Bobby Payne
Posted 12/27/23
When he’s not at home in Palatka, Rep. Bobby Payne lives in a house he rents in Tallahassee with “housemates” in more ways than one. Payne shares the home with Reps. Tom Leek and …
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Bobby Payne
Rep. Bobby Payne represents southern rural Clay County. He serves as the Infrastructure Strategies Committee Chairman in the Florida House.
Posted
When he’s not at home in Palatka, Rep. Bobby Payne lives in a house he rents in Tallahassee with “housemates” in more ways than one. Payne shares the home with Reps. Tom Leek and Chuck Clemons, current Speaker pro tempore.
“Yes, the joke is that they’re my ‘housemates,’ so I usually just say ‘the house we lease together,’” Payne said while driving to Tampa for a Clean Water Conference.
It’s a house that current Speaker Rep. Paul Renner also used to crash at, although he just moved out.
“We’re as tight as you can get. We want to improve Florida to the nth degree. We’re teammates. Sam Garrison used to say to me, ‘You’re the quarterback, and I’ll block for you,’” said Payne.
There’s a sense of college dorm camaraderie at the Tallahassee house, but it’s not a vacation home. Payne, the Infrastructure Strategies Committee chairman, is there for business. His efforts in the House focus on improving Florida’s three facets: natural resources, natural waterways and transportation.
“They’re all connected,” said Payne. “We’re working to find commonality for the growth of Florida.”
One example of legislation that ticks all three boxes simultaneously was the 2020 Clean Waterways Act, which Payne co-sponsored and spearheaded in the House. The bill was authored to address algae blooms, often toxic, that plagued the coastlines of Florida’s waterways. It passed unanimously in the Florida legislature.
Payne is preparing for the Regular Session to start again on Jan. 9. The state transportation budget is increasing from $12 billion to $16 billion, and he is brainstorming ways to decrease congestion. A bus fleet and high-speed rail are some methods that are not off the table.
“A thousand Americans move to Florida every day. One person using public transportation means one less person off the roads,” he said.
Payne is scheduled to be term-limited in 2024, concluding an era of eight years representing his hometown and sponsoring bills increasing environmental protections in the state legislature.
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