Seventh Week of the 2025 Legislative Session   



Welcome to week 7 of the 2025 legislative session! The Countdown Clock reads 14 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.    

On Wednesday, CS/HJR 679: Term Limits for Members of County Commissions and District School Boards by Rep. Salzman passed off of the House floor 82-33. The joint resolution proposes an amendment to the Florida Constitution to provide term limits for county commissioners and school district board members after serving eight consecutive years. This limitation applies to terms of office for county commissioners beginning after November 3, 2026, and terms of office for school district board members beginning on or after November 8, 2022. If a county charter provides that a chairperson or county mayor is elected county-wide, the joint resolution allows a term-limited county commissioner elected from a single-member district to appear on the ballot for election as chairperson or county mayor. 

The bills strip voters of their ability to self-govern by forcing them to vote on terms limits statewide, imposing their choices on other counties. Currently, 12 counties have term limits in place and every county has the ability through a citizen initiative process or an established charter to enact limits. 58% of the state’s population has already voted to impose term limits upon themselves through their county charter. 

If approved by the Legislature, the amendment would appear on the ballot for the 2026 general election. 

The Senate companion, SJR 802: Term Limits for Members of Boards of County Commissioners and District School Boards by Sen. Ingoglia, is waiting to be heard in Senate Rules. 



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

On Tuesday, CS/SB 1664 -Local Option Taxes by Sen. Trumbull passed unanimously in Senate Finance and Tax after the adoption of an amendment that clarifies that The bill applies to taxes requiring voter approval through a referendum. It mandates that such taxes must be renewed, reenacted, or continued by referendum before January 1, 2033, or the tax's expiration date, whichever is later. For taxes approved in a referendum before July 1, 2025, but not yet levied, renewal must occur within eight years of the tax’s effective date or by its expiration date, whichever comes later. Additionally, all such taxes must include an expiration date and remain subject to future voter approval by a majority of electors. 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/SB 1664 does not have a revenue impact. Staff estimate that CS/CS/SB 1664 will also not have a revenue impact.

The House companion, CS/HB 1221 - Local Option Taxes by Rep. Miller, is waiting to be heard in the Senate State Affairs Committee. 

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

On Tuesday, SB 7034 – Taxation by the Senate Finance and Tax committee passed 3-1. The bill provides extensive tax relief measures, including permanent Sales and Use Tax exemptions for clothing and shoes priced at $75 or less and certain precious metals under $500. It also establishes temporary tax holidays for disaster preparedness (May 15–31, 2025), outdoor recreation (June 1–July 31, 2025), back-to-school supplies (August 1–10, 2025), tools and safety equipment (August 29–September 7, 2025), and hunting gear (September 8–December 31, 2025). The bill makes key ad valorem property tax changes, including assessment relief for citrus industry properties affected by greening and extending agricultural classifications to 10 years. It facilitates remote hearings for value adjustment boards and includes exemptions for educational-use properties. The bill also creates the Rural Community Investment Program for corporate income and insurance premium tax credits and the “Home Away From Home Tax Credit Program”, funded at $5 million annually starting FY 2026-2027. Other provisions include a temporary reduction in motor vehicle registration fees, limitations on the use of tourist development tax revenue, a freeze on local communications services tax rate increases until 2031, and an expanded beverage tax distribution to health centers. The Office of Economic and Demographic Research is tasked with conducting a statewide property tax study by November 1, 2025. The total estimated revenue reduction is $2.13 billion, with $1.3 million appropriated to implement The bill’s programs. 



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

On Wednesday, CS/CS/SB 818: Utility Relocation by Sen. McClain unanimously passed in Senate Rules after the adoption of an amendment that establishes the Utility Reimbursement Grant Program within the Department of Commerce to reimburse communications service providers, subject to Chapter 202, F.S., for utility relocation costs when a county or municipality determines that utility infrastructure within a public right-of-way unreasonably interferes with transportation facility use or improvement.  

The bill amends the utility relocation process for infrastructure located within public roads or publicly owned rail corridors when deemed by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) or local governments to unreasonably interfere with safe or efficient use, maintenance, or improvement of those corridors. Utility owners are generally required to bear relocation costs. However, the bill establishes the Utility Relocation Reimbursement Grant Program within the Department of Commerce, funded by 7.5% of local communications services tax revenue, to reimburse communications service providers for relocation costs mandated by local governments. If grant funds are insufficient, the county or municipality must cover the costs. The bill also revises the notification and cost-sharing process for relocations tied to FDOT and certain regional transportation authorities, requiring the department to cover at least 50% of relocation expenses in eligible cases. 

