Welcome to Committee Week 5 of the 2024 Session! 

The Legislature convened this week for their fifth round of interim committee meetings and considered a number of bills within FAC’s legislative program. Next week, December 11-15, marks the sixth and final week of interim committee meetings before the start of January’s regular session. 

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, December 5th, Governor Ron DeSantis released his recommended budget for the State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2024-25, Focus on Florida’s Future.  To read more about the Governor’s budget and County Funding Highlights, click here. 

Reminder: FAC Legislative Day is January 17th 

Please join us on January 17th for FAC’s annual Legislative Day! FAC Legislative Day provides the perfect opportunity to meet with your local delegations, hear from state leaders at our Agency Showcase, and show legislators the importance of protecting home rule.  For details on registration and the agenda, please see here. 

Jeff Scala, Senior Associate Director of Public Policy at the Florida Association of Counties, gives brief update of what happened this week at the Capitol.

Regional Rural Development Waiver of Match Clears First Senate Stop

 

On Tuesday, the Senate Commerce and Tourism committee unanimously passed SB 196– Regional Rural Development Grants Program by Sen. Simon. 

The bill removes local matching requirements within the Regional Rural Development Grant program.  Current law requires a 25% non-state match by the recipient regional economic development organization. The bill also removes several eligibility requirements including: 

• Demonstration of need by the applicant 
• Proof by each respective unit of local government of financial or in-kind commitment to the regional organization 
• Demonstration of private-sector involvement within the regional organization 

FAC supported the bill as part of its 2024 Legislative Action Plan. The House companion, HB 141 by Rep. Abbott, has not been heard.  

Cash Transaction Measure Passes First Senate Stop 

On Tuesday, SB 106- Acceptance of Cash Payments by Sen. Jones passed unanimously in its first Senate committee, Commerce and Tourism. FAC supported the bill in committee.  

The bill requires businesses to accept cash for in-person transactions of tangible goods or services alongside other payment methods without imposing additional fees or conditions. Exemptions include non-in-person transactions, municipal parking facilities, certain professional services, suspected counterfeit cash, large cash denominations, and transactions over $5,000. Violations result in civil penalties ranging from $2,500 to $10,000, administered by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which also establishes enforcement rules. The House companion, HB 35 by Rep. Rudman, has not been heard yet.  

Electric Vehicle Measure Heard in Both Chambers; Potential House Amendment Reshapes Bill  

On Wednesday, CS/SB 28 - License Taxes by Sen. Hooper passed (6-0) its first committee stop, Senate Transportation.  

The bill imposes additional annual registration fees of $200 for electric vehicles (EVs) and $50 for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), rising to $250 and $100, respectively, in 2029. 36% of the associated revenues are allocated to counties and municipalities for transportation-related expenses. This represents an effort to replace lost revenue from local fuel taxes with more non-fuel vehicles on the road.  



HB 107 Electric and Hybrid Vehicle License Fees by Rep. Esposito was initially scheduled for the House Transportation and Modals Subcommittee on Thursday. A strike-all amendment was filed that directs the Revenue Estimating Conference to conduct a Special Estimating Session to determine the two-year General Revenue impact resulting from the sales tax on electricity used for charging electric vehicles. One-twelfth of this revenue estimate is to be distributed monthly to the State Transportation Trust Fund—no money will be allocated to counties or municipalities.  

Additionally, the bill directs the Office of Economic and Demographic Research to conduct a study on the long-term fiscal impacts of continued EV and PHEV adoption to the State Transportation Trust Fund and sales tax/gross receipts revenues. The bill was temporarily postponed due to the title amendment. 

House Committee Approves County Attorney Public Records Exemption  

On Wednesday, CS/HB 103- Public Records Exemption for County and City Attorneys by Rep. Arrington passed unanimously in its first committee stop, the House Civil Justice Subcommittee. 

The bill provides a public records exemption for the personal identifying and location information of current county attorneys, assistant county attorneys, deputy county attorneys, city attorneys, assistant city attorneys, deputy city attorneys, and the spouses and children of such. FAC supported the bill in committee. The Senate companion, SB 712 by Sen. Powell, was filed earlier this week but has not yet been assigned its committee references.  

Senate Committee Hears Presentation on Communications Services Tax  

On Wednesday, the Senate committee on Finance and Tax heard a presentation on Communication Services Tax (CST), delivered by the committee’s staff director, Azhar Khan. The presentation conveyed that communication services primarily involve the transmission of a signal, with no taxation on peripheral mechanisms enabling transmission. The presentation detailed the collection of CST on both state and local levels. Mr. Khan explained the evolving methodology in local CST collection, explaining the rise of each local government's individual CST conversion rate for more uniform local-level collection. Local CST is allocated under the same stipulations as county local option sales tax, contributing to their respective local government revenue. Despite a discrepancy in State and Local CST collections, favoring the state, Mr. Khan noted that approximately 20% of state CST is shared with local governments, including a portion of state direct-to-home satellite revenues allocated to fiscally constrained counties. Projected CST collections for FY 2024-2025 are estimated at $1.8 billion for the state, with $725 million from local CST. The presentation provided a Local Government CST Rate Flowchart, which can be seen at the end of the meeting package linked below. Before the committee concluded their meeting, FAC’s Bob McKee provided historical context and a detailed analysis of the CST landscape, drawing on his role in the working group that contributed to the original construction of the Communications Service Tax.  

The presentation can be accessed below: 

Video; Meeting Packet 

Recycling Program Reauthorization Passes First Senate Stop 



On Wednesday, SB 36 – Comprehensive Statewide Recycling Plan by Sen. Stewart was reported favorably by the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee.  

The bill directs the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to develop a comprehensive statewide recycling and waste-reduction plan by July 1, 2025. To develop the plan, DEP is to convene a technical assistance group to assess the conclusions and recommendations of the previous statewide recycling plan, which sunset in 2020. Among the minimum provisions of the plan are:  

• A statewide recycling goal based on sustainable materials managements and waste diversion  
• A 3-year plan addressing recycling education and outreach, local recycling assistance, and market expansion strategies for recyclable materials  
• Reporting requirements to the legislature  

A similar statewide recycling program previously expired in 2020. FAC supported the bill in committee. The House companion, HB 455 by Rep. Casello, has not been heard.  

House Committee Hears Presentation on PFAS 

On Thursday, a pair of subject matter experts briefed the House Water Quality, Supply, and Treatment Subcommittee on Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS). FSU’s Dr. Christopher Teaf provided a high-level overview of the biological properties of PFAS, which includes several thousand known compounds. Per Dr. Teaf, initial reports have been troubling regarding the substances’ toxicity and prevalence.  

Next, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Jessica Kramer briefed the committee on existing and expected regulation of PFAS. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a number of drinking water health advisories for various PFAS—however, these function merely as guidelines and do not hold the force of law. Meanwhile, the EPA is conducting a large-scale sampling program through 2025; the first tranches of data were released in August and November of 2023. DEP suggested that a strict federal drinking water standard for the most prevalent PFAS chemicals was likely on the horizon, and that California was also contemplating a first-of-its-kind state regulatory framework.   

According to Ch. 2022-203, L.O.F., DEP is required to initiate rulemaking for PFAS contamination standards in drinking water, groundwater, and soil IF the EPA has not finalized federal PFAS standards by January 1, 2025. A state rule issued by DEP would also be subject to legislative ratification.  

The presentation can be accessed below: 

Video; Meeting Packet