This week’s 5 Questions is a special Mother’s Day edition with Rep. Michelle Salzman, R-Escambia County.
Besides the usual questions about legislation and session, The News Service of Florida asked Salzman what it’s like to be a mother and a representative in the Florida House.
She brings the same patience she has at home to the Capitol.
The House is like a family, she said.
"We don't always get it right, and we don't always agree, but we're always trying to move the needle forward, and that's the same thing that you do at home with your family," she said.
The interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Q: You sponsored the effort to include more transparency in the university president selection process. Is that something you're going to try to tackle again?
SALZMAN: I feel like they did a lot of good steps towards making progress at the Board of Governors and the policies that they've put in place. It's not my anticipation to do any further legislation at this point. Potentially in the future, we'll see, but we've got new leadership coming in November in the House and the Senate and in the Governor's office, as well as the Florida Cabinet. I think what we need to do is evaluate the political landscape when it comes time and see what their plans and their visions are before anticipating doing any further legislation.”
Q: Is there a bill of yours that didn't pass the session that you want to bring up again?
SALZMAN: The high acuity bill. We have a huge gap in services, gap in care for foster kids that fall under a high acuity threshold. We don't even statutorily have a definition of a high acuity child, but it’s basically someone who has a dual diagnosis or they have severe physical or emotional or mental disabilities, and they have a hard time getting placed into foster care. Kids that fall in that category that have to be removed from the home, those children in the high acuity space, we don't know how many beds are available anywhere in the state. As far as foster care is concerned, we don't get any sort of reports or information on that.
We don't know the wait list. We don't know how long the wait will be, but most of the children have to wait. We don't even have but a few beds available in a lot of parts of the state. So the kids are being sent six-to eight-hour drives away from their families when really we should be working on reunification plans. That bill did not move in the Senate. It passed the House floor, and it's my anticipation to continue that conversation, but not just for high acuity, for all kids in foster care and kids in the Department of Juvenile Justice.”
Q: What's something that you've learned as a mom that you've taken with you to the Capitol?
SALZMAN: Grace. You can't get rid of your family, so no matter how much they upset you, they're still your family, and I feel the same way about the members that I serve with in the chamber, as well as people throughout the state and the various agencies. We don't always get it right, and we don't always agree, but we're always trying to move the needle forward, and that's the same thing that you do at home with your family.
You don't always agree with what your family's doing, but you love your family, and you do your best to help guide them through whatever they're going through. So I think it's a good perspective to have, just giving people grace and forgiveness. It certainly puts you in a position to not have so many enemies, because you don't have to agree with somebody or disagree with somebody to be their friend or to not be their friend. I choose to make as many friends as possible and give as much grace as I can.”
Q: Do you think being a mother helps you as a representative in the Florida House?
“I think it helps you with the qualities of patience and understanding and the ability to really just navigate that a lot of people might not know what the answer is, but you just have to walk them through that process to get there. But on the other side of the token, it's really sad because I miss my family all the time. I love my kids, I love my husband, and I want to be with them. So when I'm in the Capitol, most of the time what I'm thinking about is ‘How much longer till I get to see them again?’”
Q: What's the best Mother's Day gift you've ever gotten?
“Time with my family. Every Mother's Day, we do something different together. This Mother's Day, for instance, we're going to Panama City Beach, and we're going to go to the Pirates Voyage Dinner & Show, and we're all just going to sit there and watch a big performance and stay the night and come home the next day. The memories are what I look for. Items themselves aren't fun, but spending time with my kids and those intentional moments and memories are what matters.”