OPPOSED -- VETOED BY GOV. DESANTIS 6/24

We extend our sincere appreciation to the Governor and to everyone who took time to contact him to urge him to halt this profoundly misguided legislation. 

If signed, SB 620 would have exposed local governments to a surge of costly lawsuits for exercising their constitutional authority to carry out their will of their constituents. It would have had a chilling effect on the ability of local governments to pass ordinances regulating noise, puppy mills, bar hours and more. Other measures meant to protect the local environment or quality of life also could have invited lawsuits.

SB 620 would have allowed businesses to sue governments over local ordinances if the business was at least three years old and could convince a court that a new law resulted or will result in a 15% loss of profit, even though many other factors can contribute to business losses.  Taxpayers would have paid the price if this bill had become law.

“This is a clear victory for local leaders and their constituents,” said 1000 Friends of Florida President Paul Owens, who noted halting SB 620 was one of the organization's top priorities this session.

You made a difference, and we thank you!

Senate referrals: Judiciary (approved); Appropriations (approved 1/20). PASSED SENATE 1/27 PASSED HOUSE 3/9

House referrals: Civil Justice & Property Rights Subcommittee (approved 1/13); Local Administration & Veterans Affairs Subcommittee (approved 2/2); Judiciary (approved 2/24)

SUPPORTED

SJR 152 (Farmer) would have required a two-thirds vote of each house to preempt to the state matters of local control.

Senate referrals: Community Affairs; Judiciary; Rules

SUPPORTED

HB 247 (Salzman) would have provided a tax credit of up to 20 percent of total eligible costs for rehabilitation of a certified historic structure and a tax credit of up to 30 percent of total eligible costs for rehabilitation of a certified historic structure that is physically located within the official district boundaries of an active, certified Florida Main Street community.  SB 1310 (Rodriguez) included similar provisions. 

House referrals: Tourism, Infrastructure & Energy Subcommittee (approved 2/15); Ways and Means

Senate referrals: Commerce & Tourism (approved 1/18); Finance & Tax (approved 2/3); Appropriations

OPPOSED

SB 280 (Hutson) and HB 403 (Giallombardo) would have required local governments to prepare a business impact statement before adopting a local ordinance that includes the direct and indirect economic effects. The bill also would have suspended any new ordinances if they were challenged, and award successful challengers their legal costs if the ordinances were found to be arbitrary or unreasonable. The bills were amended in both houses to award legal costs to the prevailing parties in any litigation, and cap the costs at $50,000. The bills would have exempted ordinances related to growth management, emergency orders and ordinances required to comply with federal or state laws. 

Senate referrals: Community Affairs (approved 1/12); Rules (approved 1/20). PASSED SENATE 1/27

House referrals: Local Administration & Veterans Affairs Subcommittee (approved 12/1); Civil Justice & Property Rights Subcommittee (approved 2/16); State Affairs (approved 2/28)

OPPOSED

HB 325 (Fischer) and SB 512 (Burgess) would have preempted to the state most regulation of vacation rentals. 

House referrals: Regulatory Reform Subcommittee; Ways & Means; Commerce

Senate referrals: Regulated Industries (approved 1/11); Community Affairs (approved 2/2); Rules

HB 495 (Rodriguez) and SB 1150 (Rodriguez) would have authorized local governments to pass ordinances exempting affordable housing from property taxes.

House referrals: Local Administration & Veterans Affairs Subcommittee; Ways & Means; State Affairs

Senate referrals: Community Affairs (approved 1/18); Finance & Tax (approved 1/27); Appropriations.

HB 739 (Borrero) would have required local governments to amend their comp plans and land development regulations to adopt residential infill development standards; and prohibited local governments from denying infill development applications if applicant had generally complied with regulations.  SB 1248 (Gruters) included similar provisions. 

House referrals: Local Administration & Veterans Affairs Subcommittee (approved 2/7); Commerce; State Affairs

Senate referrals: Community Affairs; Environment & Natural Resources; Rules

SUPPORTED

SB 932 (Rodriguez) and HB 729 (Aloupis) would have required any comprehensive plan or plan amendment changes that apply to land within the Everglades Protection Area to follow the state coordinated review process and would have required the change to be reviewed by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for adverse impacts. DEP would have worked with the state land planning agency and involved local governments to identify planning strategies to eliminate or mitigate adverse impacts and would have required the local government to modify proposed plans or plan amendments. The bill would have also prohibited the adoption of small scale development amendments for properties located within or near the Everglades Protection Area. 

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

House referrals: Environment, Agriculture & Flooding Subcommittee (approved 1/25); Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee; State Affairs

OPPOSED

SB 1030 (Taddeo) and HB 681 (Rodriguez) would have expanded the area where impact fee credits for a development could be transferred to another development from an adjoining impact fee zone to the entire municipality or county. 

