The Week Ahead in Florida Politics - December 8, 2014

THE CAPITAL, TALLAHASSEE, DECEMBER 5, 2014…..Getting ready for their first legislative session, newly elected House members will gather Tuesday at the Capitol to learn the nuts and bolts of how the Legislature works. Meanwhile, Gov. Rick Scott and members of the state Cabinet will meet after attending a groundbreaking ceremony for a memorial to fallen firefighters.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2014

PEDESTRIAN SAFETY AT ISSUE: The Florida Sheriffs Task Force, in conjunction with the Florida Sheriffs Association, will hold a news conference to discuss results of a month-long effort to improve pedestrian safety. The effort, known as Operation Safe Steps, involved additional traffic enforcement in areas with heavy pedestrian traffic. (Monday, 10:30 a.m., Pinellas County Sheriffs Office, 10750 Ulmerton Road, Largo.)

ORANGE COUNTY DELEGATION TO MEET: The Orange County legislative delegation will meet as it prepares for the 2015 session. (Monday, 3 p.m., Orange County Administration Center, 201 South Rosalind Ave., Orlando.)

HAMILTON COUNTY DELEGATION TO MEET: The Hamilton County legislative delegation, made up of Sen. Bill Montford, D-Tallahassee, and Rep. Elizabeth Porter, R-Lake City, will meet. (Monday, 5:30 p.m., Hamilton County Courthouse, 207 N.E. First St., Jasper.)

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2014

CHRISTMAS TREES PRESENTED AT CAPITOL: As part of a longstanding tradition, Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam will present Florida-grown Christmas trees to Gov. Rick Scott, Attorney General Pam Bondi and state Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater. The trees will come from the Havana Christmas Tree Farm in Gadsden County. (Tuesday, 8:30 a.m., outside the governor's office, the Capitol.)

NEW HOUSE MEMBERS TO GET TRAINING: Training sessions will be held throughout the day for new members of the Florida House. The sessions will involve topics such as ethics and legal requirements, the committee process and rules and protocol on the House floor. (Tuesday, sessions start at 9 a.m. and will be mostly held in the House chamber and at Reed Hall in the House Office Building.)

OFFICIALS MARK GROUNDBREAKING OF FIREFIGHTER MEMORIAL: Gov. Rick Scott and the state Cabinet members are expected to take part in a ceremony to mark the groundbreaking of the Florida Fallen Firefighter Memorial. (Tuesday, 9 a.m., Capitol courtyard.)

ST. JOHNS WATER BOARD TO MEET: The St. Johns River Water Management District Governing Board will meet. The full board will meet at the conclusion of a series of committee meetings. (Tuesday, committee meetings start at 9 a.m., district headquarters, 4049 Reid St., Palatka.)

SUWANNEE WATER BOARD TO MEET: The Suwannee River Water Management District Governing Board will meet. (Tuesday, 9 a.m., district headquarters, 9225 County Road 49, Live Oak.)

CABINET CONSIDERS SELLING OLD HOSPITAL SITE: Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Cabinet will meet and take up a series of issues, including a plan to sell 496 acres of land in DeSoto County that formerly housed the G. Pierce Wood Memorial Hospital, which for decades housed people with mental illnesses. (Tuesday, 9:30 a.m., Cabinet meeting room, the Capitol.)

RUBIO STAFF HOLDS OFFICE HOURS: U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio's staff will hold "mobile office hours" in Osceola, Pasco, Nassau and Hernando counties. (Tuesday, 9:30 a.m., Robert Guevara Community Center, 501 Florida Parkway, Kissimmee. Also, 10 a.m., New River Library, 34043 State Road 54, Wesley Chapel. Also, 11 a.m., James Page Governmental Complex, 96135 Nassau Place, Yulee. Also, 2 p.m., Brooksville City Hall, 201 Howell Ave., Brooksville.)

SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION MONEY DISCUSSED: The Revenue Estimating Conference will take up the Public Education Capital Outlay, or PECO, program, which helps pay for school construction projects. (Tuesday, 10:15 a.m., 117 Knott Building, the Capitol.)

PRE-K NUMBERS UPDATED: The Early Learning Programs Estimating Conference will analyze the voluntary pre-kindergarten program. (Tuesday, 1:30 p.m., 117 Knott Building, the Capitol.)

FAU TRUSTEES TO MEET: Florida Atlantic University trustees will hold a series of committee meetings before a full board meeting. (Tuesday, 2 p.m., Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton campus, Administration Building, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton.)

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

CITIZENS BOARD TO MEET: The Board of Governors of Citizens Property Insurance Corp. will meet, after holding a series of committee meetings Tuesday. (Wednesday, 9 a.m.. Call-in number: 1-888-942-8686. Access code: 5743735657#)

MEDICAID MONEY AT ISSUE: The Social Services Estimating Conference will analyze Medicaid expenditure issues. (Wednesday, 9 a.m., 117 Knott Building, the Capitol.)

PINELLAS COUNTY DELEGATION TO MEET: The Pinellas County legislative delegation will meet as it prepares for the 2015 session. (Wednesday, 9 a.m., Seminole Campus, The Digitorium, 9200 113th St. North, Seminole.)

PAROLE CASES HEARD: The Florida Commission on Offender Review will hear arguments in numerous parole cases involving crimes committed in the 1970s and 1980s. (Wednesday, 9 a.m., 4070 Esplanade Way, Tallahassee.)

