A Bay area state lawmaker wants to see a fitter Florida.
Rep. Ed Homan, R-Temple Terrace, is sponsoring the so-called "calorie count" bill, which would require large restaurant groups to post dietary information on their menus.
"If you're wondering why we're doing this, you just need to look around," Homan said. "Our nation is getting heavier, if you haven't noticed, much heavier."
Homan said statistics show national obesity rates have been rising for years.
"In the children, 30 percent are overweight and half of those are obese," Homan said.
Cindy Wendell of Tampa said she favors the idea of putting calorie counts on menus.
"I think it would be very helpful," Wendell said. "I have a husband with high cholesterol and I think it would be good for him."
Richard Gonzmart, owner of The Columbia Restaurant, fears the menu mandate is a bad recipe.
"This is just another unnecessary expense to a struggling economy we all face," Gonzmart said. "I think when you go out to dinner you go out to enjoy your meal."
In 2008, the state of California was the first to mandate calorie counts. The cities of Seattle and New York also require the disclosure.
The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, or FRLA, doesn't favor the legislation.
"FRLA is engaged at the federal level and working to provide a national solution, thus avoiding unnecessary regulation on the hundreds of thousands of Florida restaurateurs during these difficult economic times,'' said Carol Dover, the association's president.
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