Week Seven
April 21, 2023
The following is a brief synopsis of the key legislative actions and bill summaries for this week.
 
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Legislative Update: Keeping You in the Know
Short-Term Rentals Bills Amended this Week – House Bill Headed to the Floor; Senate Bill up in last committee next week
CS/CS/SB 714 (DiCeglie) and CS/CS/HB 833 (Duggan) are comprehensive bills relating to short-term rentals (STRs).

On Monday, CS/CS/HB 833 passed its last committee of reference by a vote of 10-7. The bill is now available for the House floor. The bill was substantially amended to remove a few key provisions important to cities. No longer would cities be able to impose a fine for unlicensed STRs, terminate a STR registration for noncompliance with local ordinances or require payment of outstanding code liens as a condition of registration. The requirement that DBPR must terminate a state license if a STR has its local registration revoked was also removed from the bill.

On Tuesday, CS/CS/SB 714 passed its second committee of reference by a vote of 9-5. The bill was amended this week to increase the cap on registration fees to $150 for an individual unit and $200 for collective registrations up to 25 properties. Both bills were amended to allow cities to regulate the occupancy of STRs so long as the occupancy standard is applied across all rental properties. CS/CS/SB 714 (DiCeglie) will be heard in its last committee of reference on Tuesday, April 25 at 10:00 am. Of the two versions, CS/CS/SB 714 is significantly better than its House companion, but still removes cities' ability to solve problems with targeted solutions.

The League continues to pursue changes to both bills. Removing the ability to apply occupancy standards solely to STRs forces a heavy handed solution that impacts more properties than necessary. Additionally, the League has remaining concerns with allowing up to 25 properties under one $200 collective registration. This will result in taxpayers paying for the cost of enforcement instead of corporately-owned STRs paying their fair share. (Taggart)
House and Senate Land Use Bills Amended this Week
CS/SB 1604 (Ingoglia) and CS/CS/CS/HB 439 (McClain) are bills relating to land use and development regulations. This week the League sent a Legislative Alert regarding a bad amendment filed that would have required all cities to create expedited permitting programs. We are happy to report that the permitting amendment filed to the Senate bill was withdrawn and not considered by the committee. A similar amendment was contemplated by the House, but ultimately not filed. Thank you to those who reached out.

It is important to note that both bills were amended with language to cancel an agreement Reedy Creek Improvement District reached with Walt Disney Company to circumvent state oversight of the district.

Despite League opposition, CS/CS/CS/HB 439 was amended in the House State Affairs Committee with two amendments of concern, but this language was not added to the Senate bill. The first amendment allows a developer to expand a project to an adjacent parcel despite local land use restrictions if 25% of dwelling units are reserved for affordable housing at the time of the initial sale or lease. The second amendment further preempts local government oversight over the expansion of electric utility substations. Based on the concerns previously mentioned, the League maintains its opposition to this bill. (Chapman)
CS/CS/CS/SB 162 (Collins) and CS/CS/HB 23 (Bell), an FLC Policy Position, would require the Department of Environmental Protection to issue a license by reciprocity to any out-of-state water or wastewater operator that has an active and valid license from that other state with license requirements that are comparable to Florida. This week, CS/CS/CS/SB 162 (Collins) passed the full Senate (39-0) and the House (114-0) and is now awaiting action by the Governor. (O’Hara)
Financial Disclosures for Local Officials Up Tuesday in the House
On Tuesday, April 25 CS/CS/SB 774 (Brodeur) and CS/CS/HB 37 (Roach) relating to financial disclosures, will be considered by the full House. The bills require all municipal mayors, city commissioners and elected members of a municipal governing body to file an annual Full Disclosure of Financial Interests (Form 6) with the Florida Commission on Ethics. If this bill becomes law, the Form 6 requirement will go into effect for elected municipal officials on January 1, 2024. If you have concerns with these bills, contact your House member and share why you oppose this legislation (click here for House contact info). (Taggart)
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