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The following is a brief synopsis of the key legislative actions and bill summaries for this week. Thanks for all you do!
| Stay Informed: A Recap of This Week's Top Stories: | |
Bill Increasing Homestead Tax Exemption Ready for the Senate Floor
On Thursday, CS/HJR 7017 (Buchanan) passed in the Senate Appropriations Committee on a vote of 9-5. The bill would apply an annual increase in exemption values by the Consumer Price Index percentages. CS/HJR 7017 is a constitutional amendment and would require the approval of the Florida Legislature and the voters of Florida.
The League is opposed. CS/HJR 7017 will have a recurring and increasingly detrimental impact on local governments, year over year, putting essential services at risk. (Chapman)
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Both Cybersecurity Liability Bills Ready for Floor Action
On Wednesday, CS/CS/HB 473 (Giallombardo) passed its final committee of reference on a vote of 18-3. The bill would exempt local governments from liability in connection with a cybersecurity event if the local entity is in substantial compliance with the currently required training and standards. CS/SB 658 (DiCeglie) is still waiting to be heard on the Senate floor. (Wagoner)
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House Short-Term Rental Bill Passes, Ready for Floor Action
On Thursday, CS/HB 1537 (Griffitts), relating to short-term rentals, passed its final committee of reference on a vote of 13-5. The bill would limit what local governments can require as part of a local registration program and attempts to provide new enforcement measures to suspend or revoke licenses for noncompliance. The bill also contains additional accountability measures for advertising platforms and the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. The bill maintains the grandfather for ordinances adopted prior to June 1, 2011. The Senate companion, CS/SB 280 (DiCeglie), is in Messages awaiting action by the House. (Wagoner)
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Bills Dealing with Advanced Community Permitting Ready for Floor Action
CS/CS/HB 665 (McClain) and CS/CS/CS/SB 812 (Ingoglia) are comprehensive bills dealing with the expedited approval of residential building permits. Both bills are awaiting floor action. The bills apply to municipalities with 25 acres or more of contiguous land for residential or agricultural purposes. 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. (Chapman)
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Government Accountability Bill Continues to Move
On Wednesday, CS/CS/HB 735 (Andrade) passed its final committee of reference on a vote of 14-3. The bill requires all persons lobbying before cities and counties to register with the Florida Commission on Ethics. 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. Of note, the bill was amended to include a carve-out for cities under 500 in population from filing the Form 6 disclosure. CS/CS/SB 734 (Ingoglia) is waiting to be heard in its final committee of reference, the Senate Appropriations Committee. (O’Hara)
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Bills Relating to Tangible Personal Property Tax Exemption Ready for the Floor
HJR 7075 (Alvarez) is a proposed constitutional amendment to increase the exemption on tangible personal property taxes from the current $25,000 rate to $50,000. The bill is waiting to be heard on the House floor. The bill has a projected fiscal impact of -$100 million. If this bill has a negative impact on your city, and you have a contract lobbyist, contact them to engage on this proposed constitutional amendment.
HB 7077 (Alvarez) is the implementing bill for HJR 7075 and is self-executing upon approval by voters. The implementing bill does include a fiscal offset for Financially Constrained Counties. (Chapman)
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Bills Relating to Local Government Actions Move Forward
This week, CS/CS/SB 1628 (Collins) and CS/HB 1547 (McClure) passed their final committees of reference. The bills remove exemptions from the application of SB 170, relating to local ordinances and business impact estimates, passed in the 2023 Legislative Session. CS/CS/SB 1628 requires cities to prepare a business impact estimate for any city-initiated comprehensive plan amendment or land development regulation. In addition, CS/HB 1547 would also require the enforcement of plan amendments and land development regulations to be suspended if the ordinance adopting the plan amendment or land development regulation is challenged as being arbitrary, unreasonable or expressly preempted by state law. (O’Hara)
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Bills Dealing with First Responder Treatment by a Medical Specialist Headed to House and Senate Floor
CS/CS/HB 637 (Yeager) and CS/CS/SB 808 (DiCeglie) authorize first responders to receive medical treatment for a compensable presumptive condition by his or her selected medical specialist. Local governments employing first responders would be responsible for paying the first responders’ selected medical specialists at a cost of 200% of the Medicare rate. Both bills passed their final committees of reference and are awaiting final action on the House and Senate floor. (Cruz)
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Several Bills to Take Center Stage Next Week: | |
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FLC Priority: Bill Relating to Alternative Mobility Funding Systems Up Next Week
CS/HB 479 (Robinson, W.) and SB 688 (Martin) aim to streamline current mobility plans and fees laws, specifying that only the local government issuing the building permit may charge for transportation impacts.
On Monday, February 26, SB 688 will be heard in its final committee stop before advancing to the Senate floor.
CS/HB 479 will be heard on the House floor on Tuesday, February 27. The League supports these bills. (Cruz)
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Senate Sovereign Immunity Bill on the Move
CS/CS/SB 472 (Brodeur) and CS/CS/HB 569 (McFarland) aim to revise liability limits for tort claims against government entities. The proposed changes include increasing the sovereign immunity caps to $400,000 per person and $600,000 per-incident. On Thursday, CS/CS/SB 472 passed the Senate Appropriations Committee.
On Monday, CS/CS/SB 472 will be heard in its final committee of reference, Senate Rules. CS/CS/HB 569 is awaiting consideration by the House Judiciary Committee, which is currently not scheduled to meet again this Session. (Cruz)
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Bill Dealing with Residential Building Permits Passes Second Committee
On Thursday, CS/CS/SB 684 (DiCeglie) was amended and passed its second committee of reference on a vote of 14-2. 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/CS/HB 267 (Esposito) is waiting to be heard on the House floor. CS/CS/SB 684 will be heard in the Senate Rules Committee on Monday, February 26. (Branch)
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Bill Relating to Millage Rates Up on the House Floor
CS/CS/HB 1195 (Garrison) and CS/SB 1322 (Ingoglia) would require cities to have super-majority approval of the governing body to increase the millage rate. CS/CS/HB 1195 will be heard on the House floor on Tuesday, February 27. (Chapman)
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Changes to the Live Local Act Up Move Forward
CS/CS/SB 328 (Calatayud) and CS/CS/HB 1239 (Lopez, V.) are comprehensive bills that make several revisions to the Live Local Act from the 2023 Session. The bills amend sections of the Live Local Act that deal with zoning, height and density. The bills also appropriate $100 million to the Florida Hometown Heroes Housing Program. On Tuesday, CS/CS/HB 1239 passed its final committee of reference on a vote of 28-1. Both bills will be heard on the House floor on Tuesday, February 27. (Branch)
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