Week 8

April 25, 2025

The 2025 Legislative Session rolled along to its eighth week! It was a very eventful week at the Capitol with a multitude of bills voted on and policies discussed. On Tap @ the Cap, sent every Friday during session, is your weekly source for updates on key legislation, helping you stay informed and engaged. To see the full list of bills impacting cities, view FLC’s Legislative Bill Summaries.

 

📞 FLC members can join the weekly Monday Morning Call-Ins that began March 3 to get the latest information on priority issues and all things advocacy-related during legislative session. Learn More

 

Due to the unique nature of certain legislative terms, we have included the Language of the Legislature guide created by the Florida House of Representatives to help enhance your advocacy efforts as we continue along in session. For your reference, please see this calendar of important legislative dates that provide different milestone dates for session and the importance of each date. With that in mind, let’s begin.

Presiding Officers’ Statements

On Thursday, the Speaker of the House and the Senate President both gave speeches in their respective chambers, indicating a contrast of approaches and positions between the House and Senate. One of the key issues at play relates to the chambers’ vastly different tax relief proposals. The House has proposed reducing the general rate of sales tax, currently at 6%, by 0.75%. The proposal also reduces other sales tax rates by the same 0.75%, including the commercial rent tax, the rate on electricity, the rate on sales of new mobile homes, and the rate on coin-operated amusement machines. The Senate has proposed a contrasting approach, preferring to renew certain tax holidays, such as the Back-to-School Tax Holiday, and permanently eliminating the sales tax on clothing and shoes priced at $75 or less. President Albritton has taken a more cautious approach to tax relief, stating, “cutting taxes now does little good if they have to be raised down the road.” There have also been clashes as it relates to budget negotiations. Notably, Speaker Perez in his speech stated that “the Senate’s expectation seems to be that the House should adopt the Senate budget with only slight modifications ... that position is not only unacceptable, but it is patronizing.”

 

Budget Proposals

This year’s budget negotiation process has differed greatly from years past. Typically, top-line budget allocations are negotiated during the seventh week of session, and budget chairs will meet and negotiate between chambers during the eighth week. This year, top line allocations are still in dispute. The House and the Senate budgets are about $3 billion apart. Budget negotiations will most likely involve policy exchanges, making it difficult to determine which bills are truly alive or dead.


Session Extension?

With tensions increasing between the two chambers, it is looking more and more likely that session will not end on its scheduled end date of May 2. If the Legislative Session is to be extended, the extension would have to be agreed to by a three-fifths vote of each house, and no new business may be taken up by either chamber without the consent of two-thirds of membership.

 

Stay Ready

Given the unpredictability of this session’s budget negotiation process, it is paramount that we all continue to stay as informed and energized as we have been from Day 1. Keep your devices close and accessible because it is important to be able to quickly respond to alerts and information that we will be sharing. We need all of us in order to ensure a successful Legislative Session. Please continue the hard work and dedication you have shown!

The following is a brief recap of the key bills heard during Week 8 of session.

Community Redevelopment Agencies (Oppose)

CS/CS/HB 991 (Giallombardo) and CS/SB 1242 (McClain) are bills relating to the regulation of community redevelopment agencies. However, the events of the week have led the bills to diverge in their content greatly. CS/SB 1242 was amended to remove the mandatory 2045 sunset date and would allow for the creation of new CRAs and the funding of new CRA projects. The amended Senate bill has prohibitions against certain uses of CRA funds and prohibits the expansion of existing CRA boundaries.

 

CS/CS/HB 991 was amended heavily. The amended House bill contains the original 2045 sunset date for CRAs and contains provisions of two other filed bills. CS/HB 1461 (Yarkosky) was amended into the bill and revises the powers and authority of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), deregulating a number of professions. CS/SB 110 (Simon) was also amended into the bill and contains provisions of the rural renaissance program. However, these provisions have been amended from previous iterations by continuing to establish grant programs through the rural renaissance program but removing specific appropriations for said programs. (Cruz)

 

CS/SB 1242 was heard Monday in the Senate Rules Committee and passed on a 22-0 vote.

 

CS/CS/HB 991 was heard on the House floor on Friday. The House bill was substituted for CS/SB 110, and a strike-all amendment replaced the Senate bill’s text with the language of CS/CS/HB 991. CS/SB 110 was then voted for and passed on a 69-42 vote. 

Local Option Taxes (Oppose)

CS/CS/HB 1221 (Miller) and CS/CS/SB 1664 (Trumbull) propose significant changes to the process for adopting and renewing local option taxes and surtaxes, requiring voter approval via referendum rather than adoption by ordinance, with limited exceptions for previously authorized bond indebtedness. (Chapman)

 

CS/CS/SB 1664 was heard on Tuesday in the Senate Appropriations Committee and passed on an 11-6 vote.

 

CS/CS/HB 1221 was heard Friday on the House floor and passed on a 62-45 vote.

Affordable Housing (Oppose)

CS/CS/SB 1730 (Calatayud) revises a myriad of land use policy provisions within the Live Local Act, including provisions relating to zoning eligibility and restrictions on height, density, and non-residential use.

