State Rep. Paul Renner is one of Florida's leaders in the justice system as chair of the House Judiciary Committee, and he will take on greater responsibility as House speaker-designate for 2022.

A member of the House since 2015, the Palm Coast Republican also is a member of the House rules and appropriations committees and the justice appropriations subcommittee.

He is a shareholder and commercial litigator at Milam Howard Nicandri Gillam & Renner in Jacksonville, is a former state prosecutor, served with the Navy in Operation Desert Storm, served in Afghanistan for a year as a commander in the U.S. Navy Reserves and graduated from law school at the University of Florida.

Renner responded to questions after adjournment about the latest legislative session.

What can judges, court administrators, clerks, state attorneys and public defenders expect from the new budget?

This year's budget increased salaries for our new assistant state attorneys and public defenders as well as increased pay for court personnel, such as our judicial assistants. We also passed legislation to certify four new judges, two in circuit court and two in county court, which will improve on the “time-to-justice” for both civil and criminal cases.

How will the assignment of benefits law affect insurers and consumers?

We have seen increasing abuse by a handful of lawyers and contractors, who pressure homeowners into entering an assignment of benefits, or AOB, agreement, then overcharge insurance companies and file suit when the insurance company objects to payment. Homeowners should not be caught in the middle. Our legislation allows homeowners to continue assigning their policies to facilitate repairs but also includes important restrictions that protect homeowners from predatory contractors and unscrupulous attorneys, and result in fewer lawsuits.

Preemption bills addressed everything from short-term housing rentals to plastic straws. How do you balance local control and state priorities?

As legislators, we are elected to not only represent our local communities but the state as a whole. Under our state Constitution, home rule allows local governments to address unique issues, unless otherwise preempted by law. The state has mainly exercised that preemption to provide uniformity in commerce, so there are not hundreds of different and inconsistent rules and regulations from one city or county to the next, which only hinders economic growth. That still leaves countless local decisions to local governments.

How will the change in the petition-gathering process for constitutional amendments affect future state ballots?

Florida's Constitution has become the epicenter for out-of-state billionaires and special interests to pursue their own agendas through what is supposed to be a citizen-driven constitutional amendment process. In fact, most, if not all, of the petition collectors you see on the street are hired groups that live out-of-state. This important reform will allow voters to know about the out-of-state influence behind a particular proposal, and it also provides voters with additional information on the potential costs of the proposal, including any estimated effects on the economy. In the Legislature, we receive a published staff analysis of every bill that gets a committee hearing before we ever take a vote. This allows us to assess not only the intended consequences of that bill, but also the costs and potentially negative unintended consequences if we support it. In the same way, voters deserve to be fully informed before deciding to add provisions to our Constitution. This new law will ensure that we are not duped by out-of-state special interests from the left or right who descend on our state every two years in an attempt to get their special-interest agenda into our state Constitution.

 What other legislation was approved this session that most affects the practice of law in Florida? 

The biggest change for civil attorneys will be the increase in the jurisdictional amount for county court, which will move to $30,000 next January and move up again to $50,000 two years later. This will mean more civil cases will land in county court, not circuit court. On the criminal side, we just passed the biggest criminal justice reform legislation in a generation. Currently, we enjoy a nearly 50-year low in our crime rate. Part of that is attributable to a tough approach toward high-risk, violent offenders. However, over the years the push to get tougher and tougher has also sent many low-risk, nonviolent offenders to prison and reduced our flexibility for those who show promise for rehabilitation. This session, we passed a criminal justice reform package based on three principles, each of which is necessary for a fair and effective criminal justice system: preserve public safety, ensure proportionality and strengthen the rule of law. Once this bill becomes law, Floridians can know that our communities will remain safe, our correctional facilities will be less crowded with nonviolent offenders, inmates will have a path to employment that reduces the cycle of recidivism and victims will enjoy additional help to address their needs.