TALLAHASSEE – In a symbolic gesture intended to show a commitment to open government, soon-to-be Senate President Mike Haridopolos removed the doors from his Capitol office today.
But the heavy doors to the Senate’s executive suite remain closed. Capitol visitors won’t be able to wander through and watch the Senate president’s staff at work, but Haridopolos said he removed his own office doors to underscore his “open-door” policy for members of the Senate.
The Legislature convenes in special session on Tuesday to swear-in members, formalize committee assignments and override Gov. Charlie Crist’s vetoes of several bills from the 2010 regular session. Haridopolos and House Speaker-designate Dean Cannon of Winter Park will formally take over the presiding-officer roles in both chambers.
“We’ve had government in the sunshine and spending in the shade, but we’ve dramatically changed that,” said Haridopolos, after using a power drill to unscrew the hinges so Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Donald Severance could lift away the doors. “We’ve dramatically changed that. Today, very symbolically, we’ve continued that trend and the first part of trust is to have an open, transparent process.”
Haridopolos said he wanted “to make sure that the members of the Florida Senate have the opportunity to always see me when they have important issues to discuss.”