We hope you will join us for FLC Legislative Action Days on January 29-31, 2024. To RSVP, click HERE. Contact Mary Edenfield if you have any questions or concerns. | Stay Informed: A Recap of This Week's Top Stories: | |
Bill Increasing Homestead Tax Exemption Moves Forward
On Tuesday, CS/HJR 7017 (Buchanan) passed in its second and final committee of reference on a vote of 13-6. 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. CS/HJR 7017 is scheduled to be heard on the House floor on Thursday, February 1. It is important to note that at this time, there is no Senate companion bill.
CS/HB 7019 (Buchanan) is the implementing bill for CS/HJR 7017. The implementing bill was amended this week to require that the Legislature appropriate funds to offset reductions in ad valorem tax revenue experienced by fiscally constrained counties but does not extend to the municipalities within those counties. This bill should extend the offset of lost revenue to all municipalities from the adjustments to the homestead exemption or at least cap how much the exemptions will increase.
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.
This bill needs guardrails (like the Save Our Homes Assessment Limitation already in place) to prevent cities from having to choose between providing less services or raising taxes. This is not a tax break, this is a tax shift hurting renters and businesses.
Please educate your lawmaker as to the impact this bill will have on your community. We recommend working with your city manager and finance director to use your local data to paint this picture. (Chapman)
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Bills Relating to Millage Rates Pass Through First Committees
On Monday, SB 1322 (Ingoglia) and CS/HB 1195 (Garrison) passed in their first committees of reference. The bills would require cities to have super-majority approval of the governing body to increase the millage rate. (Chapman)
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Land Use and Development Regulations Passes First Committee
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/HB 1221 passed its first committee of reference on a vote of 12-5. (Cruz)
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Short-Term Rental Bill Temporarily Postponed on the Senate Floor
On Thursday, CS/SB 280 (DiCeglie), relating to short-term rentals, was temporarily postponed on the Senate floor. 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.
As this bill advances to the Senate floor, we are anticipating an amendment that would grandfather existing ordinances adopted prior to 2015. If you've adopted a short-term rental ordinance within the past decade, it's crucial to contact your House and Senate legislators and advocate for a prospective grandfather date to preserve your current short-term rental regulations. The House companion, HB 1537 (Griffitts), could be up in its first committee of reference on Thursday, February 1. (Wagoner)
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Government Accountability Bills Gain Momentum
On Thursday, CS/HB 735 (Andrade) passed its first committee of reference on a vote of 14-0. The bill requires all cities to have lobbyist registration requirements and limits the registration fee to $40. 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. The Senate companion, SB 734 (Ingoglia), will be heard in its first committee of reference on Monday, January 29. (O’Hara)
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Bill Dealing with Advanced Community Permitting Passes First Committee
On Monday, CS/SB 812 (Ingoglia) was heard in its first committee of reference and passed unanimously. The bill is a comprehensive bill dealing with the expedited approval of residential building permits. The bill would require counties with a population of 75,000 or more and municipalities with a population of 30,000 or more to create a program to expedite the process of issuing building permits for residential subdivisions. The bill was amended in committee to change the date of compliance from August 15, 2024, to October 1, 2024. The bill does include a few protections for cities, including an indemnification clause and a requirement for applicants to have a performance bond of up to 130%. CS/HB 665 (McClain) is waiting to be heard in its second committee of reference. (Chapman)
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House Cybersecurity Liability Bill Passes First Committee – Senate Bill Up Next Week
On Tuesday, CS/HB 473 (Giallombardo) was heard in its first committee of reference and passed unanimously. The bill would exempt local governments from liability in connection with a cybersecurity event if the local entity is in compliance with the currently required trainings and standards. The Senate companion, SB 658 (DiCeglie), will be heard in its first committee of reference on Monday, January 29. (Wagoner)
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Several Bills to Take Center Stage Next Week: | |
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FLC Priority: Bills Relating to Alternative Mobility Funding Systems Up Next Week
HB 479 (Robinson, W.) and SB 688 (Martin) attempt to clarify current law regarding mobility plans and mobility fees by stating that only one local government may charge for transportation impacts and that local government must be the one that is issuing the building permit. The League supports these bills.
Action Needed:
HB 479 will be heard in its last committee of reference, the House Commerce Committee, on Tuesday, January 30. Please contact members of the House Commerce Committee and express your support for the bill.
SB 688 will be heard in the Senate Transportation Committee on Tuesday, January 30. Please contact members of the Senate Transportation Committee and express your support for the bill. (Cruz)
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Senate Sovereign Immunity Bill Up Next Week
SB 472 (Brodeur) and CS/HB 569 (McFarland) revise the statutory limits on liability for tort claims against the state and its agencies and subdivisions (which include cities). The bills seek to increase the current statutory limits for claims to $400,000 per person and $600,000 per-incident cap.
Action Needed:
SB 472 will be heard in its first committee of reference on Monday, January 29. Please contact members of the Senate Governmental Oversight and Accountability, and inform them of your opposition to the bill. (Cruz)
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Bill Relating to Local Government Actions Up Next Week
SB 1628 (Collins) and HB 1547 (McClure) 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. SB 1628 (Collins) will be heard in its first committee of reference, Senate Community Affairs, on Monday, January 29. (O’Hara)
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Changes to the Live Local Act Up Next Week
On Wednesday, CS/SB 328 (Calatayud) will be heard in its second and final committee of reference. 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, HB 1239 (Lopez, V.), is still waiting to be heard in its first committee of reference. (Branch)
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Bill Restricting Enterprise Fund Transfers
SB 1510 (Brodeur) and CS/HB 1277 (Busatta Cabrera) would prevent municipalities from realizing a reasonable rate of return on their utilities (water, wastewater, gas or electric) by capping transfers of utility revenues to fund general government services. The bills would also cut statutorily authorized surcharges on extraterritorial customers in half, starting in July 2025.
We are anticipating that CS/HB 1277 will be up in the House Local Administration, Federal Affairs & Special Districts Subcommittee on Wednesday, January 31. (O’Hara)
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Bill Dealing with Municipal Water and Sewer Rates
CS/HB 777 (Brackett) and SB 1088 (Martin) would prohibit local governments from charging extraterritorial surcharges for water and sewer services outside of their municipal boundaries. The bills would require rates, fees and charges for extraterritorial customers to be the same as those for customers inside the municipality.
We are anticipating that CS/HB 777 will be up in the House Local Administration, Federal Affairs & Special Districts Subcommittee on Wednesday, January 31. (O’Hara)
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