A plan to move the state capitol away from Tallahassee is being met resistance from Tallahassee. The local chamber of commerce issued a statement Tuesday.
The bill to move the Capitol to is from Republican Rep. Bill Hager, who says Tallahassee is just too difficult to get in and out of easily. But the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce wants the legislature to kill the proposal immediately. Chamber Vice President Jay Revell says lawmakers could assist by lifting restrictions on transportation methods for employees travel--like flying.
“Not allowing them to use a very convenient mode of transportation like flying in Florida, hinders their ability to get where they’re going in a hurry and hinders the airports performance," he said.
Hager’s bill is asking for a study to examine the cost of moving the state cabinet offices, the executive branch and the legislature—but it exempts the Florida Supreme Court and state agencies.
In a statement, Tallahassee Chamber Sue Dick panned Hager's bill:
"No study is necessary to determine that this bad idea would have a damaging, disruptive, and dangerous impact on countless families, businesses, institutions and an entire community. It also would taint Florida's proud history of Tallahassee serving as the state's capital city for nearly 200 years."
An effort to move the Capitol to Orlando failed in the 1970’s and today, there’s a memorial in the capitol building commemorating the effort.
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