Jan. 20, 2023 | Legislative Reporter
The third week of committee meetings has ended, and bills continue to be filed. The session is scheduled to begin on March 7.
The Bill Tracking Report, as of Jan. 20, can be viewed here. Please review it to see the bills filed that APA Florida is tracking. Note that these tracking reports contain a new feature; if you click on the bill number, you are linked to more information about the bill.
If you would like any bills added to this report or would like more information about a specific bill, please contact Stefanie Svisco at ssvisco@floridaplanning.org.
Since the last update, the following bills of interest have been filed that would do the following:
• Through a House Joint Resolution, proposes an amendment to Section 5 of Article XI of the State Constitution to increase the percentage of elector votes required to approve an amendment to or a revision of the State Constitution from 60 percent to 66.67 percent, except that the repeal of an amendment or revision need only be approved by the same percentage of elector votes as was required at the time of passage or such amendment or revision. (HJR 129, Rep. Roth)
• Amends s.514.023 F.S. to require, as opposed to allow, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to adopt and enforce rules to protect the health, safety, and welfare of persons using the beach waters and public bathing places in Florida: also includes certain requirements for those rules. (HB 177, Rep. Gossett-Seidman and SB 172, Sen. Berman)
• Amends s.163.3184(2) F.S. to require that proposed plans and plan amendments that apply to any land within, or within 2 miles of, the Everglades Protection Area as defined in ss.373.4592 (2) must follow the state-coordinated review process in subsection (4). Also amends ss.163.3187 (1) F.S. to clarify that text changes that relate directly to, and are adopted simultaneously with, the small-scale future land use
amendment must be site specific. Also provides that property that is the subject of a small-scale amendment cannot be located in whole or in part within, or within 2 miles of, the Everglades Protection Area. (HB 175, Rep. Busata Cabrera and SB 192, Sen. Avila)
• Authorizes counties municipalities to adopt ordinances to grand ad valorem tax exemptions to property owners whose properties are used to provide affordable housing, where the property is within a multifamily project containing 50 or more units and at least 10 percent of which are used to provide affordable housing and are subject to a recorded land use restriction agreement in favor of the Florida Housing Finance Corporation or any other governmental or quasi-governmental jurisdiction. (SB 220, Sen. Rodriguez, and HB 229, Rep. Cross)
• Creates s.220.197 F.S., titled Main Street Historic Tourism and Revitalization Act, which provides a credit against the state corporate income tax and the insurance premium tax for qualified expenses in rehabilitating certain historic structures and outlines the process and eligibility for obtaining the credit. (SB 288, Sen. DiCeglie) Note that last year APA Florida supported similar bills (SB 1310, and HB 247) that died in Appropriations Committee and Ways & Means Committee respectively.
The following bills of interest have had action since the last Legislative Update.
(Note these summaries are based on a review of the bill language and legislative staff analysis. You are encouraged to read the actual bill language of bills that interest you.)
Land Acquisition Trust Fund: CS/SB 54 (Sen. Rodriguez), was moved favorably as amended by the Senate Environmental & Natural Resources Committee on Jan. 17. The bill appropriates $20 million from the Land Acquisition Trust Fund to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for the purpose of:
• Entering into financial assistance agreements with local governments located in the Florida Keys or the City of Key West Areas of Critical State Concerns to promote the protection or restoration of Florida Bay, the Florida Keys, and nearshore marine ecosystems, including coral reefs; or
• Acquiring land within the Florida Keys Area of Critical State Concern with increased priority given to acquisitions that achieve a combination of conservation goals. The committee deleted a previously proposed clause that prohibited DEP from using the appropriated funds to implement wastewater management projects or programs.
CS/SB 54 now moves to Senate Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government, its second of three committees of reference.
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