|
The 2025 Legislative Session rolled along to its seventh 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.
📞 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. With that in mind, let’s begin.
| |
Budget Proposals
The House and the Senate both released their proposed 2025-2026 Fiscal Year budgets. Certain budget items will be traded for policies during the negotiation process between the chambers and should be watched. The budget negotiation process will take up a very substantial amount of time and not all negotiations will occur in the public. The expediency of the negotiations will be a significant factor in whether Legislative session will be able to sine die on its currently scheduled date of May 2.
Stay Ready
With budget negotiations and the winding down of committee meetings, 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 7 of session. | |
Sovereign Immunity (Oppose)
CS/HB 301 (McFarland) and SB 1570 (DiCeglie) increase the statutory limits on liability for tort claims against the state and its agencies and subdivisions (which include cities). SB 1570 increases the current caps to $1 million per person and $3 million per incident.
CS/HB 301 has been amended, reducing the increase to $500,000 per person and $1 million per incident for claims between October 1, 2025 and October 1, 2030. After October 1, 2030, these limits will increase to $600,000 per person and $1.1 million, respectively. Despite this reduction, the increased caps in CS/HB 301 remain a threat to cities. (Cruz)
SB 1570 has not been heard in its first of three committees of reference.
CS/HB 301 was heard Wednesday on the House floor and passed on a 103-11 vote.
| |
Local Option Taxes (Oppose)
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 Tuesday in the Senate Finance and Tax Committee and passed on a 5-0 vote.
CS/CS/SB 1664 is on the agenda for the Senate Appropriations Committee meeting on Tuesday, April 22, at 11 a.m.
CS/HB 1221 is expected to be on the House State Affairs Committee agenda for its meeting on Tuesday, April 22, at 1 p.m.
| |
Recovery Residences (Oppose)
CS/CS/HB 1163 (Owen) and 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 all districts zoned for multi-family use without any additional requirements. This preempts local planning and fails to balance patient and community needs. (Wagoner)
The Senate bill was heard Tuesday in the Senate Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services and passed on a 7-2 vote.
CS/CS/SB 954 will be heard Monday, April 21, in the Senate Rules Committee at 2 p.m.
CS/CS/HB 1163 is expected to be on the House Health & Human Services Committee agenda for its meeting scheduled for Tuesday, April 22, at 8 a.m.
| |
Utility Relocation (Oppose)
CS/HB 703 (Robinson, W.) and CS/CS/SB 818 (McClain) would require cities to pay the full cost of relocating broadband, cable, and video service infrastructure in the public right-of-way when they initiate a public works project, even though the infrastructure is privately owned by telecommunications companies. (Singer)
CS/HB 703 has been heard in all of its committees of reference and is waiting to be added to the House Special Order Calendar.
CS/CS/SB 818 was heard in the Senate Rules Committee on Wednesday and passed on a 23-0 vote.
CS/CS/SB 818 will be heard on Tuesday, April 22, at 11 a.m. in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
| |
Emergency Preparedness and Response (Monitor)
CS/CS/SB 180 (DiCeglie) and CS/CS/CS/HB 1535 (McFarland) are both bills relating to emergencies, but the bills differ in substantial ways.
CS/CS/SB 180 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.
CS/CS/CS/HB 1535 is a comprehensive bill that revises current law relating to emergency management practices and procedures. The bill imposes new restrictions on local governments regarding floodplain management, impact fees, disaster recovery processes, and emergency response coordination. (Singer)
CS/CS/SB 180 has been voted for and passed in the Senate. The bill is currently in House Messages.
CS/CS/CS/HB 1535 was heard Thursday in the House State Affairs Committee and passed on a 20-1 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/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 heard Wednesday on the Senate floor and passed on a 36-0 vote.
CS/CS/HB 943 is expected to be on the House Commerce Committee agenda for its meeting scheduled for Tuesday, April 22, at 8 a.m.
| |
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. (Cruz)
CS/HB 991 was placed on the House Commerce Committee agenda for Tuesday, April 15, but the bill was temporarily postponed and not heard.
CS/HB 991 is expected to be on the House Commerce Committee agenda for its meeting scheduled for Tuesday, April 22, at 8 a.m.
SB 1242 will be heard on Monday, April 21, at 2 p.m., in the Senate Rules Committee.
Senator McClain has filed an amendment to SB 1242 substantially rewriting the bill. The amendment removes many of the most harmful provisions of SB 1242. However, the amendment also adds new limitations on CRA activities.
Members, we need your help! We have provided an alert that details the concerning limitations this bill would create. Senator McClain's amendment substantially rewrites SB 1242 in response to concerns raised by cities. See the update outlining these changes.
Please contact members of the Senate Rules Committee (click here for contact information for Senate Rules Committee members) to SUPPORT this amendment as a substantial improvement over the original bill.
| |
Tax Package (Monitor)
SB 7034 (Finance and Tax Committee) addresses several areas of taxation as a part of the negotiations process with the House of Representatives. Included in the bill are provisions related to the limitation on the use of Tourism Development Taxes, a Communication Services Tax local sales tax rate freeze until 2031, various sales tax holidays, and a property tax study on homestead property. (Chapman)
SB 7034 was heard on Tuesday in the Senate Finance and Tax Committee and passed on a 3-1 vote.
| |
Taxation/Missing Middle Property Tax Exemption (Oppose)
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)
HB 7033 was heard by the Ways & Means Committee on Wednesday and passed on a 16-1 vote.
| The following are bills that will take center stage during Week 8 of session. | |
Utility Services (Oppose)
SB 1704 (Calatayud) and CS/CS/HB 1523 (Busatta) cap municipal utility enterprise fund transfers from extraterritorial services at 10% of gross revenues and eliminate the authority to impose a 25% surcharge on extraterritorial water and wastewater service. The bills also require new public meetings and annual reports on extraterritorial utility service and expand state preemption over energy source regulation.
SB 1704 has yet to be heard in its first of three committees of reference.
CS/CS/HB 1523 is on the House Special Order Calendar for Thursday, April 24.
We are hearing rumors that the House will amend CS/CS/HB 1523 onto CS/HB 1137 (Shoaf), an unrelated bill dealing with utility service restrictions. The House will then send the amended bill over to the Senate to accept, amend, or reject. The Senate companion to CS/HB 1137 is CS/SB 1002 (Truenow).
Please keep reminding your Senators about the adverse effects of HB 1523 and urge them to reject efforts by the House to incorporate HB 1523 into HB 1137/SB 1002.
| | |
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 is on the House Special Order Calendar for Wednesday, April 23.
| | | | |