 

CS/CS/CS/HB 943 (Lopez, V.) is the Senate companion to CS/CS/SB 1730; however, CS/CS/HB 943 presents a much greater danger to cities than its Senate counterpart. The bill substantially revises current law

relating to the Live Local Act and to local government comprehensive plans and land development regulations. This bill greatly risks cities’ ability to plan for and regulate housing development within their jurisdiction. (O’Hara)

 

CS/CS/SB 1730 was voted for and passed in the Senate and is currently in House messages.

 

CS/CS/CS/HB 943 was heard Tuesday in the House Commerce Committee and passed on a 20-3 vote.

Accessory Dwelling Units (Oppose)

CS/CS/CS/SB 184 (Gaetz) and CS/CS/CS/HB 247 (Conerly) are bills that would require local governments to allow accessory dwelling units (ADUs) by-right by December 1, 2025. The bills would also require an ADU to be assessed separately for ad valorem tax purposes if the primary residence is homesteaded property. (O’Hara)

 

CS/CS/CS/SB 184 was heard on the Senate floor, passing on a 37-0 vote, and is currently in House messages.

 

CS/CS/CS/HB 247 was heard Tuesday in the House Commerce Committee and passed on an 18-6 vote.

Education/Affordable Housing (Oppose)

CS/CS/HB 1267 (Busatta) is a comprehensive education bill that was amended to allow school districts to use property owned by a district to develop affordable housing for essential personnel. The bill would require cities to authorize multifamily and mixed use residential as allowable uses on qualifying parcels owned by a district school board. (O’Hara)

 

CS/CS/HB 1267 was heard on the House floor on Wednesday and passed on an 86-27 vote.

Taxation/Missing Middle Property Tax Exemption (Oppose)

CS/HB 7033 (Ways & Means Committee & Duggan), formerly PCB WMC 25-02, is a proposed committee bill that repeals the ability for cities to opt out of the “missing middle” property tax exemption that was created by the Live Local Act. The “missing middle” tax exemption is available to properties with more than 70 units that are considered affordable by the provisions of the Live Local Act. (O’Hara)

 

The bill was heard on the House floor on Friday and passed on a 78-29 vote.

Utility Relocation (Oppose)

CS/HB 703 (Robinson, W.) and CS/CS/CS/SB 818 (McClain) would create the Utility Relocation Reimbursement Grant Program within the Department of Commerce. The program would appropriate $50 million annually to fund the cost of relocating utility infrastructure when required by local governments. (Singer)


CS/CS/CS/SB 818 has been heard in all of its committees of reference and is waiting to be heard on the Senate floor.

 

CS/HB 703 was heard on the House floor on Friday and passed on a 106-0 vote.

Recovery Residences (Oppose)

CS/CS/HB 1163 (Owen) and CS/CS/CS/SB 954 (Gruters) update requirements for recovery residences and their administration. Specifically, the bills require cities to allow the establishment of a recovery residence in districts zoned for multi-family use. (Wagoner)

 

CS/CS/HB 1163 was heard in the House Health & Human Services Committee on Tuesday and passed on a 15-6 vote.

 

CS/CS/CS/SB 954 was heard on the Senate floor on Thursday and passed on a 37-0 vote.

Property Tax Benefits for Certain Residential Properties Subject to a Long-term Lease (Oppose)

CS/CS/HJR 1257 (Busatta) and CS/SJR 1510 (Avila) propose a constitutional amendment to extend homestead exemption benefits and assessment limitations to additional properties owned by homestead property owners that are leased for terms of six months or more to other persons. CS/CS/HB 1259 (Busatta) and CS/SB 1512 (Avila) are the implementing bills. (Chapman)

 

CS/CS/HJR 1257 and CS/CS/HB 1259 have both been amended to establish a 50% reduction in the taxable value of qualifying newly purchased homestead properties and an “Additional Homestead Exemption for First-Time Homesteader.”


CS/SJR 1510 and CS/SB 1512 have both been heard in two of its three committees of reference and are waiting to be heard in the Senate Rules Committee.

 

CS/CS/HJR 1257 and CS/CS/HB 1259 were both heard on the House floor on Friday. CS/CS/HJR 1257 passed on an 80-28 vote, and CS/CS/HB 1259 passed on a 79-28 vote.

Rural Communities (Oppose)

CS/SB 110 (Simon) and CS/HB 1427 (Griffitts) focus on rural health needs. However, as noted above, CS/SB 110 has been amended heavily. For a discussion of the provisions of CS/SB 110, please see the discussion of CRAs above.

 

CS/HB 1427 was amended to remove all provisions relating to rural grant allocations, keeping only provisions related to rural health programs and initiatives. (Wagoner)


CS/HB 1427 was heard in the Health & Human Services Committee on Tuesday and passed on a 17-6 vote. The House bill was then heard on Friday on the House floor and passed on a 78-28 vote.

THANK YOU!

To all of our members and readers. We at the Florida League of Cities would like to thank you for the incredible engagement we have seen this Legislative Session. There has been an overwhelming response to alerts and communications this year, and we cannot thank you enough for your incredible devotion to the preservation of the tenets of Home Rule. We are getting closer to the light at the end of the tunnel. Let’s finish this session strong!

View All Legislative Bill Summaries