.

Technology

Rick Kriseman not only understands the power of technology and how it can be used to create a transparent democracy, he's done it. Because of Rick, all St. Petersburg City Council meetings are streamed online and available for viewing at anytime. Bringing government to the people will continue to be a hallmark of Rick's public service, but employing cutting edge technology extends beyond the political process. From schools and hospitals to the environment and public safety, investing in an e-infrastructure will allow us to solve many of the problems we face today.