Senate referrals: Community Affairs; Transportation; Rules

House referrals: Local Administration & Veterans Affairs Subcommittee; Ways & Means; State Affairs

HB 1089 (Woodson) and SB 1924 (Rodriguez) would have provided a tax incentive for landlords renting to current college students and recent college graduates at a rental rate determined affordable by the University of Florida’s Shimberg Center for Affordable Housing. The bill would also have provided a tax incentive for landlords who granted college students and recent college graduates the right to purchase the rental dwelling unit at or below fair market value.

House referrals: Local Administration & Veterans Affairs Subcommittee; Ways & Means; State Affairs

Senate referrals: Finance & Tax; Appropriations; Rules

SB 1170 (Brandes) and a similar bill, HB 1553 (Plakon) would have stripped municipalities of eligibility for funds in state affordable housing assistance programs and limited the application for and distribution of funds to counties through the State Housing Initiatives Partnership Block Grant Program. The bill would have repealed the Florida Housing Finance Corporation’s oversight of the State Apartment Incentive Loan Program

Senate referrals: Community Affairs; Appropriations; Rules

House referrals: Local Administration & Veterans Affairs Subcommittee; Infrastructure & Tourism Appropriations Subcommittee; State Affairs Committee

SUPPORTED

HB 1285 (Hinson) and SB 1678 (Gibson) would have established an energy equity task force to develop “a fair and equitable transition of this state’s energy infrastructure to renewable energy technologies within minority, underserved, rural, and low-income communities.” The task force’s responsibilities would have included recommending policies or legislation to ensure the equitable siting of renewable energy facilities within the state.

Senate referrals: Regulated Industries  (approved 2/1); Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government (approved 2/22); Appropriations

House referrals: Tourism, Infrastructure & Energy Subcommittee; Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee; Commerce Committee

SUPPORTED

HB 6033 (Grieco) would have repealed the preemption to the state of the regulation of vacation rentals. 

House referrals: Regulatory Reform Subcommittee; Ways & Means; Commerce

SB 228 (Rodriguez) and HB 101 (Fine) would have allowed property owners to apply for a Resiliency Energy Environment Florida (“REEF”) for funding a qualified improvements to their residential and non-residential property.

Senate referrals: Community Affairs (approved); Finance and Tax (approved 1/13); Rules (approved 3/1)

House referrals: Tourism, Infrastructure & Energy Subcommittee (approved 1/25); Local Administration & Veterans Affairs Subcommittee (approved 2/2); Ways & Means (approved 2/9); Commerce

SUPPORTED

SB 690 (Rodriguez) and HB 691 (Slosberg) would have permitted resiliency-related committees that are geographically spread to meet remotely via communications media technology (CMT). The CMT must have allowed for all attendees to be able to audibly communicate, as would be allowed if they were physically present. The bill provided for the public notice of such meetings to detail how interested members of the public could participate.

Senate referrals: Community Affairs (approved 1/18); Environment and Natural Resources (approved 1/31); Rules

House referrals: Government Operations Subcommittee; Public Integrity & Elections; State Affairs

HB 1019 (Duggan) and SB 1238 (Polsky) would have required each coastal county to conduct a vulnerability assessment of saltwater intrusion on the county’s water supply and analyzed effects on water utility infrastructure, wellfield protection, and freshwater supply management. The assessment would have included saltwater intrusion projections and the costs necessary to protect freshwater wellfields.

House referrals: Environment, Agriculture & Flooding Subcommittee; Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee; State Affairs

Senate referrals: Environment & Natural Resources (approved 1/31); Governmental Oversight & Accountability; Appropriations

SUPPORTED

HB 1077 (Hunschofsky) and SB 1434 (Rodriquez) would have expanded the state requirement for sea-level rise impact studies on public projects from coastal areas to inland areas at increased risk of flooding due to sea-level rise. 

House referrals: Environment, Agriculture & Flooding Subcommittee (approved 1/25); Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee; State Affairs (approved 2/21)

Senate referrals: Environment and Natural Resources (approved 1/24); Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government (approved 2/22); Appropriations

OPPOSED

SB 198 (Rodriguez) and HB 349 (Sirois) would have allowed the Board of Trustees to establish seagrass mitigation banks in state-owned submerged lands to offset “unavoidable” loss elsewhere of seagrass from coastal development projects. This new option could have led to more seagrass destruction from development despite research showing high failure rates in projects to plant and restore seagrass. These bills came amid severe seagrass loss in waterways due to water pollution, a cause unaddressed in the bill. Seagrass is vital for healthy marine ecosystems; its loss is the main factor behind 2021’s record manatee mortality. 

