A House committee approved a somewhat watered-down immigration bill that would allow law enforcement officials to demand proof of citizenship during an arrest or criminal investigation and require businesses to verify that employees are in the country legally.

Judiciary Committee Chairman William Snyder, R-Stuart, sponsored the bill (PCB JDC 11-01) included several concessions to business groups and others concerned that an Arizona-style measure, among other things, would scare off tourists.

Unlike Arizona’s law, police would not be allowed to request documentation during traffic stops but would be permitted to request papers during criminal investigations or arrests or if they have a “reasonable suspicion” someone may be engaging in criminal activity.

But the modifications of Snyder’s original proposal did not appease opponents.
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Gov. Rick Scott is holding fast to his support for an Arizona-style immigration reform for Florida despite recent comments from state GOP leaders, including Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, that it could be bad for business.

Scott, who campaigned on the issue, said this morning that law enforcement officers should be able to ask for immigration documentation, including during routine traffic stops.

“The federal government needs to secure our borders. We need to have an overall immigration policy that is logical and that works and is fair to Americans and fair to people that want to come to our country that we invite to come to our country,” Scott told reporters this morning.

“At the same time, I also believe that if you’re in our country and you do something illegally, you should be able to be asked just like I get asked for my ID if I ever get a traffic ticket, they should be asked if they’re legal or not. I clearly don’t believe in racial profiling,” Scott said.

Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, said yesterday he does not favor an Arizona-style law.

And Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, fresh from a decade in Congress trying to address the immigration issue, said he believes an Arizona-style law would be bad for tourism and finance in Florida.

The Florida Senate held a low-key information-gathering session on immigration reform late this afternoon, the first in a series of meetings coinciding with immigration legislation currently in the works.

Senate President Mike Haridopolos put Sen. Anitere Flores, a Cuban-American from Miami and chairwoman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, in charge of three meetings on the controversial topic that legislatures throughout the nation are grappling with.

Today’s meeting included presentations from federal immigration authorities and an update from state education, prison and highway safety officials as well as a law professor from Florida International University.

Flores said she hoped the cerebral kick-off would set the stage for future discussions to be held in “dispassionate and well-informed manner.”

But some lawmakers were clearly frustrated by what they heard.
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Rep. William Snyder, R-Stuart, told The Palm Beach Post earlier this month about his interest in bringing Arizona’s controversial immigration law to Florida.

(Interestingly, Snyder’s fellow MartCo Republican, Gayle Harrell, also made a big push for tougher state immigration laws while she was in the House. She essentially was shot down by then-Speaker Marco Rubio, who relegated her bill to a workshop where no votes were recorded.)

Anyway, Snyder’s effort is, predictably, picking up steam among the conservatives who control state legislature, the St. Petersburg Times reports today:

In an election year shaped by anti-incumbency sentiment, majority leaders in the Florida Senate and House said a new approach is needed to address the federal government’s failure to temper illegal immigration.

The effort has the backing of both leading Republican gubernatorial candidates businessman Rick Scott and Attorney General Bill McCollum.

In fact, McCollum’s office is helping to draft the bill.

Rick Scott, the Republican flooding TV airwaves in Florida, said today that he would oppose a constitutional ban on offshore drilling that Gov. Charlie Crist wants lawmakers to put on the November ballot.

“We need to protect our beaches, break our dependency on foreign oil and hold oil companies accountable when there are problems,” Scott said. “As governor, I’ll look to strike a balance between responsible exploration that takes every precaution and is far enough from our shores while holding oil companies accountable for their mistakes.”

Attorney General Bill McCollum, the front-runner in the GOP primary, say he opposes offshore drilling but wants a loophole in the constitutional amendment to allow for safe drilling in the future.

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People in Florida and national politics reacted today to reports of U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez’s impending resignation:

“Mel Martinez’s life is a testament to the boundless promise that exists in America, where a young Cuban exile can come to the United States without his parents and rise to become a Cabinet secretary and U.S. senator. As he looks ahead towards the next phase of his life, I wish him and his family all the best.
“As Governor Crist considers who he will appoint as Florida’s next U.S. senator, I urge him to take great care in his selection. Florida deserves an interim senator who will go to Washington and serve as a true check on President Obama’s push for more wasteful government spending, government-run health care and cap-and-trade. The last thing Florida needs is a U.S. senator that will stand with President Obama instead of challenging the wrong direction he is leading our country and offering constructive conservative solutions moving forward.”
— Republican former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio, a 2010 candidate for Martinez’s seat

“Senator Mel Martinez made history when he was elected to the U.S. Senate and I wish him only the best in his future endeavors. It is fitting that one of Senator Martinezs final votes was to confirm a history-making Supreme Court nominee, Judge Sonia Sotomayor and I am so pleased that he cast this vote one that I wholeheartedly support.”
— Democratic U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, a 2010 candidate for Martinez’s seat

“Mel has been a good Senate colleague of mine, as well as a personal friend. He also has been a dedicated public servant for Florida. I look forward to our continued friendship — and to having the same bipartisan working relationship with his successor.”
— U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Florida

“I have a great deal of respect for my good friend Mel Martinez. I know this decision was a difficult one for him, but I think he is doing what he believes is right for him and his family. We will immediately begin the process of selecting an appropriate replacement to serve the remainder of Senator Martinez’s term and I look forward to making an announcement in the coming weeks.”
— Gov. Charlie Crist, a Republican candidate for Martinez’s U.S. Senate seat
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U.S. Rep. Tim Mahoney will be getting a first-hand look at the U.S.-Mexico border Monday.

Mahoney will be one of eight Democratic congressmen invited by the Department of Homeland Security to tour the border at the crossing in El Paso, Texas.

“I want to understand what is going on and understand what it is going to take to enforce the law,” Mahoney said.

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Photo by Rick McKay

Mel Martinez is the man-in-the-middle on one of the most explosive issues in Congress: immigration.

As general chairman of the Republican Party, Martinez’s stand has been criticized by angry and vociferous Republicans – including some GOP presidential candidates – who characterize the immigration compromise bill worked out with Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., as “amnesty.”

The Cuban-born Martinez, the only immigrant in the Senate, has been singled out by pro-immigration groups for supporting a more restrictive measure than he championed last year.

Read the full story.

Mitt Romney offered a mixed message on illegal immigrants Thursday, saying he supports allowing them to apply to become permanent residents but opposes current legislation that would allow them to do just that.

The Republican presidential candidate said he opposes the U.S. Senate immigration bill because he believes it is unfair to legal immigrants who have “waited in line” for the chance to stay in this country.

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An immigrant advocacy coalition is targeting Sen. Mel Martinez with an ad that challenges the Cuban-born Republican “to remember his roots — support true immigration reform.”

The Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform, which includes the SEIU Florida Healthcare Union, said the ad — which began running Tuesday in Florida newspapers and on radio — is the first of many to target key senators who it says have backed away from compromise legislation which passed last year in the Senate.

Martinez, who has been regularly attacked by the Republican far right for being willing to allow illegal immigrants to obtain legal residency status, called the ad
“terribly unfair. But that’s politics.”

Read the complete story here.