Chamber (mostly) hands out As to local lawmakers

TALLAHASSEE — Nearly two-thirds of state legislators that represent areas on the Gulf Coast scored an A grade from the Florida Chamber of Commerce, which ranked the 160 members on pro-business votes in the past session.

In total, 24 out of 38 local legislators scored an A, according to a Business Observer analysis of the Chamber's annual report card. Nine legislators scored a perfect 100. On the flip side, seven area legislators failed, with scores of less than 65. The scores broke down entirely by party affiliation: Republicans earned all the 100 and A scores, while the seven failures were all Democrats.

The chamber, according to a release, tabulated more than 8,000 votes from the session. Nearly 59% of lawmakers statewide earned an A score. The chamber also reports 20 Senators earned an A this year, up from 17 in 2012 and 73 representatives earned an A, down from 79 last year.
 
“Business leaders and voters deserve to know their legislators are voting in support of private sector jobs and a stronger economy,” Florida Chamber Executive Vice President David Hart says in the release. “The Florida Chamber's Legislative Report Card gives job creators and voters the information they need to make informed decision on who they will support in the future.”