Senate referrals:  Environment and Natural Resources (approved 1/18), Community Affairs and Appropriations

House referrals: Environment, Agriculture & Flooding Subcommittee (approved 12/1); Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee; State Affairs Committee

SUPPORTED

SB 208 (Farmer) would have prohibited FDEP from issuing permits for extreme well stimulation, also known as fracking. 

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

HB 259 (Roth) would have barred local governments from preventing construction or placement of photovoltaic solar installation on existing permitted structures, and addressed other related issues.

House referrals: Tourism, Infrastructure & Energy Subcommittee; Local Administration & Veterans Affairs Subcommittee; State Administration & Technology Appropriations Subcommittee; Commerce

Withdrawn

SUPPORTED

SB 316 (Stewart) and HB 6025 (Eskamani) would have repealed the state preemption of tree trimming, pruning, and removal.

Senate referrals: Community Affairs; Judiciary; Rules

House referrals: Local Administration & Veterans Affairs Subcommittee; Commerce; State Affairs 

SUPPORTED

SB 320 (Stewart) and HB 6063 (Grieco) would have removed the state preemption of local home rule on disposable plastic bags, auxiliary containers, and wrappings.

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

House referrals: Regulatory Reform Subcommittee; Local Administration & Veterans Affairs Subcommittee; Commerce Committee

SUPPORTED

SB 366 (Berman) and HB 81 (Eskamani) would have prohibited oil exploration, drilling or production on Florida land or in Florida waters; required that all electricity in the state be derived from renewable sources by 2040 and carbon emissions be reduced to net zero by 2050; created an advisory committee to reach these goals. 

Senate referrals:Environment and Natural Resources; Regulated Industries; Rules

House referrals: Tourism, Infrastructure & Energy Subcommittee; Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee; Commerce 

SB 380 (Rodriguez) and HB 463 (Melo) would have prohibited state agencies from adopting or enforcing greenhouse gas emissions limits without legislative authorization.

Senate referrals: Environment and Natural Resources; Governmental Oversight and Accountability; Rules

House referrals: Environment, Agriculture & Flooding Subcommittee; Tourism, Infrastructure & Energy Subcommittee; State Affairs

SB 548 (Polsky) and HB 491 (Skidmore) would have promoted the production and use of renewable energy with several measures, including a tax credit for electricity produced from a renewable energy source located on a working farm; the lease of manmade stormwater management systems for floating solar energy systems; and adoption of a renewable and energy efficiency portfolio standard. 

Senate referrals: Regulated Industries; Finance and Tax; Appropriations

House referrals: Tourism, Infrastructure & Energy Subcommittee; Commerce; Appropriations; Ways & Means

SB 1400 (Burgess) and HB 603 (Bell) would have dedicated an annual appropriation of $20 million from the Land Acquisition Trust Fund to implement the Heartland Headwaters Protection and Sustainability Act, for an area containing water resources located in the Green Swamp and Polk County.

Senate referrals: Environment & Natural Resources (approved 1/18); Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Environment and General Government ((approved 1/26); Appropriations

House referrals: Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee (approved 2/14); Environment, Agriculture & Flooding Subcommittee; Appropriations

SB 1416 (Garcia) and HB 1129 (Avila) would have required the Department of Environmental Protection to adopt rules for mangrove replanting and restoration. Those rules would have addressed significant erosion in areas of critical concern, protected barrier and spoil islands, and assisted Everglades restoration and Biscayne Bay revitalization efforts.

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

House referrals: Environment, Agriculture & Flooding Subcommittee (approved 2/8); State Affairs

SUPPORTED

While this bill died in the committee process, a provision in the legislature’s approved budget includes a sales tax exemption for Energy Star appliances between 2022-2023, which includes energy efficient washing machines and water heaters.

HB 201 (Daley) and SB 356 (Jones) would provide a sales tax exemption for energy efficient products designated with the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA)  Energy Star label, and irrigation and household appliance water conserving products designated with the EPA’s WaterSense label.

Senate referrals: Commerce & Tourism (Approved 11/30); Finance & Tax (approved 1/26); Appropriations

House referrals: Ways & Means (approved 2/7); Commerce; Appropriations

SUPPORTED

HB 393 (Hinson) and SB 604 (Berman) would have required the Florida Department of Health to monitor public bathing locations, notified local governments of bacterial contamination and required local governments to post warning signs. 

House referrals: Professions & Public Health Subcommittee; Health Care Appropriations Subcommittee; Health & Human Services 

Senate referrals: Environment and Natural Resources (approved 2/7); Community Affairs; Appropriations

HB 579 (Melo) and SB 1128 (Harrell) would have directed the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, in consultation with UF/IFAS & FGCU/Water School, to implement and study nutrient removal technologies and mechanical aquatic plant management techniques within Lake Okeechobee watershed. 

