Rep. Gaetz announced his intention to introduce the legislation at Turning Point Action’s 2023 Action Conference. The bill has not been formally introduced into congress as of Aug. 10.

In June 2022, the United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of religious freedom and sided with a football coach who was fired by his school district for embracing his First Amendment right before games. Rep. Gaetz’s legislation will enforce the Supreme Court’s ruling to allow every person the ability to engage in prayer in school.

“God’s reach does not stop at the schoolhouse gates. Our country’s education policy forbids students and faculty from praying while endlessly promoting degenerate LGBT and anti-White propaganda,” Gaetz said. “My legislation unlocks religious freedom once again so that in every classroom in America, there will be time for students to pray if they choose.”

The text of the bill can be found at https://gaetz.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/gaetz.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/gaetz_school-prayer-draft-bill.pdf.

Rudman currently serves on the Commerce Committee, Insurance and Banking Subcommittee, Healthcare Regulation Subcommittee, Higher Education Subcommittee and the Postsecondary Education and Workforce Subcommittee.

“Of the seven bills I’ve filed, four of them have really good activity and it usually has to do with how early you file them,” Rudman said. “We have four of them that are really kind of no brainers. So of course, those are the ones getting the most traction.”

One of these four bills is House Bill 1031, or the Cassie Carli Law. This bill would require every county commission in the state to provide at least one safe-designated custody exchange location that is monitored, well lit, available 24/7 and signified by a purple light.

The bill is inspired by the disappearance and death of Cassie Carli, who went missing after going to a dimly lit parking lot on Navarre Beach for a custody exchange. According to the Florida House of Representatives website, the bill was seen as favorable by the civil justice subcommittee and had its first reading March 22.

Another bill that Rudman is excited about is HB 517, which helps provide a nursing education pathway for military combat medics. The Senate voted on an identical senate version of the bill and it passed with 39 yeas and zero nays.

“That will probably be the first bill that I get to present and debate from the floor of the House,” Rudman said. “So that will be very exciting indeed.”

The other three bills filed are a bit more complex, Rudman said. He expects them to work their way through the legislative process at a more methodical pace. Those three bills are HB 1335, HB 1403 and HB 1487.

HB 1335 would stop insurance companies from taking money back from providers and hospitals after a service had previously been properly authorized for payment. If passed and signed into law, the bill would only affect Florida-based insurance companies. The only caveat is that a claim for insured or subscriber ineligibility could still be denied retroactively upon the grounds that the insurer or organization was convicted of fraud within the past year.

HB 1403 gives protections for healthcare providers and payors who opt out of participation in or payment for certain healthcare services based upon the provider’s conscience-based objection. The bill would prohibit the Department of Health and different boards from taking disciplinary action against, or denying a license to, an individual based on the use of free speech.

“It’s probably, in my mind, the most important one,” Rudman said. “It’s the reason I got in the (House) race to begin with.”

According to Rudman, the bill exclusively deals with elective procedures. Emergency medical treatment is still required per the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act.

One of the last bills Rudman filed, HB 1487, concerns the declaration of public health emergencies. The bill is referred to as the Medical Emergency Requirement for Clear and Convincing Information and Evidence (MERCCIE) Act.

Under Rudman’s bill, declarations of public health emergencies would require consent from the governor and the legislature, not just the state’s public health officer. The bill authorizes the state health officer to request rather than order the examination, testing and/or quarantining of individuals for communicable diseases. There would also be a judicial review for the public health officer’s request.

For actions that affect entire groups or communities, HB 1487 requires a two-thirds vote of the membership of both houses of the legislature to allow it.

On top of those bills filed by Rudman, he is also a co-sponsor on eight bills. These include House Joint Resolution (HJR) 31, which proposes amendments to the state constitution to require members of district school boards to be elected in partisan elections and HB 1543, which lowers the minimum age for purchasing a firearm.

In terms of his first time working in the House of Representatives, Rudman said it has been all about building relationships. He said the entire Panhandle delegation has a strong connection and that he and Sen. Doug Broxson have formed a working partnership.

