Our thanks to Gov. DeSantis who vetoed this legislation on May 10, 2019.

HB 771/Representative Toby Overdorf, R-Stuart, as introduced, dealt with municipal recycling programs but was later amended to add a five-year moratorium on local ordinances regulating plastic straws.  

House referrals: Local, Federal and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee (passed); Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee (passed); State Affairs Committee (passed) Passed House

Taken up and passed by Senate

1000 Friends of Florida supported SB 54/Senator Rouson which would have repealed all of a 2018 limitation on local governments establishing public access to beaches by customary use. That 2018 limitation, a part of controversial HB 631, invalidated a Walton County ordinance ensuring public access to beaches.

Senate referrals:  Judiciary; Community Affairs; Environment and Natural Resources; Rules

1000 Friends of Florida supported SB 88/Senator Linda Stewart, D-Orlando and HB 6033 Rep. Mike Grieco, D-Miami Beach, which would have deleted preemptions of local laws regulating auxiliary containers, wrappings, or disposable plastic bags, and repealed the preemption of local laws regarding the use or sale of polystyrene products.  

Senate referrals:  Community Affairs, Environment and Natural Resources, Rules

House referrals: Business and Professions Subcommittee; Local, Federal and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee; Commerce Committee

1000 Friends of Florida supported SB 146/Senator Linda Stewart, D-Orlando & HB 239/Heather Fitzenhagen, R-Fort Myers which would have defined the term “advanced well stimulation treatment”; prohibited the performance of advanced well stimulation treatments; clarified that permits for drilling or operating a well do not authorize the performance of advanced well stimulation treatments.  

Senate referrals: Environment and Natural Resources; Innovation Industry and Technology; Appropriations. 

House referrals: Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee; Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee; State Affairs Committee

1000 Friends supported SB 214/Senator Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota & HB 85/Representative Will Robinson, R-Bradenton which would have directed the Department of Health to update the current database of onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems; required owners of those systems to have them periodically inspected; required a septic tank disclosure summary for certain properties before or at the execution of a contract for sale, etc.  The House bill was amended in committee to remove the requirements for updating the database of septic systems and a septic tank disclosure summary in real-estate transactions.  

Senate referrals:  Health Policy; Environment and Natural Resources; Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services; Appropriations

House referrals: Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee (CS passed); Health Care Appropriations Subcommittee; State Affairs Committee

SB 216/Senator Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, was amended in the Senate Natural Resources Committee on March 12 to remove portions providing matching grants for wastewater treatment projects. The committee substitute requires wastewater facilities to notify their customers after sewage spills, and provides penalties for spills.   Facilities can avoid the penalties by investing in upgrades to prevent further spills. 1000 Friends now supports the amended bill.  

HB 141/Representative Randy Fine, R-Palm Bay would have authorized state funding for certain projects with locally matching funds related to the Indian River Lagoon Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan; required each wastewater facility that unlawfully discharges sewage into a waterway or aquifer to notify its customers within a specified period; provided penalties for wastewater treatment facilities that unlawfully discharge sewage into designated areas, and waived penalties if facilities invest in upgrades to avoid further spills. On March 12, Rep. Fine amended his bill to remove the Land Acquisition Trust Fund as the funding sources for septic conversions. 

Senate referrals: Environment and Natural Resources (CS passed); Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government; Appropriations

House referrals: Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee (CS passed); Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee (passed); State Affairs Committee

1000 Friends of Florida supported SB 222/Senator Rodriguez which would have exempted property owners who own and operate solar panels on their property with a capacity of 2.5 megawatts or less from the definition of “public utility.” This change would have reduced regulations on these property owners to make it substantially easier for commercial property owners to install solar panels on their properties and sell generated power to their tenants.

Senate referrals:  Innovation, Industry, and Technology; Infrastructure and Security; Community Affairs; Rules

1000 Friends of Florida supported SB 282/Albritton & HB 63/Rodrigues, R. which would have expanded existing property assessment for clean energy to include capital investments in septic systems to improve water quality. Property assessments for capital investments allow a property owner to borrow money to make a capital improvement to property and to repay the cost of the investment on the property tax bill.

Senate referrals:  Community Affairs; Infrastructure and Security; Appropriations

House referrals:  Local, Federal and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee; Ways and Means Committee; State Affairs Committee

SB 314/Senator Bill Montford, D-Tallahassee was similar to the other proposed fracking bans, with an exception. It would have defined the terms “high-pressure well stimulation” and “matrix acidization” and prohibit both.  A requirement for a $2 million state study on the environmental impact of fracking was removed with an amendment. 

