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Bob Solari <br />Chairman <br />District 5 <br />Susan Adams <br />Vice Chairman <br />District 1 <br />May 20, 2019 <br />Office of Governor Ron DeSantis <br />State of Florida <br />The Capitol <br />400 S. Monroe St. <br />Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001 <br />Re: HB 771 <br />Dear Governor DeSantis: <br />Joseph E. Flescher <br />District 2 <br />Tim Zorc <br />District 3. <br />Peter D. O'Bryan <br />District 4 <br />The Board of County Commissioners of Indian River County wishes to express its appreciation for your <br />veto of HB 771. Although Indian River County has not adopted a local regulation of single -use plastic <br />straws, the Board believes that local governments should be permitted to exercise Home Rule authority. <br />As you noted in your veto letter, if citizens do not like the ordinances that their local officials enact, they <br />can seek recourse by electing officials who share their views. <br />Conceptually, Home Rule in Florida is similar to Federalism. Federalism allows the Federal government to <br />focus on a few areas of national importance, leaving the bulk of day to day matters to the state. Home <br />Rule allows local governments to address local issues while the State legislature attends to issues of <br />statewide importance. The past legislative session, which began with some 3,500 bills, highlights the <br />wisdom of home rule. The 160 men and women of the Florida Legislature simply have too much to do in <br />their two-month session to adequately address statewide needs and micromanage 67 counties and over <br />400 municipalities. <br />Yes, local governments do sometimes do the wrong thing, but as the historian of democracy, James <br />Kloppenburg notes: "...the flexibility and open-endedness of democracy make it particularly suitable for <br />cultures increasingly attuned to a scientific sensibility, committed to testing multiple hypotheses through <br />trial and error and examining the consequences through open inquiry." In short, democracy should <br />accommodate experimentation. <br />Your veto of HB 771 supports both our democratic system and better government in Florida. Thank you. <br />Sincerely, <br />//ORIGINAL SIGNED// <br />Bob Solari <br />Chairman <br />1801 27th Street, Building A <br />Vero Beach, FL 32960 <br />(772) 226-1490 <br />3 <br />