Crystal ball proves true ... mostly

In March, before the Legislative Session started, the Business Observer looked at eight bills in Tallahassee that could impact Gulf Coast businesses. Here's a look back at the predictions:

H.B. 245 - Tax on Commercial Real Property: We predicted this bill, designed to slowly phase out rental and license fee taxes, was likely to fail. And we were right. It died in the Finance & Tax Committee April 28.

S.B. 214 - Discrimination in Employment Screening: We also predicted this bill, which would make questions about past criminal convictions off-limits in initial job applications, was likely to fail. It did, stuck in the Commerce and Tourism committee May 1.

H.B. 317 - Job Creation Through Business Tax Reform: This bill, which would've rewritten many taxes currently imposed on businesses, was a toss-up. But not for the House, which killed it in committee April 28.

C.S./H.B. 113 - Local Government Construction Preferences: Removing requirements that contractors maintain an office in a municipality if doing public work there seemed likely to pass. And while this particular bill failed, its Senate companion passed and was signed into law by Florida Gov. Rick Scott May 21.

H.B. 47 - State Minimum Wage: We predicted a proposed increase in the state minimum wage, from the current $8.05 to $10.10 an hour, was certain to fail. We were right: This bill died in a subcommittee April 28.

H.B. 253 - Small Business Participation In State Contracting: The same for this bill, which would've opened state contracting to smaller businesses. We predicted this would fail, and it did just that April 28. It never got out of committee.

C.S./H.B. 107 - Alcoholic Beverages: We expected this bill, from State Rep. Greg Steube, R-Sarasota, that would allow retailers like big box grocery stores to sell harder liquor items in main stores and not separate liquor locations, to pass. But we were wrong. It was voted down 10-6 in the Regulatory Affairs Committee.

S.B. 1046 - Entertainment Industry: Another bill that originated on the Gulf Coast, from State Sen. Nancy Detert, R-Venice, would have changed the existing tax credit program to attract film projects to a tax rebate program. We doomed this one to failure, and so did the Senate, where it died in Appropriations.