Senate referrals:  Environment and Natural Resources (CS passed); Innovation, Industry, and Technology; Appropriations

SB 368/Gayle Harrell, R-Stuart, would have provided an appropriation for certain projects related to the Indian River Lagoon Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan, and authorized the Department of Environmental Protection to make grants for such projects. 1000 Friends of Florida strongly supports restoration of the Indian River Lagoon, but opposed use of the LATF for septic to sewer conversions. 

Senate referrals: Environment and Natural Resources (passed); Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government; Appropriations 

SB 376/Montford, D-Tallahassee and HB 555/Drake, R-Eucheeanna, would have amended the Land Acquisition Trust Fund in Florida statutes by adding the requirement that $50 million is to be appropriated for Hurricane Michael recovery projects each year through the 2025-2026 fiscal year.  DEP would have used these funds for reforestation, ecosystem management, fire control measures, debris removal, pollution mitigation, beach renourishment, coastal armoring and protection, and the construction, enhancement, or expansion of wastewater treatment facilities.

Senate referrals: Environment and Natural Resources (CS passed); Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government; Appropriations 

House referrals: Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee; Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee; State Affairs Committee

SB 502/Rader would have prohibited a store or food service business from providing a carryout bag made of plastic film to a customer; prohibited a food service business from selling or providing a single-use plastic straw to a customer, etc.

Senate referrals: Commerce and Tourism; Community Affairs; Rules

Both bills failed to pass, but a five-year moratorium on local ordinances regulating plastic straws was amended into another bill that passed, HB 771.  HB 771 has been vetoed by Gov. DeSantis. 

1000 Friends of Florida opposed SB 588/Sen. Travis Hutson, R-St. Augustine, and HB 603/Rep. Anthony Sabatini, R-Howey in the Hills, which would have prevented local governments from passing their own ordinances to restrict single-use plastic straws. The bills would have established a statewide policy that any food service establishment in Florida may distribute a single-use plastic straw to a customer if requested to do so by the customer, and also provided that an establishment may make single-use plastic straws available through self-serve straw dispensers.  

The Senate and House bills were amended to establish a five-year moratorium on local regulation of plastic straws pending a state study of their environmental impact. The Senate bill also was amended to pre-empt local regulation of over-the-counter drugs and cosmetics to state government.  

Senate referrals: Commerce and Tourism (CS passed); Community Affairs (passed); Rules 

House referrals: Business and Professions Subcommittee (CS passed); Local, Federal and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee; Appropriations Committee; Commerce Committee 

SB 628/Sen. Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, & HB 1199/Kristin Jacobs, D-Coconut Creek, would have revised the requirements for an annual assessment of the state’s water resources and conservation lands. Responsibility for the assessment would have been moved from the Office of Economic and Demographic Research to the Department of Environmental Protection, and the assessment would have considered residential, commercial, environmental, agricultural and industrial needs.   

Senate referrals: Environment and Natural Resources (passed); Infrastructure and Security; Appropriations 

House referrals: Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee; Appropriations Committee; State Affairs 

SB 694/Rodriguez, D-Miami, would have authorized certain municipalities to establish pilot programs to regulate or ban disposable plastic bags.

Senate referrals: Community Affairs; Commerce and Tourism; Rules

1000 Friends of Florida supported SB 944/Linda Stewart, D-Orlando, which would have required that $100 million be spent annually from the Land Acquisition Trust Fund for the Florida Forever Trust Fund.

HB 1341/Lorane Ausley, D-Tallahassee, also would have required $100 million to be spent annually from the LATF for Florida Forever, but had differences from Stewart’s bill.  

Senate referrals: Environment and Natural Resources (passed); Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government; Appropriations 

House referrals: Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee; State Affairs Committee; Appropriations Committee 

SB 1022/Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, would have transferred regulation of septic tanks from the Department of Health to the Department of Environmental Protection.

HB 973/Bobby Payne, R-Palatka, also would have transferred septic tank regulation from DOH to DEP but has different language than SB 1022. The bill was amended to absorb provisions of other water quality bills stalled in both chambers but removed many of their positive elements. This included parts of SB 1758, the Clean Waterways Act, where real-time water quality monitoring and penalties for failing to meet deadlines were removed and replaced with studies and a weakened version of protections already in place for Outstanding Florida Springs.  It also included portions of SB 1278 and HB 405, which would impose new controls on the land application of biosolids – sewage sludge.  

