Florida taxpayers had such high hopes for the 2011 Legislature. With supermajorities in both houses and what Mike Haridopolos initially called the "most conservative" Senate in history, Gov. Rick Scott's smaller-government agenda appeared all but assured.

But to use baseball parlance, there were no home runs, a few scratch hits and lots of strikeouts at the Capitol.

While liberal groups like Progress Florida, predictably, had little positive to say about the session, the real rage was on the right.

"More citizens were in Tallahassee and following session on the Florida Channel than I can ever recall. They're mad. They've witnessed business as usual," said Patricia Sullivan, head of the Tea Party Network, a coalition of 58 tea groups across Florida.

In a sarcastic summation, Sullivan noted: "We've probably named some new highways after someone, instructed youth how to dress, and pulled our state out of the mire by having an official amphibian."

Some say Scott has been one of the few bright lights in Tallahassee. They point to his executive orders targeting undocumented immigrants, drug-using welfare recipients, job-killing regulations and overlapping state agencies. Notably, Scott acted independently of the Legislature, where a cabal of good ol' boy (and girl) senators did their worst to muddy conservative principles.

As conservative activists in and out of the tea party movement make strategic plans to settle scores at the 2012 elections -- when every legislative seat will be up for grabs under redistricting -- here's a short-form consensus 2011 scoresheet from "right" field:


EXTRA BASE HITS

MEDICAID: Lawmakers broadened Medicaid reforms in an effort to contain costs and produce a more "patient-centered" system. Currently, Medicaid consumes roughly one-third of the state's budget. Chief sponsor, Sen. Joe Negon, said the changes will save up to $1.3 billion in the first year, with greater savings in subsequent years. This could turn into a home run, but skeptics caution that results of a trial program in Broward County don't warrant such enthusiasm.

SCHOOL CHOICE: School choice was expanded through charter and virtual school legislation that promotes expansion of high-performing charter schools and high-performing charter school systems. The state's tax credit scholarship (voucher) program also was expanded.

ELECTION REFORM: Shaking off Democrats' tired partisan claims of vote "suppression" and "disenfranchisement," lawmakers tightened rules to curb voter fraud. As Rep. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, rightly put it: "Election Day is a voting day, not a registration event."


SINGLES

TAX CUTS: Property taxes were reduced by more than $200 million and business taxes were phased out for roughly half of those that paid taxes last year. Nice, but far less than the reductions Scott proposed.

TEACHER TENURE: The Student Success Act (so-called "Son of SB 6") establishes a system to pay the best teachers more and eliminates teacher tenure for new teachers. Education reformers predict, however, that the poorly conceived performance-based system will only create confusion at the local level.

COURTS: Tweaked by the Senate, House Speaker Dean Cannon got a version of his judicial-reform package onto the 2012 ballot for voter consideration. The Florida Bar, which successfully fought off many of the proposed reforms, would maintain a decisive hand over the influential Judicial Nominating Commission, which Cannon had sought to scrap.

TORT REFORM: Bringing Florida into line with other states, the Legislature passed a "crashworthiness" bill, a common-sense tort-reform initiative that allows the jury to hear the full story of what led to an automobile accident.
     


WALKS