The following is a brief synopsis of the key legislative actions and bill summaries for this week. Thanks for all you do! | |
Bill Relating to Millage Rates Ready for the House Floor
On Wednesday, CS/CS/HB 1195 (Garrison) passed in its final committee of reference on a vote of 13-4 and will now be eligible for the House floor. The bill would require cities to have super-majority approval of the governing body to increase the millage rate. On Thursday, CS/SB 1322 (Ingoglia) passed its second committee of reference on a vote of 4-2. (Chapman)
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Bills Relating to Local Government Actions Move Forward
This week, CS/SB 1628 (Collins) and CS/HB 1547 (McClure) passed their respective committees. The bills remove exemptions from the application of SB 170, relating to local ordinances and business impact estimates, passed in the 2023 Legislative Session. Ordinances adopting land development regulations, comprehensive plan amendments and zoning changes are no longer exempt from the ordinance suspension and business impact requirements in current law. (O’Hara)
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Senate Education Bill Takes a Step in the Wrong Direction
CS/CS/SB 996 (Burgess) makes several changes to Florida’s K-12 public schools and postsecondary institutions.
On Thursday, the bill was amended to enable private schools to establish new campuses in existing facilities such as churches or theaters, bypassing local zoning regulations and traffic management requirements. The bill would prevent cities and counties from holding public meetings to discuss rezoning these facilities for educational use and from requiring private schools to mitigate traffic impacts.
As a consequence, residents near these new schools would lack the opportunity to voice concerns or influence the location of new private schools. It is important to note that the House companion, CS/CS/HB 1285 (Canady), does not contain these provisions. (Branch)
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Bills Dealing with Advanced Community Permitting Move Forward
CS/CS/HB 665 (McClain) and CS/CS/SB 812 (Ingoglia) are comprehensive bills dealing with the expedited approval of residential building permits. This week, both bills were amended to include an exemption for municipalities who have 25 acres or less of contiguous land zoned for residential or agricultural purposes. Additionally, CS/CS/HB 665 was amended to remove the exemption for municipalities with a population of 30,000 or more. The bills do include a few protections for cities, including an indemnification clause and a requirement for applicants to have a performance bond of up to 130%. For more information on what these bills do, click here to view the bill summary. CS/CS/SB 812 will be heard in the Senate Rules Committee on Wednesday, February 14. (Chapman)
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Senate Government Accountability Bill Moves Forward – House Bill Stalls
On Monday, CS/CS/SB 734 (Ingoglia) passed its second committee of reference unanimously. The bill requires all persons who lobby a city, county or special district to register as a lobbyist with the Florida Commission on Ethics and requires local governments to ensure that persons engaged in lobbying are registered to do so. It also prohibits a city manager or city attorney contract from being executed or renewed in the 8 months preceding the election of any member of the governing body. On Wednesday, CS/HB 735 (Andrade) was temporarily postponed in the House State Affairs Committee. (O’Hara)
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Bill Dealing with Residential Building Permits Passes First Committee
On Tuesday, CS/SB 684 (DiCeglie) was amended and passed its first committee of reference on a vote of 5-3. The bill is a comprehensive building permit bill. The bill drastically changes the process that local governments have to go through before a building permit is approved, including significantly reducing the timeframes for approval of permits. For more information on the bill as amended, click here to view the bill summary. CS/CS/HB 267 (Esposito) is waiting to be heard in its final committee of reference. (Branch)
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Public Records Exemption for City and County Managers Passes First Committee
On Tuesday, CS/SB 862 (Jones) passed its first committee of reference unanimously. The bill creates a public records exemption for the personal identifying and location information of current county administrators and city managers. The House companion, HB 811 (Gottlieb), is waiting to be heard in its first committee of reference. (Wagoner)
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Land Use and Development Regulations Passes Ready for the House Floor
CS/CS/HB 1221 (McClain) and SB 1184 (Ingoglia) are comprehensive bills relating to land use and development regulations. The bills amend various regulations relating to comprehensive plans. The bills amend definitions of intensity, density, urban service area and urban sprawl to promote the construction of additional single-family, two-family and fee simple townhomes. On Thursday, CS/CS/HB 1221 passed its second and final committee of reference on a vote of 11-4. (Cruz)
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Changes to the Live Local Act Pass on the Senate Floor
On Wednesday, CS/CS/SB 328 (Calatayud) was heard on the Senate floor and passed unanimously. CS/CS/SB 328 is a comprehensive bill that makes several revisions to the Live Local Act from the 2023 Session. The bill amends sections of the Live Local Act that deal with zoning, height and density. The bill also appropriates $100 million to the Florida Hometown Heroes Housing Program. The House companion, CS/HB 1239 (Lopez, V.), passed its first committee of reference on a vote of 18-1. (Branch)
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Cybersecurity Liability Bills Move Forward
On Tuesday, CS/SB 658 (DiCeglie) and CS/HB 473 (Giallombardo) passed their respective committees of reference. The bills would exempt local governments from liability in connection with a cybersecurity event if the local entity is in compliance with the currently required training and standards. CS/SB 658 will be heard in the Senate Rules Committee on Wednesday, February 14. (Wagoner)
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First Responder Treatment by a Medical Specialist Up Next Week
CS/HB 637 (Yeager) and CS/SB 808 (DiCeglie) would authorize firefighters, law enforcement officers, correctional officers, and correctional probation officers to receive medical treatment for a compensable presumptive condition by his or her selected medical specialist. This bill is an unfunded mandate as it requires local governments that employ firefighters, law enforcement officers, correctional officers, or correctional probation officers to fund additional expenses related to such employees accessing specialist care for presumed conditions at a rate higher than currently applicable workers’ compensation rates. CS/SB 808 will be heard in its second committee of reference on Tuesday, February 13. (Cruz)
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