FLORIDA POLYTECHNIC BOARD TO MEET: The Florida Polytechnic University Board of Trustees will meet, after holding a series of committee meetings Tuesday and earlier Wednesday. (Wednesday, 9 a.m., Florida Polytechnic University, IST Building, 4700 Research Way, Lakeland.)

TOP NURSING HOMES CONSIDERED: The Governor's Panel on Excellence in Long-Term Care will consider applications for Gold Seal Award designations for nursing homes. (Wednesday, 9 a.m., Crowne Plaza Orlando-Downtown, 304 West Colonial Dr., Orlando.)

FIU BOARD TO HOLD CONFERENCE CALL: The Florida International University Board of Trustees will hold a conference call to discuss issues such as an annual accountability report to the university system's Board of Governors. (Wednesday, 11 a.m. Call-in number: 1-800-748-8543.)

RUBIO STAFF HOLDS OFFICE HOURS: U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio's staff will hold "mobile office hours" in Clay County. (Wednesday, noon, Middleburg-Clay Hill Branch Library, 2245 Aster Ave., Middleburg.)

DESOTO COUNTY DELEGATION TO MEET: The DeSoto County legislative delegation will meet as it prepares for the 2015 session. (Wednesday, 1:30 p.m., 201 East Oak St., Arcadia.)

COMMUNITIES TRUST BOARD MEETS: The Florida Communities Trust board will meet and discuss the program that helps local communities protect natural resources and preserve working waterfronts. (Wednesday, 2:30 p.m., Marjory Stoneman Douglas Building, 3900 Commonwealth Blvd., Tallahassee.)

CAMPAIGN FINANCE REPORTS DUE: Campaign-finance reports are due for candidates in special elections in Senate District 6, House District 17, House District 24 and House District 64. The reports will cover financial activity through Nov. 30.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2014

PANEL DISCUSSES LAND ISSUES: The state Acquisition and Restoration Council, which works on land-acquisition and management issues, will meet and take public testimony on new proposals. (Thursday, 9 a.m., Marjory Stoneman Douglas Building, 3900 Commonwealth Blvd., Tallahassee.)

SOUTH FLORIDA WATER BOARD TO MEET: The South Florida Water Management District Governing Board will meet. (Thursday, 9 a.m., district headquarters, 3301 Gun Club Road, West Palm Beach.)

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY LAWMAKERS MEET: The Hillsborough County legislative delegation will meet as it prepares for the 2015 session. (Thursday, 9:30 a.m., Hillsborough Community College, Dale Mabry Campus, 4001 West Tampa Bay Blvd., Tampa.)

RUBIO STAFF HOLDS OFFICE HOURS: U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio's staff will hold "mobile office hours" in Union, Pinellas, Baker and Broward counties. (Thursday, 10 a.m., Union County Courthouse, 55 West Main St., Lake Butler. Also, 10 a.m., Largo City Hall, 201 Highland Ave., Largo. Also, 12:30 p.m., Baker County Commission, 55 North Third St., Macclenny. Also, 3 p.m., Northwest Regional Library, 3151 North University Dr., Coral Springs.)

SUPREME COURT TO ISSUE OPINIONS: The Florida Supreme Court is expected to release its weekly opinions. (Thursday, 11 a.m.)

NORTHWEST FLORIDA WATER BOARD TO MEET: The Northwest Florida Water Management District Governing Board will meet. (Thursday, 1 p.m., district headquarters, 81 Water Management Dr., Havana.)

BRADFORD COUNTY DELEGATION TO MEET: The Bradford County legislative delegation will meet as it prepares for the 2015 session. (Thursday, 4 p.m., Bradford County Courthouse, 945 North Temple Ave., Starke.)

GIBSON TO HOST TOY DRIVE: Sen. Audrey Gibson, D-Jacksonville, will host a toy drive in conjunction with the group Children of Inmates, Inc. (Thursday, 5:30 p.m., Edward Waters College, Adam Jenkins Sports Complex, 1658 Kings Road, Jacksonville.)

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2014

ETHICS COMMISSION: The Florida Commission on Ethics will consider issues from across the state. (Friday, 8:30 a.m., 37 Senate Office Building, the Capitol.)

GENERAL REVENUE UPDATED: Economists will meet to update projections of the state's general revenue, which plays a key role in funding education, health and criminal-justice programs. The projections will come as Gov. Rick Scott prepares to offer a proposed 2015-16 budget to the Legislature. (Friday, 9 a.m., 117 Knott Building, the Capitol.)

PANEL DISCUSSES LAND ISSUES: The state Acquisition and Restoration Council, which works on land-acquisition and management issues, will meet and is expected to rank projects. (Friday, 9 a.m., Marjory Stoneman Douglas Building, 3900 Commonwealth Blvd., Tallahassee.)

RUBIO STAFF HOLDS OFFICE HOURS: U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio's staff will hold "mobile office hours" in Miami-Dade County. (Friday, 9 a.m., Florida International University, Stadium Club, 11200 S.W. Eighth St., Miami.)

CAMPAIGN FINANCE REPORTS DUE: Campaign-finance reports are due for candidates in a special election in Duval County's House District 13. The reports will cover financial activity through Dec. 11.