Note: The bill received an additional reference to the Senate Appropriations committee, due to the significant costs associated with the new grant program.  

The House companion, CS/HB 703: Utility Relocation by Rep. Robinson, is waiting to be heard in the House Commerce Committee. 



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

On Wednesday, CS/HB 301: Suits Against the Government by Rep. McFarland passed off the House floor 103-11. The bill increases the caps for claims against a governmental entity from $200,000 to $500,000 per person and from $300,000 to $1,000,000 per incident. For claims accruing on or after October 1, 2030, the caps automatically increase further. The applicable liability limits are those in effect at the time the claim accrues. The bill allows state subdivisions to settle claims exceeding the caps without legislative approval and prohibits insurance policies, beginning October 1, 2025, from conditioning benefit payments or liability coverage on the passage of a claim bill. It also revises statutes of limitation and pursuit procedures for specific claims against government entities. 

The Senate companion, SB 1570 - Suits Against the Government by Sen. DiCeglie, has not been heard this Session. 



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

On Wednesday, CS/CS/SB 1730: Affordable Housing by Sen. Calatayud passed unanimously off of the Senate Floor. The bill amends provisions of the Live Local Act to further support affordable housing by clarifying zoning preemptions. It defines "commercial," "industrial," and "mixed-use zoning" and confirms that preemptions apply in areas like planned unit developments. The bill prohibits local governments from requiring regional impact amendments or mandating specific residential usage in mixed-use developments. It strengthens administrative approval processes, mandates parking reductions (rather than simply considering them), and provides for priority court docketing and attorneys' fees in lawsuits under the Act. It also restricts building moratoria that delay affordable housing, except in limited cases. Outside the Act, The bill modifies evacuation time standards for the Florida Keys, promotes employer-sponsored housing for public and hospital employees, and affirms that local governments may not discriminate against affordable housing under the Fair Housing Act. 

The House companion, CS/CS/HB 943: Real Property and Land Use and Development by Rep. Lopez (V), is waiting to be heard in the House Commerce Committee. 



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

On Tuesday, CS/SB 1512: Property Tax Exemption and Assessment Limitation on Long-term Leased Property by Sen. Ávila unanimously passed Senate Finance and Tax after the adoption of an amendment that requires that property assessed under the new assessment option be assessed at just value as of January 1 of the year following the abandonment of homestead status. The amendment removes a statutory reference used for assessing commercial and industrial property and adds eligibility criteria for the exemption, including that the property must qualify for a homestead exemption if it were the owner’s primary residence, not be eligible for assessment under s. 193.1555, F.S., and be classified as a single-family home, mobile home, or condominium. The amendment also includes other technical adjustments. The bill provides a property tax exemption for residential properties subject to long-term leases of six months or more, if the owner already claims a homestead exemption on another property. Eligible properties receive a $25,000 exemption, with an additional $25,000 exemption for non-school district taxes. It also limits annual assessment increases to 3% or the Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower. Properties damaged by disaster can retain their exemption if rebuilt within five years.  

The bill is contingent on the passage of CS/SJR 1510: Homestead Property Exemptions and Assessment Limitation, which also unanimously passed in Senate Finance and Tax on Tuesday. The joint resolution proposes an amendment to the Florida Constitution to allow the Legislature to provide exemptions and assessment limitations for residential property owned by a person who has homestead property; leased for 6 months or more; and would otherwise qualify as the homestead of the owner if the owner made it his or her permanent residence. A person is entitled to the exemption on one separate parcel of real estate. Real estate subject to an assessment limitation under subsection (h) of Section 4 of Article VII is not entitled to this exemption and, by general law, the legislature may establish additional criteria for eligible property. 

The House companion, CS/HB 1259 - Property Tax Exemption and Assessment Limitation on Long-term Leased Property and it’s linked bill CS/HJR 1257: Property Tax Benefits for Certain Residential Properties Subject to a Long-term Lease are waiting to be heard in the House Commerce Committee.

 

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

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/CS/SB 954: Certified Recovery Residences, Courtney Mooney 
• CS/CS/SB 712: Construction Regulations, Courtney Mooney 
• CS/SJR 318: Ad Valorem Tax Exemption, Jared Grigas 
• CS/CS/CS/HB 381: Platting, Courtney Mooney 
• CS/CS/CS/HB 651: Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Jared Grigas 
• CS/CS/CS/HB 683: Construction Regulations, Courtney Mooney 
• CS/HB 991: Community Redevelopment Agencies, Courtney Mooney 
• CS/HB 579: Local Government Land Development, Courtney Mooney 
• CS/HB 1487: Emergency Services, Peter Abello