YOU CAN'T DO MUCH WHEN YOU'RE IN THE DOGHOUSE

Many of you may remember I noted here back in January that two Republican State House members, Dennis Ross of Lakeland and Donald D. Brown of DeFuniak Springs, ended up on the wrong side of Speaker Marco Rubio's favour and were stripped of committee chairmanships after they were the only two members to vote against a compromise property insurance package which passed during the special Legislative session.

It's no secret that when one is in the doghouse with the leadership a legislator's effectiveness is greatly damaged, and Ross is especially aware that any bills which he may sponsor may very well go down in flames.

But will Ross, a legislative veteran in his fourth and final term in the House, remain in the doghouse for the entire session? Lakeland Ledger political writer Bill Rufty notes that most observers and a couple of collegues believe not. An attorney with a strong background in insurance matters, as well as his tenure in the House during a year in which nearly a third of it's members are attending their first session, it is believed that Ross will be called upon as the session moves forward, especially with the state's no-fault insurance statutes scheduled to sunset this year.