Overall, Rudman expects big things to come from the remainder of the session. He said things in the House and Senate are going smoothly, thanks in large part to the supermajority Republicans gained during the 2022 midterm elections.

“In researching the city charter and code of ordinances, I was unable to locate any documentation or legislation officially designating the official seal for the city of Crestview or safeguarding the use,” said Crestview City Clerk Maryanne Schrader.

At the most recent City Council meeting, Schrader presented a proposed ordinance to the board that would designate the long-used seal as the city’s official seal.

The official city seal is used for authenticating the ordinances, resolutions, contracts, and all the permanent documents that the city issues. Schrader has found old documents using the Crestview seal dating back to the year of city’s incorporation in 1916.

However, nothing has been found in the city records of any official action taken to designate that seal as the official city seal.

“I even have the old cast iron seal from back in the day that was affixed to a desk,” Schrader said. “But we don’t really have anything official stating that’s our seal.”

The ordinance designating the current seal as the official seal of Crestview is designed to protect the city from other parties attempting to duplicate it in future. City staff will not have to go back to previous documents to place the official city seal on them again. The ordinance does include penalties for its unauthorized use.

At the March 13 City Council meeting, the board approved the first reading of an ordinance designating the official seal of the city. The first reading was approved 5-0 and the final reading and vote for approval is expected to take place at the next council meeting.

“We’re just 100 years behind,” City Manager Tim Bolduc joked after the meeting.

Once the seal is officially designated, Bolduc said the city will have it trademarked so that it can’t be illegally duplicated. He said the city will likely then go through the same process to officially designate the city’s logo that appears on the city website and throughout City Hall and other city buildings.

Q: How would you describe Crestview to someone new to the area?

A: Crestview is the perfect place to live, a growing community with a hometown feel. Affordability, safety, and friendliness are characteristics that stand out when thinking about Crestview. Our community is becoming very diverse, in large part due to our military members that come to the area and make it their homes and stay after retirement from the military. Crestview offers great schools and a growing number of services for its citizens. The sunny weather and access to the prettiest beaches in Florida are also a huge plus.  

Q: What was your motivation to join the City Council?

A: I grew up here and have a sense of pride and deep love for our community. After serving our country for 20 years, I always had an interest in serving the community. I got involved by volunteering and sitting on some boards. Once I retired from the private sector, it made sense to start serving our community. 

Q: What do you feel are the biggest issues facing the city this year?

A: Crestview’s rapid growth is creating many challenges. We have infrastructure needs, affordable housing needs, and the need for more career opportunities (not just jobs) in Crestview.

Q: What are your main goals for the city in 2023?

A: Planning for the future and the upcoming capital projects we face, such as a new fire station, new police department, water/sewer improvements, roadway/traffic improvements, and more sidewalks, especially around our schools. Also, continuing to stick to the plan we have, with growing the city through annexations and cleaning it up, through our code enforcement program and blight removal. These things also help make the city more attractive to business and industry. I can’t wait for the construction on Main Street to begin this year, to be able to expand our sidewalks and make downtown more appealing to businesses that are open after 5 p.m. daily, making downtown a destination in the evening. I would also like to see a park on the north side, perhaps around the Community Center and Library.  

Q: What achievement in the city are you most proud of accomplishing in 2022?

A: Two things stand out.

1. The ability of our team to stand up an Animal Control Division in a very short time. This was not in our plans, but we were presented with an over-priced contract in a take-it-or-leave-it situation, and it didn’t feel like the services being provided warranted the increase; our citizens deserved better. This illustrated the ability of our team to pivot on the fly and perform at a high level, all while producing another service for our citizens.

2. Growing our city and annexing more than 800 acres in the last year. Our moratorium on annexation fees allowing property owners to annex and gain access to city services has been tremendous. This helps us close in enclaves as well as expand our borders while having positive future impacts including ad valorem revenue based on future taxable assessed values.