Eighth Week of the 2025 Legislative Session   



Welcome to week 8 of the 2025 legislative session! The Countdown Clock reads 7 days until Sine Die. Bills will be heard and amended every day—stay on top of county priorities with this weekly legislative bulletin or with our comprehensive Bill Tracker.    

House and Senate leaders have been unable to reach an agreement on a spending plan for the 2025-2026 fiscal year.  Although each chamber has passed their own plans, they need to reach agreements regarding general revenue to allocate to each area of the budget including as transportation, environment, criminal justice, education, health care, and human services, to prepare the final budget that lawmakers must approve to take effect on July 1, 2025.  The chambers are more than $4.4 billion apart currently. However, they continue to work towards a compromise on spending to begin the conference process. If the House and Senate are unable to reach a compromise soon to put together the final budget and conforming bills, lawmakers may need to either extend the present session or adjourn sine die and return at a later date to pass a budget for next fiscal year.  

On Monday, CS/CS/CS/SB 954: Certified Recovery Residences by Sen. Gruters unanimously passed in Senate Rules and subsequently off the Senate Floor. During the committee, an amendment was adopted to the Senate bill. The bill requires local governments to adopt an ordinance, subject to certain restrictions, to formalize and streamline the process for applicants seeking reasonable accommodations from land use regulations in order to open a certified recovery residence. For certain Level IV certified recovery residences, the bill also eliminates staffing requirements when patients are not present, and increases the number of residents that a recovery residence administrator can oversee from 150 to 300 if the operator maintains a minimum 1:6 personnel-to-resident ratio when residents are present. Meanwhile, House Companion CS/CS/HB 1163: Certified Recovery Residences by Rep. Owen also passed in the Health & Human Services Committee 15-6. 



For more information on this bill, please contact Courtney Mooney.  

On Tuesday, CS/CS/CS/SB 818: Utility Relocation by Sen. McClain passed unanimously in Senate Appropriations following the adoption of an amendment that revises the funding mechanism for the Utility Relocation Reimbursement Grant Program by removing the 7.5 percent allocation from local communications services tax and instead redirecting $50 million annually from the state communications services tax normally distributed under the Local Government Half-Cent Sales Tax program. It clarifies that counties and municipalities requiring communications utility relocations are not responsible for the relocation costs, except as provided under existing law in s. 337.403(1), F.S. This protection remains even if grant funds are exhausted for the year.  

Additionally, the amendment authorizes the Department of Commerce to adopt emergency rules to administer the grant program and appropriates funding for program use during the 2025-2026 fiscal year.  

The bill amends the process under which utilities located within the right-of-way of a public road or publicly-owned rail corridor must be relocated when such utility is found by an authority (Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and local government entities) to be unreasonably interfering in any way with the convenient, safe, or continuous use, or the maintenance, improvement, extension, or expansion, of such public road or publicly-owned rail corridor. The general requirement is that utility owners must pay for such relocation. The bill creates a grant program within the Department of Commerce (DCM), funded by a portion of local communications services tax revenue, to reimburse providers of communications services that are subject to the state’s communications services tax provisions (ch. 202, F.S.), for relocation expenses directly attributable to the physical relocation of facilities required by a county or municipal authority. 

 On Friday, the House companion, CS/HB 703: Utility Relocation by Rep. Robinson passed off the house floor, an amendment was adopted aligning the House bill to the Senate Version.

 

For more information on this bill, please contact Peter Abello. 

On Tuesday,  CS/CS/HB 1221: Local Option Taxes by Rep. Miller passed in the House State Affairs Committee 14-12. The bill subsequently passed the House floor on Friday. The State Affairs Committee adopted an amendment that requires counties to use Tourist Development Tax Revenues to offset local property tax rates. Similar language can be found in the House Tax Package, HB 7033. 

