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The 2025 Legislative Session rolled along to its fourth week! A number of bills of significance to municipalities were heard and voted on this week. 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.
đź“ž 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
FLC members, please remember to fill out the CityStats Survey that has been distributed.
This week’s On Tap will be a little longer than previous editions. This is due to the fact that we are approaching the back-half of Legislative Session. Next week marks Week 5, and certain committees in the Senate will not meet beyond next week. Therefore, there is a scramble by the legislators to ensure their bills are placed on those committees’ agenda or else their bills run the risk of becoming dead bills. With that in mind, let’s begin.
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Legislative Action Days
Thank you to all the elected officials who attended Legislative Action Days in Tallahassee. We are happy to report that this year’s event had a record number of attendees!
We thank all the elected officials who had great meetings with legislators and for their advocacy on behalf of Florida’s cities, towns, and villages. If we keep this level of advocacy up, we will surely be successful.
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Florida’s Department of Government Efficiency
The Governor distributed to cities a request for information pertaining to instances of financial emergency or distress. We ask our members to respond to the Governor’s request and provide the appropriate information.
The Governor’s Office has requested that each city respond within 45 days of receiving the letter. The letter sent from the state may have gone to spam, so we’ve provided a link to the original letter here.
If you have questions for FLC, please contact Allison Payne.
| The following is a brief recap of the key bills heard during week 4 of session. | |
Live Local (Oppose)
CS/HB 943 (Lopez, V.) 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. The bill was heard Tuesday in the House Housing, Agriculture, and Tourism Subcommittee and passed on a 14-1 vote. (O’Hara)
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Impact Fees (Oppose)
SB 482 (DiCeglie) and HB 665 (Steele) limit the ability for cities to increase impact fees. The Senate bill was heard Tuesday in the Senate Community Affairs Committee and was voted down 4-3. However, a motion to reconsider was made, meaning SB 482 will be reconsidered at the next Senate Community Affairs meeting, next Monday, March 31, at 4 p.m. (Cruz)
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Homestead Exemptions and Assessment Limitations (Oppose)
CS/HJR 1257 (Busatta) and 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/HB 1259 (Busatta) and SB 1512 (Avila) implement HJR 1257 and SJR 1510. CS/HJR 1257 and CS/HB 1259 were both heard in the House Ways & Means Committee on Thursday and passed on a 14-4 vote. SJR 1510 and SB 1512 were heard Tuesday in the Senate Community Affairs Committee and passed on a 7-1 vote. (Chapman)
CS/HJR 1257 and CS/HB 1259 will be heard next Tuesday, April 1, at 4 p.m., in the House Housing, Agriculture, and Tourism Subcommittee.
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Utility Relocation (Monitor)
HB 703 (Robinson, W.) and SB 818 (McClain) revise utility owners’ responsibilities after notice that their utility unreasonably interferes with public road or rail corridor use or development. SB 818 was heard in the Senate Regulated Industries Committee on Tuesday and passed on an 8-0 vote. The House companion is waiting to be placed on the agenda for its last committee of reference, the House Commerce Committee. (Singer)
SB 818 will be heard Tuesday, April 1, at 4 p.m., in the Senate Transportation Committee.
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Housing (Oppose)
HB 923 (Lopez, V.) and SB 1594 (McClain) revise current laws relating to the various ad valorem tax exemptions for projects providing affordable housing. SB 1594 was scheduled to be heard in the Senate Community Affairs Committee on Tuesday. However, the bill was temporarily postponed and not considered. HB 923 is still waiting to be heard in its first committee of reference, the House Ways & Means Committee. (O’Hara)
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Stormwater Management Systems (Oppose)
CS/SB 810 (Burgess) mandates annual inspection of known stormwater works under normal and customary control of the municipality by June 1 of each year, beginning in 2026. The bill was heard Monday in the Senate Appropriations Committee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development and passed on a 14-0 vote. (Singer)
CS/SB 810 will be heard Wednesday, April 2, at 9 a.m., in the Senate Fiscal Policy Committee.