Senate referrals: Environment and Natural Resources (CS passed); Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government; Appropriations 

House referrals: Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee (CS passed); Appropriations Committee (passed); State Affairs Committee (passed)

SB 1172/Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg and HB 497/Jennifer Webb, R-St. Petersburg, would have encouraged counties and municipalities to establish evaluation and rehabilitation programs to reduce leaking from sanitary sewer laterals within their jurisdictions. Sanitary sewer laterals are the privately owned pipelines connecting a property to the main sewer line. 

Senate referrals: Environment and Natural Resources (passed); Judiciary; Rules 

House referrals: Local, Federal and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee; Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee; State Affairs

SB 1256/Bill Montford, D-Tallahassee & HB 921/Newt Newton, D-St. Petersburg, would have allocated $20 million a year from the Land Acquisition Trust Fund for projects to improve surface and groundwater quality in the Apalachicola Bay Area of Critical State Concern, including septic to sewer conversions.  

Senate referrals: Environment and Natural Resources (CS passed); Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Environment, and  General Government; Appropriations 

House referrals: Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee; Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee; State Affairs Committee

1000 Friends of Florida supported SB 1278/Debbie Mayfield, R-Melbourne, which would have required the Department of Environmental Protection to adopt rules for biosolids management to limit nutrient pollution in nearby waterbodies and require monitoring, based on recommendations from a DEP technical advisory committee.   

Senate referrals: Environment and Natural Resources (CS passed); Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government (passed); Appropriations (passed)

1000 Friends of Florida supported SB1344/Senator Janet Cruz, D-Tampa, and HB 1343/Margaret Good, D-Sarasota, which would have required the Department of Environmental Protection to adopt, in coordination with water management districts, new standards and enforcement for stormwater management to protect water quality. 

Senate referrals: Referred to Environment and Natural Resources (passed); Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government; Appropriations 

House referrals: Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee; Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee; State Affairs Committee 

After a disastrous year for water quality in Florida, in 2019 legislators from both parties introduced measures to crack down on the causes behind blue-green algae and red tide. But provisions from some of the most promising bills – including SB 1758, the Clean Waterways Act – were weakened and folded into other, less effective legislation.   This bill ultimately failed.

SB 1758/Mayfield, R-Melbourne and HB 1395/Representative Raschein  were called the “Clean Waterways Act.” Among multiple provisions, it would have transferred septic tank regulation from the Department of Health to the Department of Environmental Protection; established a wastewater grant program within the DEP to fund septic tank remediation and upgrade wastewater treatment systems; strengthened steps to reduce nutrient pollution of springs through basin management action plans; and required a wastewater treatment plant to notify customers of unlawful discharges of raw or partially treated sewage into any waterway or aquifer within a specified timeframe. 

On March 20, the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee passed an amendment that weakened measures enforcing basin management action plans, despite concerns expressed by springs advocates and 1000 Friends. Sponsor Mayfield said she would work to address those concerns as the bill advanced. 

On April 2, the Senate Community Affairs Committee passed an amendment removing a moratorium on new building permits and septic tanks in jurisdictions that fail to meet requirements to reduce pollution.  Instead, those jurisdictions would be ineligible to participate in a matching grant program for septic to sewer conversions.  

Senate referrals: Environment and Natural Resources (CS passed); Community Affairs (passed); Appropriations 

House referrals: Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee; Appropriations Committee; State Affairs Committee 

SB 1776/Randolph Bracy, D-Orlando, and HB 1241/Kamia Brown, D-Orlando, would have modified state regulations to encourage the installation and use of advanced septic systems, and required counties to conduct inspections of conventional and advanced systems.  

Senate referrals: Environment and Natural Resources; Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government; Appropriations 

House referrals: Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee; Appropriations Committee; State Affairs Committee 

SPB 7064, a bill from the Senate Agriculture Committee, and HB 7029/Holly Raschein, R-Key Largo, would have banned fracking in Florida, but more narrowly defined the technique than other proposed bans.  The drilling procedure known as “matrix acidizing” was not included in the ban.   

Senate referrals: Agriculture (passed); Innovation, Industry, and Technology (passed); Environment and Natural Resources; Appropriations

House referrals: Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee (CS passed); State Affairs Committee 

1000 Friends opposed HB 3/Michael Grant, R-Port Charlotte, & SB 1748/Keith Perry, R-Gainesville, as a sweeping violation of the principle of home rule. The bill would have eliminated local business regulations by 2021 and prevented new local regulations, unless they were approved by supermajorities of local government boards and reauthorized every two years. Otherwise, business regulations would be reserved for the Legislature to impose statewide. Among other areas, the bill would have ruled out locally imposed environmental regulations, despite significant differences among Florida communities.  