House referrals: Environment, Agriculture & Flooding Subcommittee (approved 2/3); Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee (approved 2/14); State Affairs Committee (approved 2/24) PASSED BY HOUSE 3/2

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

HB 585 (Botana) and SB 1792 (Albritton) would have prohibited land application of biosolids in the Caloosahatchee River Watershed, limited the installation of new septic tanks, required advanced wastewater treatment and other measures to meet the total maximum daily nutrient loads for the watershed. HB 585 would have pushed back basin management action plan deadlines to 2024, and SB 1792 would have set a deadline of 2022. 

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

House referrals: Environment, Agriculture & Flooding Subcommittee; Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee; State Affairs Committee

SB 608 (Brodeur) and HB 303 (Truenow) would have allowed county governments to access sanitary sewer laterals for inspection and repairs, and required specific pipe system design and inspection techniques. If a county decided to repair a deteriorated lateral line they could have used state or local funds allocated for environmental preservation or water quality protection.

Senate referrals: Environment and Natural Resources (Approved 11/30); Community Affairs (approved 2/2); Appropriations

House referrals: Environment, Agriculture & Flooding; Local Administration & Veterans Affairs; State Affairs

SB 798 (Taddeo) and HB 473 (Casello) would have imposed a 12.5 cent per gallon excise tax on bottled water operators and deposited the proceeds into the wastewater and stormwater revolving loan trust fund.  

Senate referrals: Environment and Natural Resources; Finance and Tax; Appropriations

House referrals: Ways & Means; Environment, Agriculture & Flooding Subcommittee; Appropriations; State Affairs.

SUPPORTED

SB 832 (Stewart) and HB 561 (Goff-Marcil) would have required implementation of additional recommendations from the Governor’s Blue-Green Algae Task Force, including requiring septic tank inspections at least once every five years, prioritizing waterway clean-up plans (Basin Management Action Plans) with the greatest impact on water quality and requiring an assessment of BMAP cost-effectiveness. 

Senate referrals: Environment and Natural Resources (approved 1/10); Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government (approved 1/26); Appropriations

House referrals: Environment, Agriculture & Flooding Subcommittee (approved 1/12); Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee; State Affairs

While this bill died in the committee process, a provision in the legislature’s approved budget includes a $15 million appropriation 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 waterbodies.

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SB 834 (Brodeur) and HB 421 (Truenow, Smith) would have authorized the Department of Environmental Protection to procure innovative technologies to remove harmful algal blooms from water bodies. 

Senate referrals: Environment and Natural Resources (Approved 11/30); Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government; Appropriations

House referrals: Environment, Agriculture and Flooding (approved 2/8); Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations (approved 2/15); State Affairs

SB 864 (Ausley) and HB 1013 (Learned) would have created a cost-share program for agriculture, aquaculture, and timber operations within the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in consultation with academic research institutions, and provided for a study of the value of environmental services provided by these industries.  

Senate referrals: Agriculture (approved 12/2); Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government (approved 2/22); Appropriations.

House referrals: Environment, Agriculture & Flooding Subcommittee; Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee; State Affairs Committee

SUPPORTED

SB 904 (Farmer) and HB 807 (Rayner) would have required the Department of Agriculture to develop and adopt rules governing agricultural best management practices or other measures to reduce water pollution, and imposed penalties for failing to follow them. 

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

House referrals: Environment, Agriculture & Flooding Subcommittee; Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee; State Affairs.

SUPPORTED

HB 1125 (Caruso/Learned) would have directed the Department of Environmental Protection to create and administer a septic tank system inspection program, and required inspections once every five years for systems located in the watershed of an Outstanding Florida Water or Basin Management Action Plan area where septic tanks contribute more than 20% of the nutrient pollution. The bill also would have adopted rules in consultation with the Onsite Sewage Treatment and Disposal Systems Technical Advisory Committee. 

House referrals: Environment, Agriculture, & Flooding Subcommittee; Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee; State Affairs.

OPPOSED

SB 398 (Hooper) and HB 157 (Andrade) would have capped funding for public transportation projects in the state transportation trust fund at 25 percent. This share would have excluded state matches for federal transportation funds. 

Amendments in the House bill removed the cap on public transportation projects. The cap remained in SB 398.  

Senate referrals: Transportation (Approved 12/1); Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development (approved 2/2); Appropriations (approved 2/28)

House referrals: Tourism, Infrastructure & Energy Subcommittee (approved 1/12); Infrastructure & Tourism Appropriations Subcommittee (approved 1/27); Commerce (approved 2/23) PASSED BY HOUSE 3/2