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Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (Oppose)
CS/CS/HB 651 (Tuck) and CS/CS/SB 700 (Truenow) are comprehensive legislation for several priorities of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS). Of note to municipalities, the bills mandate electric utilities to submit to the county commission 10-year site plans for proposed power plants on agricultural lands at any time during the previous five years. CS/CS/HB 651 was heard Wednesday in the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee and passed on a 14-4 vote. The Senate companion was heard on the same day in the Senate Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government and passed on an 8-4 vote. (Singer)
CS/CS/HB 651 will be heard Monday, March 31, at 4 p.m., in the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Budget Subcommittee.
| The following are bills that will take center stage during week 5 of session. | |
Community Redevelopment Agencies (Oppose)
CS/HB 991 (Giallombardo) and SB 1242 (McClain) require all community redevelopment agencies (CRAs) in existence as of July 1, 2025, to terminate by the earliest charter expiration date or by September 30, 2045. The bills prohibit CRAs from initiating new projects or issuing new debt after October 1, 2025, and prohibit the creation of any new CRAs after July 1, 2025. CS/HB 991 is waiting to be heard in its last committee of reference, the House Commerce Committee. (Cruz)
SB 1242 will be heard Tuesday, April 1, at 4 p.m., in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
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Emergency Preparedness and Response (Monitor)
CS/SB 180 (DiCeglie) is a comprehensive bill revising Florida’s emergency preparedness and response infrastructure. Of note to municipalities, the bill revises several disaster recovery procedures and expands training requirements for municipal emergency officials. (Singer)
CS/SB 180 will be heard Wednesday, April 2, in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
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Affordable Housing
CS/CS/SB 184 (Gaetz) and CS/HB 247 (Conerly) require local governments to allow accessory dwelling units by-right in any area zoned for single-family residential use, except for areas designated as planned unit developments or master planned communities. CS/HB 247 is waiting to be heard in its second of three committees of reference, the House Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee. (O’Hara)
CS/CS/SB 184 will be heard Tuesday, April 1, at 9 a.m., in the Senate Rules Committee.
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Construction Regulations (Oppose)
CS/HB 683 (Griffitts) and SB 712 (Grall) prohibit local governments from regulating synthetic turf installed in single-family residential areas one acre or less in size or enforcing any rules that prevent property owners from installing synthetic turf. CS/HB 683 is waiting to be heard in its second of three committee stops, the House Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee. (Singer)
SB 712 will be heard Monday, March 31, at 4 p.m., in the Senate Community Affairs Committee.
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Development Permits and Orders (Oppose)
HB 579 (Overdorf) and SB 1080 (McClain) revise timeframes in law for cities to process applications for approvals of development permits or development orders and require the local governments to issue certain refunds for failure to meet the timeframes.
🗓️ Both bills are scheduled to be heard in Week 5. HB 579 will be heard Tuesday, April 1, at 8 a.m., in the House Intergovernmental Affairs Committee. SB 1080 will be heard Tuesday, April 1, at 4 p.m., in the Senate Judiciary Committee. (O’Hara)
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Recovery Residences (Oppose)
HB 1163 (Owen) and 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 all districts zoned for multi-family use, without any additional requirements. (Wagoner)
Both bills are scheduled to be heard in Week 5. SB 954 will be heard Monday, March 31, at 4 p.m., in the Senate Community Affairs Committee. HB 1163 will be heard Tuesday, April 1, at 12:30 p.m., in the House Human Services Subcommittee.
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Public Safety (Oppose)
HB 1211 (Abbott) and SB 1554 (Collins) are bills requiring a consolidated 911 call center integrated under the sheriff in every county in the state by July 1, 2029. The bills prohibit cities from opting out of the unified call center consolidation. SB 1554 has yet to be heard in its first of three committees of reference. (Wagoner)
HB 1211 will be heard Tuesday, April 1, at 4 p.m., in the House Government Operations Subcommittee.
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