Specifically, beginning in 2026, counties must use the amount of prior year TDT collections to rebate county ad valorem taxes. The amendment also dissolves tourist development councils and county tourism promotion agencies but allows counties to maintain their tourism promotion agency by adopting a resolution by December 31, 2025, and conforms to related cross-references. The bill went on to pass off the House floor 62-45 on Friday, following the adoption of 2 additional amendments. The First Amendment modified the procedures for the Legislative Auditing Committee by requiring the scheduling of hearings for noncompliant local governments and school boards, mandated the withholding of funds until compliance is achieved, introduced new notification and audit obligations, and revised financial reporting thresholds. The second amendment maintains eligibility for counties to perform contracts existing before January 1, 2025, permits the refinancing of outstanding debt without extending the term or increasing the principal, establishes "adjusted collections" of surplus tax revenues, requires ad valorem tax levy reductions beginning in fiscal year 2026-2027, and authorized the use of surplus collections for public purposes or bonded debt repayment. 

On Tuesday, CS/CS/SB 1664: Local Option Taxes by Sen. Trumbull passed 11-6 in Senate Appropriations. The bill requires that any local discretionary sales surtax or tourist development tax that must be enacted by a referendum and is in effect on June 30, 2025, must be renewed on or before January 1, 2033, or the expiration date for the tax, whichever is later. The bill provides similar requirements for a tax approved by voters, but not yet levied. A tax must have an expiration date. If local discretionary sales surtax or tourist development tax levies are pledged for debt service, the levy may continue until the debt is retired and the levy will be subject to renewal the following January 1st. Additionally, an ordinance must specify certain information about the indebtedness. None of these changes affect the pension liability discretionary sales surtax. The bill also provides requirements for the local option food and beverage tax in certain cities. A tax levied and in effect on June 30, 2025, must be reenacted by an ordinance approved in a referendum on or before January 1, 2033, or the expiration date for the tax as of June 30, 2025, whichever is later. A tax must have an expiration date. The Revenue Estimating Conference determined that CS/CS/SB 1664 does not have a revenue impact. Staff estimate that CS/CS/SB 1664 will also not have a revenue impact. 

 

For more information on this bill, please contact Jeff Scala. 

On Wednesday, CS/SB 1080: Local Government Land Regulation by Sen. McClain failed on the Senate floor 18-19. On Thursday, a point of order was raised to rehear the bill on the Senate floor. The bill was Temporarily Postponed and placed on the third reading on Monday 4/28/2025. Meanwhile, the House companion, CS/CS/HB 579: Land Use and Development by Rep. Overdorf passed in the House Commerce Committee 18-8. The bill amends certain statutes regulating the review and approval of development permits and order applications by local governments. Specifically, the bill requires local governments to: 

• Specify the minimum information required for certain zoning applications. 
• Process an application for a development permit or order within certain timeframes. 
• Not limit the number of quasi-judicial hearings or public hearings held each month, if limiting their number will cause a delay in the consideration of an application for a development permit or order. 
• Issue refunds to applicants if they fail to meet certain timeframes when processing an application.  

The bill also provides that comprehensive plan amendments are not required to be approved at the second public hearing in the plan amendment adoption process to avoid being deemed withdrawn. Additionally, the bill provides a substantially new mechanism for the administrative approval of development on agricultural enclaves and provides limitations on extraordinary increases to impact fees. 

After reconsideration, the bill was Temporarily Postponed on Third Reading. 



For more information on this bill, please contact Courtney Mooney.

On Friday, CS/HB 7033: Taxation by Rep. Duggan passed off the House floor 78-29. The bill reduces Florida’s state sales tax rates by 0.75%, exempts sales of bullion, clarifies that aviation fuel remains exempt from sales tax, updates administrative provisions for freight forwarding agents, and allows local discretionary sales surtaxes to be reduced or repealed after four years. It also changes Tourist Development Taxes from restricted uses to general revenue, requiring their use to offset county property taxes beginning in 2026. For property taxes, the bill updates administrative processes related to the value adjustment board, permits certain leased lands and improvements to qualify for ad valorem exemptions, removes local government opt-outs for affordable housing exemptions, and creates a new exemption for specific multifamily housing projects on state land. Additionally, it exempts leased flight simulators from tangible personal property tax, adjusts how RV parks are assessed for special assessments, and allows municipalities to exempt preschools from special assessments. 

