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SB 2500, the budget bill, came in about $115.1B, including almost $2B in tax relief. Trust fund spending was $64.5B, with general revenue making up the balance at $50.6B. The state’s reserves are healthy at $15.7B – unallocated general revenues stand at $7B, $4.9B in the Budget Stabilization Trust Fund, $500M in the Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund, and the remainder $3.3B in unallocated trust funds.
APPROPRIATIONS
Our governmental strategy was to request $50 million in recurring Land Acquisition Trust Fund (LATF) dollars for beaches and to request funding the DEP’s hurricane recovery plan with supplemental dollars. From the start of committee weeks, we knew this would be a tall order as the Legislature, especially the House, indicated heavy budget cuts – including recurring funding. In a busy session for FSBPA, our programmatic budget line remained open (not a good thing) until the very end, but started with $50M, which provided some level comfort going into budget conference negotiations. On the other hand, the writing was on the wall early on that there was no interest in funding the recovery plan – priorities of the presiding officers lay elsewhere, and no supplemental funding was dedicated to the $242M recovery plan. Despite an extremely tight budget year, we were able to secure $52.5M for the statewide program ($50M recurring trust fund and $2.5M non-recurring general revenue).
In addition to regular beach funding, we once again targeted the hurricane restoration reimbursement grant program (HRRGP) for additional sand placement. As you recall, the program received two tranches of $50M each after Hurricanes Ian and Nicole in 2022. The dollar-for-dollar reimbursement program for armoring and sand placement for individuals, which was later expanded to multifamily units, has been severely underutilized. The program was extended for one year, and like last year, half the remaining funds as of July 1, 2025, will be available to local governments for large scale sand projects without a match requirement.
The Traditional Statewide Beach Budget for FY2025-26
TOTAL - $52.5M
1661 GRANTS AND AIDS TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND
NONSTATE ENTITIES - FIXED CAPITAL OUTLAY
BEACH PROJECTS - STATEWIDE
FROM LAND ACQUISITION TRUST FUND . . 52,542,082
From the funds in Specific Appropriation 1661, $50,000,000 in recurring funds and $2,542,082 in nonrecurring funds from the Land Acquisition Trust Fund are provided to the Department of Environmental Protection for distribution to beach inlet management projects consistent with any component of the comprehensive long-term management plan developed in accordance with section 161.161, Florida Statutes. Funds shall be used to fund post-construction monitoring and projects 1 through 13 on the Strategic Beach Management Plan and projects 1 through 8 on the Inlet Management Plan.
Other beach funding in SB 2500
“Back of the bill” and Implementing Bill
Section 167 of SB 2500 – Reverts and reappropriates unexpended balances in the Hurricane Restoration Reimbursement Grant Program to DEP - approximately $16M. This section must be read in conjunction with Section 10 of SB 2502, the budget implementing bill, which extends the program for one year. More importantly for our purposes, as of July 1, 2025, half of remaining funds in the program will be made available to local governments affected by Ian and Nicole with no match requirement for large scale sand placement needs. Projects must be completed by 7/01/2026.
Up to an additional $15M is available to assist and mitigate impacts from harmful algal blooms to the state’s beaches, although protecting beaches is just one of the listed purposes for the funding, so we can expect the funding to be spread among the other enumerated purposes.
1529 GRANTS AND AIDS TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND
NONSTATE ENTITIES - FIXED CAPITAL OUTLAY
GRANTS AND AIDS - INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES
FROM WATER PROTECTION AND
SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAM TRUST FUND . 10,000,000
Funds in Specific Appropriation 1529 are provided to the Department of Environmental Protection for the purpose of supporting the evaluation and implementation of innovative technologies and short-term solutions to combat or clean up harmful algal blooms and nutrient enrichment of Florida's fresh waterbodies, including lakes, rivers, estuaries and canals. Funds may be used for the Department's red tide emergency grant program to support local governments in cleaning beaches and coastal areas to minimize the impacts of red tide to residents and visitors. Funds may also be used to implement water quality treatment technologies, identified by the Department, near water control structures in Lake Okeechobee.
1532 GRANTS AND AIDS TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND
NONSTATE ENTITIES - FIXED CAPITAL OUTLAY
GRANTS AND AIDS - HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS
MANAGEMENT
FROM GENERAL REVENUE FUND . . . . . 5,000,000
Funds in Specific Appropriation 1532 are provided to the Department of Environmental Protection to assist county governments responses to emergency conditions associated with Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) (which includes, but is not limited to, red tide and blue-green algae blooms) that may impact the public health, Florida's environment and fragile ecosystems, including beaches and wildlife. Funds will implement an emergency grant program for the mitigation of HABs to minimize the impacts to Florida residents and visitors.
Other Environmental Appropriations Issues
This budget includes slightly less than last year’s record for environmental programs. It reflects the belt tightening that was expected as continued nonrecurring spending ate into anticipated dwindling surpluses. As usual, resilience, everglades, and water spending were near the top of the list, but significant funds were allocated to land acquisition once again, but through DACS for agricultural land easements. The following is a partial list of budget items we tracked in the environmental silo that were included in SB 2500.
AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES SPENDING
Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Total: $3.4B ($743.7M GR; $2.66B TF)
- Only relevant line item because it comes from LATF –
- Conservation and Rural Land Protection – Easements and Agreements - $250M ($200M from LATF)
Department of Environmental Protection
Total: $2.6B ($666.7M GR; $1.93B TF)
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Beach Management Funding Assistance - $52.5M + HRRGP Funds (approx. $8M)
- Everglades Restoration Projects (All) - $810M
- Water Quality Improvements - $461.5M
- Water Quality Grant Program, including water projects - $436.5M
- Indian River Lagoon WQI - $25M
- Biscayne Bay Water Quality Improvements - $20M
- Total Maximum Daily Loads - $26.2M
- Non-Point Source Planning Grants - $8M
- Onsite Sewage Program - $1.8M
- Florida Gulf Coast University Water School Study - $8M
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Harmful Algae Blooms
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Blue Green Algae Task Force - $10.8M
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Innovative Technology Grants for Harmful Algal Blooms - $10M
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Harmful Algal Bloom Management - $5M
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Study on effects of Blue green algae toxicity (in DOH budget) - $1M
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Harmful Algal Bloom Grants - $600K
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Coral Reef Protection – $17.8M
- Coastal Zone Management Program - $1.4M
- Springs Restoration - $50M
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Resilient Florida Program/Sea Level Rise & Flooding Resilience - $150M
- Florida Forever Programs and Land Acquisition - $69.4M
- Florida Keys Area of Critical State Concern - $20M
- State Parks Maintenance and Repairs - $19M
- State Park Facility Improvements - $15M
Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission
Total: $569M ($46.3M GR; $403M TF)
Relevant line items:
- Derelict Vessel Removal - $4.5M
- Gulf Coast Restoration - $1.9M
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Artificial Reef Program - $15.3M
SUBSTANTIVE BILLS PASSED DURING SESSION
The following bills were passed during the 2025 Legislative Session:
SB 80 (Harrell)/HB 209 (Snyder) – State Land Management (FSBPA SUPPORTED)
The bill requires state parks to be managed for conservation-based recreational uses and in a manner that provides the greatest combination of benefits to the public and the land’s natural resources. It bans the construction of sports facilities and lodging establishments within state parks. Additionally, it authorizes DEP to acquire, install, or permit the installation of campsites and cabins in state parks within certain restrictions. The bill also requires DEP to provide a report to the Governor and Legislature regarding the status and operation of state parks. Lastly, the bill revises notice requirements for public meetings related to land management plans.
The bill has been signed into law and is now Chapter 2025-76.
SB 1300 (Simon)/HB 1143 (Shoaf) – Permits for Drilling, Exploration, and Extraction of Oil and Gas Resources (FSBPA SUPPORTED)
The bill requires DEP to consider certain factors when determining whether natural resources of certain bodies of water and shore areas are adequately protected from potential accidents or blowouts from oil or gas drilling and exploration activities. As part of a balancing test, it requires DEP to evaluate protective measures against potential harm, considering the natural resources' ecological functions, water quality impacts, and other environmental factors. Additionally, the bill prohibits certain oil and gas drilling activities in counties designated as rural areas of opportunity if the proposed site is within 10 miles of a national estuarine research reserve.
This bill has been signed into law and is now Chapter 2025-193.
SB 1622 (Trumbull)/HB 6043 (Andrade and Abbott) – Beaches (FSBPA SUPPORTED)
The bill repeals the customary use change adopted by the Legislature in 2018, which caused significant confusion and litigation in Walton County and Redington Beach. The repeal returns Florida to the legal paradigm that existed under case law. Doing such allows a local government to adopt an ordinance or rule that finds, determines, relies on, or is based upon customary use of any portion of a beach above the mean high-water line (MHWL) without the need to first obtain a judicial declaration affirming a recreational customary use on the subject beach. It also creates a new process for establishing an erosion control line (ECL) for the purposes of constructing a beach restoration project in Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Bay, Walton, Levy, and Monroe Counties by setting the ECL at the MHWL as determined by a survey, without public comment. It requires the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund to adopt to the ECL and file the proper documentation of such ECL where one has not previously been adopted. The bill clarifies that:
- The DEP may proceed with beach restoration projects for specified critically eroded beaches.
- Beach restoration projects conducted pursuant to these provisions do not require a public easement.
- Any additions to property seaward of the erosion control line resulting from such restoration projects remain state sovereignty land.
- Such restoration projects are in the public interest.
This bill has been signed into law and is now Chapter 2025-178.
ISSUES NOT PASSED DURING SESSION
Tourist Development Taxes:
The House made a significant push to significantly adjust how tourist development taxes would be spent. After heavily lobbying against the bill, the issue died in committee. The final iteration would have redirected 75% of TDT revenues not pledged for bonds or other contractually obligated projects to reduce the local property tax burden. This would have devasted our local governments’ ability to come up with matching dollars for state and federal projects. I expect this issue to come up again next session.
Auxiliary Containers:
The bill would have preempted local auxiliary container ordinances, such as those regulating bag and single-use plastic and polystyrene food containers. I also expect this issue to come up again next session.
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