TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum and others held a news conference near the state capitol Friday, criticizing a legislative proposal that would prevent many local governments from adopting new business regulations unless those regulations have been authorized by state law.
Under the preemption legislation filed last month in the Florida House of Representatives, no city, county, school district or other local government could impose new restrictions unless authorized by the legislature. Some examples of such decisions could be business signage, locations and environmental rules.
Opponents of the bill say it will take away the ability for local communities to decide for themselves what is in the best interest of their residents.
Mayor Gillum says citizens elect local leaders to do what is best for their individual communities.
"We are a very big state, and we are a very diverse state," said Gillum. "We bask in that diversity and richness, but we also know that Tallahassee, and Jackson County, and Miami-Dade County and Orange County and all over this state, there are differences."
The house measure comes as some local governments, including the city of Tallahassee, decide where to allow medical marijuana shops to open.
Gillum says it is important for local governments to make that decision.