Rep. Grant filed an amendment that he said would narrow the scope of the pre-emption to local regulation and licensing of professions and occupations. 1000 Friends remained concerned about the infringement on home rule and the possible impact of the bill.  

Senate referrals: Community Affairs; Commerce and Tourism; Rules 

House referrals: Business and Professions Subcommittee (CS passed); State Affairs Committee (passed); Commerce Committee (passed); Passed House; Referred to Senate Community Affairs; Commerce and Tourism; Rules

Damaging provisions of this legislation were included in HB 5 which passed.

1000 Friends opposed HJR 57/Rick Roth, R-Palm Beach Gardens, and SJR 232/Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, which would have raised the required level of voter support to amend the Florida Constitution from three-fifths to two-thirds approval. The higher bar would apply to all methods of amending the Constitution, including citizen-led initiatives – an impact to which 1000 Friends objected.  

House referrals: Civil Justice Subcommittee (passed); State Affairs (passed); Judiciary 

Senate referrals: Ethics and Elections (passed); Judiciary; Rules

HB 105/Representative Kristin Jacobs, D-Coconut Creek, and SB 286/Senator Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula would have created a Blue Star Collection System Assessment and Maintenance Program, a voluntary incentive program to assist public and private utilities in limiting sanitary sewer overflows and the unauthorized discharge of pathogens. 

House referrals:  Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee (CS passed); Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee (passed); State Affairs Committee (passed) On House calendar 3/18; passed House 3/27.

Senate referrals: Environment and Natural Resources (CS passed); Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government (passed); Appropriations 

1000 Friends of Florida supported HB 157/Representative Geraldine Thompson, D-Orlando, and SB 1716/Randolph Bracy, D-Orlando, which would have required county and municipal governments to adopt and enforce Model Ordinance for Florida-Friendly Fertilizer Use on Urban Landscapes, and specified that county & municipal governments must require use of specified slow-release fertilizers.  It also would have provided additional requirements for counties and municipalities within estuary runoff areas, and authorized county & municipal governments to adopt additional standards if certain criteria are met

House referrals: Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee; Local, Federal & Veterans Affairs Subcommittee; State Affairs Committee 

Senate referrals: Agriculture; Community Affairs; Rules 

1000 Friends of Florida supported HB 405/Representative Erin Grall, R-Vero Beach.  As introduced, it would have barred the state Department of Environmental Protection from authorizing disposal of Class B biosolids on farmland in the upper watershed of the St. Johns River unless the landowner can "affirmatively demonstrate" nutrients from the sludge won't run off the land and cause pollution downstream.  It was modified in an amendment to strengthen regulation of biosolids statewide and became similar to SB 1278/Sen. Debbie Mayfield, R-Melbourne. 

House referrals: Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee (CS passed); Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee (passed); Appropriations Committee

HJR 1273/Joy Goff-Marcil, D-Maitland, & SJR 1698/Lori Berman, D-Boynton Beach, would have affirmed the principle of local government home rule by requiring a supermajority of each house to approve a law preempting the subject of legislation from local to state authority. 

House referrals: Local, Federal and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee; Judiciary Committee; State Affairs Committee 

Senate referrals: Community Affairs; Judiciary; Rules 

1000 Friends opposed HB 1299/Rep. Spencer Roach, R-North Fort Myers, which outlined several regulatory areas that would be reserved to the state, including limits on the sale of sunscreen with ingredients harmful to coral reefs and regulating plastic straws. 1000 Friends opposed this attack on local home rule authority, especially the authority of local governments to adopt environmental protection initiatives.  

House referrals: Business and Professions Subcommittee (CS passed); State Affairs Committee (passed); Commerce Committee (passed); Passed House

1000 Friends of Florida supported SB 70/Senator Mayfield and HB 1103/Representatives Silvers and Plasencia which would have prevented the legislature from reallocating unappropriated money in the State Housing Trust Fund and the Local Government Housing Trust Fund to the general fund. This change would have reduced the ability of the Legislature to expend money earmarked for affordable housing on other purposes.  The intent was to stop the sweeps of the Sadowski Fund.

