User:Starrfruit/sandbox/2004-06 Florida Legislature

The 2004-06 Florida Legislature was the legislature of the U.S. state of Florida following the 2004 general election, occurring during the final two years of Governor Jeb Bush's second term. It was the 19th legislature convened under the 1968 Constitution and the 82th since statehood in 1845.

In the November 2, 2004 elections, the Republican Party gained three seats in the House of Representatives for a 84-36 majority, while maintaining their 26-14 majority in the Senate.

The legislature met in five sessions: a one-day organization session on November 16, 2004; a special session ("A") from December 13 to 17, 2004; the 2005 regular session from March 8 to May 6; a special session ("B") from December 5 to 8, 2005; and the 2006 regular session from March 7 to May 5.

Senate
Senate membership did not change during the course of the 2004-06 term.

House of Representatives
Membership changed with the death of David Coley and the subsequent election of his wife, Marti Coley, to succeed him. The party balance changed with one switch in party affiliation.

Major legislation and events
Senate President Tom Lee and House Speaker Allan Bense called a special session ("A") for December 13–17, 2004 to address several issues, including a state pre-kindergarten program and relief measures in response to the active 2004 hurricane season. Lawmakers set up a universal pre-K program pursuant to a constitutional amendment passed by voters in 2002, which mandated such a program. The legislature also passed measures relating to property tax relief, beach repair, hurricane insurance, citrus canker, and juvenile justice funding, among other items.

The 2005 regular session resulted in several major pieces of legislation: During the 2006 regular session, the legislature passed several significant new laws:
 * Law 1
 * Law 2
 * Law 1
 * Law 2

Senate leadership contest
The 2004-06 legislative term was marked by a notable leadership battle. In 2005, the Senate Republican caucus elected moderate Republican Senator J. Alex Villalobos to be president for the 2008-10 term. In early 2006, however, conservative Senator Jeff Atwater attempted to challenge Villalobos for the leadership, and a group of Republican senators withdrew their pledges from Villalobos. Atwater had previously been seeking the presidency for 2010-12, so his "coup" attempt had consequences for that leadership contest, too.

By February 10, Atwater was claiming that he had the needed votes from his Republican colleagues to be president, but Villalobos did not concede. The struggle between the two camps grew fiercer over the next few months. On May 1, 2006, President Tom Lee removed Villalobos from his position as majority leader after Villalobos cast the deciding vote against a measure to expand school vouchers. Villalobos survived a conservative primary election challenge in September, but Atwater eventually secured enough pledges and was formally elected president-designate in 2007.

The Villalobos-Atwater leadership fight ...