The bill further repeals the aviation fuel tax, delays the effective date for natural gas fuel taxes, extends a local rate freeze for communications services taxes (CST), and requires CST revenues to prioritize permit processing. It also adopts the current Internal Revenue Code, exempts charitable trusts from corporate income tax, reduces the pari-mutuel tax on cardrooms, extends the operation of a local economic incentive, and redirects a distribution related to the horse industry. 

The Senate companion, SB 7034: Taxation by the Senate Finance and Tax Committee is waiting to be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee. 



For more information on this bill, please contact Jeff Scala. 

On Tuesday, CS/CS/HJR 1257: Property Tax Benefits for Residential Properties and its implementing bill, CS/CS/HB 1259: Property Tax Benefits for Residential Properties by Rep. Busatta passed in the House Commerce Committee 18-6 and 19-6 respectively and later passed the House Floor 80-28. The joint resolution proposes an amendment to the Florida Constitution that would authorize the Legislature to provide two $25,000 ad valorem tax exemptions and to limit the increase in ad valorem tax assessments to the lesser of 3% of the assessment for the prior year or the percent change in the consumer price index, for any property that is under a residential lease of at least 6 months on January 1 of each year, is owned by a person who also owns a homestead property in this state, and could qualify as a homestead property if it was the primary residence of the owner. The amendment would also allow individuals who are entitled to a homestead exemption under s. 6(a), Art. VII of the State Constitution, and have not received a homestead exemption in the previous four calendar years to receive an additional temporary homestead exemption. The additional exemption is equal to 50 percent of the just value of the homestead property, capped at the median just value for homestead property in the county where the property is located. This exemption applies only to non-school property taxes. The exemption is reduced by 20% each year and diminishes to zero in five years. The amendment takes effect on January 1, 2027, if approved by 60 percent of voters in the November 2026 general election. 

The Senate companion, CS/SB 1512: Property Tax Exemption and Assessment Limitation on Long-term Leased Property and it’s Linked Bill,  CS/SJR 1510: Homestead Property Exemptions and Assessment Limitation are waiting to be heard in Senate Rules. 



For more information on this bill, please contact Jeff Scala. 

SB 110 - Rural Communities by Sen. Simon as passed by the Senate represented the Rual Renaissance package, a priority of Senate President Albritton.

  

The House received SB 110 in messages and promptly split the package across 3 bills. SB 110 ultimately passed off the House floor with the major economic provisions of the original bill; However, the  House also added two major Speaker priorities addressing Community Redevelopment Agencies and licensing board deregulation. 

The Economic Development components of the Rural Renaissance Package were added to HB 991 on the floor. Earlier this week, the bill by Rep.Giallombardo passed in House Commerce 13-8. Meanwhile, the Senate companion SB 1242 - Community Redevelopment Agencies by Sen. McClain passed unanimously in Senate Rules following the adoption of an amendment that prohibits the expansion of community redevelopment agency (CRA) boundaries after July 1, 2025, but allows for the initiation of new CRA projects and debt financing, provided that project completion or debt maturity occurs on or before the CRA’s designated termination date. It also clarifies that certain restrictions do not apply to CRAs created by a county under specific circumstances. Additionally, the amendment incorporates provisions from CS/HB 1461 related to industries and professional activities and adopts provisions from HB 1427 addressing rural community economic development, housing, and infrastructure. SB 110 was substituted for HB 991 and passed off the floor 69-42. 

HB 1427 by Rep Griffitts initially mirrored the Rural Renaissance language in SB 110. However, the bill was amended to remove the Rural Renaissance components in favor of a series of healthcare provisions  

The Education components of the Rural Renaissance Package were added to HB 1267.  

Below are bills that were heard this week but not reported on. For more information on these bills, please contact the corresponding member of our Public Policy Team. 

• CS/SB 1622: Beaches, Jared Grigas