|
Bills Heard
Suits Against the Government (Monitor)
SB 1366 (Brodeur) is the Senate’s proposal to reform Florida’s sovereign immunity statute. The bill increases tort liability caps for claims accruing on or after October 1, 2026, to $300,000 per person and $450,000 per incident, while preserving the existing requirement that any payment above those caps must be approved by the Legislature through a claims bill unless fully paid within available insurance limits. The bill provides that adjustments to the caps will be made every five years using a CPI-based formula. (Cruz)
The bill was heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee meeting on Tuesday, February 3, and passed on an 11-0 vote. The bill is now in the Senate Appropriations Committee, its second of three committees of reference.
Local Business Taxes (Oppose)
CS/HB 103 (Botana) proposes to repeal Chapter 205, Florida Statutes, and eliminate the ability for local governments to levy local business tax. (Chapman)
For a detailed discussion of the impacts of this bill, please see this letter sent to Rep. Botana.
The bill was heard in the House State Affairs Committee meeting on Tuesday, February 3, and passed on an 18-5 vote. The bill has been heard in all its committees of reference and is eligible to be heard on the floor.
Utility Services (Oppose)
CS/HB 1451 (Busatta) and CS/SB 1724 (Martin) eliminate the automatic 25% surcharge on extraterritorial water and sewer service. (O’Hara)
CS/HB 1451 was heard in the House Economic Infrastructure Subcommittee on Wednesday and passed on a 14-0 vote. The bill is now in the House Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee, its second of three committees of reference.
CS/SB 1724 was heard in the Senate Regulated Industries Committee on Tuesday and passed on an 8-0 vote. The bill is now in the Senate Community Affairs Committee, its second of three committees of reference, and has been placed on the agenda for the Community Affairs Committee meeting on Tuesday, February 10, at 3:00 p.m.
CS/SB 1014 (Mayfield) mandates that a municipal utility must provide extraterritorial service to qualifying applicants within one-half mile of a utility’s main line. (O’Hara)
The bill was heard in the Senate Regulated Industries Committee on Tuesday and passed on an 8-0 vote. The bill is now in the Senate Community Affairs Committee, its second of three committees of reference, and is on the agenda to be heard in the Community Affairs meeting on Tuesday, February 10, at 3:00 p.m.
For further information regarding bills related to municipal utilities, please see this Legislative Alert.
Local Government Spending (Oppose)
CS/HB 1329 (Benarroch) and SB 1566 (DiCeglie) propose expanding local government budget posting requirements, increasing budget transparency, and requiring budget-cutting exercises. SB 1566 prohibits local governments from expending public funds for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives. (Wagoner)
The bill was heard on Tuesday in the House Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee and passed on an 8-4 vote. The bill is now in the House State Administration Budget Subcommittee, its second of three committees of reference.
SB 1566 is on the agenda for the Senate Community Affairs Committee meeting on Tuesday, February 10, at 12:00 p.m.
Qualified Contractors (Oppose)
CS/HB 927 (Sapp) and SB 1138 (Massullo) shift local land-use, plat, and development application review to private reviewers and restrict local control. (Cruz)
CS/HB 927 was heard in the House Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee and passed on a 13-1 vote. The bill is now in the House Commerce Committee, its second of three committees of reference.
SB 1138 is on the agenda for the Senate Judiciary Committee meeting on Tuesday, February 10, at 12:00 p.m.
Impact Fees (Oppose)
CS/HB 1139 (Gentry) substantially revises Florida’s impact fee framework by imposing new substantive and procedural constraints on how local governments, school districts, and special districts calculate, justify, and increase impact fees. (Cruz)
The bill was heard in the House Housing, Agriculture & Tourism Subcommittee on Thursday and passed on a 16-0 vote. The bill is now in the House State Affairs Committee, its third and final committee of reference, and has been placed on the State Affairs Committee agenda for Tuesday, February 10, at 9:00 a.m.
Transportation Infrastructure Land Development Regulations (Oppose)
CS/SB 1342 (Rouson) imposes development mandates on cities that have bus rapid transit, rail service, commuter rail, intercity rail service, or fixed guideway transportation systems. (O’Hara)
The bill was heard on Tuesday in the Senate Community Affairs Committee and passed on an 8-0 vote. The bill is now in the Senate Appropriations Committee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development, its second of three committees of reference.
Clerk of Courts (Oppose)
CS/HB 925 (Trabulsy) cuts the amount cities receive from clerks for fees and penalties from 50.8% to 28.2%. (Wagoner)
The bill was heard in the House Civil Justice & Claims Subcommittee on Tuesday and passed on a 16-0 vote. The bill is now in the House Justice Budget Subcommittee, its second of three committees of reference.
| 