Senate referrals:  Community Affairs; Infrastructure and Security; Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development; Appropriations

House referrals: Transportation and Tourism Appropriations Subcommittee; State Affairs Committee; Appropriations Committee 

1000 Friends of Florida supported SB 78/Rogriguez & HB 169/Fernandez which would have required the Department of Environmental Protection to publish and approve a sea level impact projection study for certain publicly financed projects in coastal areas as a precondition for construction.

Senate referrals:  Environment and Natural Resources (passed); Infrastructure and Security (passed); Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government; Appropriations

House referrals:  Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee; Appropriations Committee; State Affairs Committee

The Legislature incorporated substantial portions of this bill into SB 1730/HB 7103. 

SB 350/Senator Hutson and HB 1155/Representative Plasencia would have authorize local governments to refrain from charging developers impact fees to pay the cost of providing infrastructure to serve new development if the subject development met the definition of affordable housing. In addition, the bill would have set time limits by which local governments would have to approve or deny applications to development affordable housing and would have made changes to state affordable housing loan programs. 

Senate referrals:  Community Affairs (CS passed); Infrastructure and Security; Appropriations 

House referrals: Local, Federal and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee; Transportation and Tourism Appropriations Subcommittee; State Affairs Committee 

SB 428/Perry & HB 291/Representative McClain would have required local governments to amend their comprehensive plans to add a statement of private property rights. The United States Constitution and the constitution of the State of Florida already protect rights to property.

Senate referrals: Community Affairs (passed); Judiciary; Rules 

House referrals:  Local, Federal and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee (passed); Commerce Committee (passed); State Affairs Committee (passed); Passed House

SB 568/ Diaz and HB 443/Rodriguez would have changed the legal status of recorded restrictive covenants requiring that property be used for affordable housing. Specifically, the change in law would have required property appraisers to consider the restriction when determining the just value of property and would have required local governments to treat the restriction as a land use regulation. 

Senate referrals: Community Affairs (passed); Finance and Tax; Appropriations 

House referrals:  Local, Federal and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee (passed); Ways and Means Committee; State Affairs Committee 

SB 1056/Jose Javier Rodriguez, D-Miami, would have created a task force “to evaluate ways to protect this state’s remaining coastal ecosystems and natural habitats, increase coastal community resilience in the face of sea-level rise, and apply the best available science as to sea level rise and its anticipated impacts.” 

Senate referrals: Environment and Natural Resources; Innovation, Industry, and Technology; Rules

SB 1694/Flores & HB 1019/Altman would have required the state and local governments to pay damages in successful takings claims in Areas of Critical State Concern. 

Senate referrals: Judiciary (passed); Community Affairs (passed); Appropriations 

House referrals: Civil Justice Subcommittee; Appropriations Committee; Judiciary Committee 

1000 Friends of Florida opposed SB 1720/Lee and HB 1383/Grant which would have made changes to the Bert J. Harris, Jr., Private Property Rights Protection Act (Harris Act). That law allows property owners to sue local governments for financial compensation when a local government rule “inordinately burdens” that owner’s land. The proposed changes included, one, when a Harris Act claim resulted in a variance, that variance would automatically apply to all similarly situated property owners. In addition, the bills would have made clear that a property owner does not necessarily need to apply to a local government for a permit to use land in a certain way for a Harris Act claim to be ripe.

Senate referrals: Judiciary (Temporarily Postponed); Community Affairs; Rules 

House referrals: Civil Justice Subcommittee (passed); Commerce Committee (passed); Judiciary Committee (passed)

SB 68/Senator Book would have required community transportation coordinators to increase consideration of cross-county mobility for the transportation disadvantaged.

Senate referrals:  Infrastructure and Security; Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development; Appropriations

1000 Friends of Florida supported SB 158/Senator Baxley & HB 71/Representative McClain which would have provided criminal penalties for hurting or killing vulnerable road users by violating state traffic laws. People walking, operating a bicycle, operating a motorcycle, or using a wheelchair were identified as vulnerable road users.

Senate referrals:  Referred to Infrastructure and Security; Appropriations Subcommittee on Criminal and Civil Justice; Appropriations

House referrals:  Referred to Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee; Criminal Justice Subcommittee; State Affairs Committee

SB 622/Brandes & HB 6003/Sabatini would have repealed and amended various provisions of law to remove authorization for the use of red light cameras. The bill would have left intact the express preemption to the state of regulation of the use of red light cameras, thereby prohibiting implementation of red light camera programs by local ordinance.

Senate referrals: Infrastructure and Security (Temporarily Postponed); Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development; Appropriations 

House referrals:  Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee (passed); Appropriations Committee; State Affairs Committee.