Stay Updated on the Latest County News Throughout the 2021 Legislative Session The 2021 Legislative Session kicks off today, and thus marks the beginning of one of the most important seasons in local government. In preparation for the upcoming flurry of political activity, the Florida Association of Counties (FAC) has prepared a number of avenues for county leadership to heighten their information intake and local influence on state policy. Use the resources below to make the most out of your Legislative Session this year:

Your one-stop shop to everything pertaining to the 2021 Legislative Session, the Policy Action Center is home to all of the resources that appear throughout the political season. This webpage contains information on the various FAC committees, the association's guiding principles and legislative goals, bill and preemption trackers, and archived files of the various data points, Zoom meetings, legislative bulletins, and podcasts released each week. This page is updated daily with the latest information and legislative highlights, so be sure to check back often!

The diversity of services provided to Florida’s citizens by counties requires a strong legislative and legal team in Tallahassee. FAC represents counties on a range of important issues before the state legislature, the governor and Cabinet, various state agencies, commissions, and the courts. The FAC legislative advocacy team covers more than 80 percent of the thousands of bills proposed each legislative session, working hard to preserve home rule. Bill Tracker provides an outline of all of the bills that FAC tracks throughout the Legislative Session, organized by topic and complete with an all-encompassing review for your convenience.

As Florida’s population continues to grow and change, it is important that our communities continue to reflect local values. This is best accomplished by empowering local voters and their representatives and not by one-size-fits-all regulations from Tallahassee. For the past few years, efforts have been made to require all local government actions to be specifically authorized by the Legislature. The FAC Public Policy Team keeps track of the bills that would do as such, and thus, the Preemption Tracker was born. Updated weekly, the Preemption Tracker keeps a record of all of the Preemptions & Mandates filed throughout the Legislative Session and includes bill summaries, sponsors, and FAC's current stance on the legislation.

Same county news, new mediums: Studio 67, FAC's brand-new in-house studio, provides legislative coverage with a unique, immersive spin. Among the studio's recent projects, FAC-ish has emerged as an innovative county resource during the 2021 Legislative Session. Spearheaded by the FAC Public Policy team, FAC-ish is a legislative podcast that tracks and interprets the weekly happenings throughout session. The latest episodes are available below and on the Policy Action Center, as well as your preferred podcast-listening site under the search "Studio 67".

The latest legislative news, delivered straight to your inbox! Legislative Bulletins are weekly e-newsletters packed full of the most pertinent updates throughout the Legislative Session, including bill and preemption updates from the FAC Public Policy Experts regarding Finance, Agriculture & Rural Affairs, Broadband Access, and much more. That's not all: the latest information regarding COVID-19 and relief to local communities, in addition to the most recent county news, are wrapped in as well. If you missed them, check out the latest issues below, which are also available on the Policy Action Center. To subscribe to upcoming bulletins, access the FAC Homepage, click on "Subscribe" in the green header, and select the "Legislative Watch List" option after filling out your information.

Florida Association of Counties | Website

‌ ‌ ‌