Jan. 31, 2025 | Legislative Reporter
The 2025 Legislative Session convenes on March 4, 2025, and is scheduled to end on May 2, 2025.
Governor DeSantis had called for a special session to be held this past week on Jan. 27- 31. The special session was to focus on combating illegal immigration, condominium regulation, agricultural relief in response to natural disasters, replenishing the My Safe Florida Home program, and the citizens’ initiative petition process. The House and Senate convened the session on Monday morning, adjourned and opened their own session, focusing on immigration. Late Tuesday, rejecting Gov. DeSantis’s proposed bills, they passed CS/SB 2B E1 that includes boosting criminal penalties for undocumented immigrants, ending in-state tuition rates for undocumented-immigrant students and creating a state “chief immigration officer.” Gov. DeSantis has indicated he will veto this bill.
Gov. DeSantis’s budget recommendations are expected to be released today. He is required to release them at least 30 days prior to the scheduled regular session, per s.216.162, which this year falls on Sunday, Feb. 2.
Committee meetings were held this past week, focusing primarily on information briefings and discussions. The Bill Tracking Report, as of Jan. 31, can be viewed here. Please review it to see the bills filed that APA Florida is tracking. Note that if you click on the bill number, you will be 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 Jan. 24 Legislative Reporter, the following bills of interest have been filed:
SB 108 (Sen. Grall) makes several changes to Chapter 120, Administrative Procedures Act, including requiring an agency to publish a notice of proposed rule within 90 days after the effective date of the act granting rulemaking authority.
HB 217 (Rep. Mayfield) expands property tax exemption provisions for surviving spouses of deceased veterans.
HB 247 (Rep. Conerly) requires local governments to adopt an ordinance to allow accessory dwelling units, without any corresponding increase in parking requirements, in any area zoned for single family residential use, excluding planned unit developments and master planned communities; amends existing provisions which allow local governments to provide density incentives to landowners who donate real property for affordable housing to explicitly
include provisions for housing for military families receiving the basic allowance for housing. (Note this bill is identical to SB 184 (Sen. Gaetz) identified in the Jan. 17 Legislative Reporter.)
HB 275 (Rep. Albert) and SB 384 (Sen. Burton) are identical bills which require that a municipality seeking to annex state-owned lands must, in writing or by e-mail, notify the county legislative delegation of the county in which the land is located when the advertisement for the first public hearing is published; reenact ss.101.6102(5) and 171.042 relating to mail ballot elections and limitations and prerequisites to annexation, respectively, to incorporate this amendment.
HB 281 (Rep. Partington) amends various sections of Florida’s statutes to enhance local government code enforcement capabilities and increase penalties for certain offenses against code inspectors. The bill also includes authorizing counties and municipalities to appoint special magistrates to oversee quasi-judicial proceedings related to a code violation in lieu of or in addition to a code enforcement board.
HB 287 (Rep. Conerly) amends s.381.0065(4) to state that a municipality or political subdivision of the state may not issue a building or plumbing permit for any building that requires the use of an onsite sewage treatment and disposal system unless the owner or builder has applied for, as opposed to the current requirement to receive, a construction permit for such system from the Department of Health.
HB 295 (Rep. Casello) requires the Department of Environmental Protection to develop a comprehensive waste reduction and recycling plan by July 1, 2026. (Note this bill is identical to SB 200 (Sen. Berman) identified in the January 17 Legislative Reporter, and similar to HB 189 (Rep. Hart.)
SJR 326 (Sen. Rodriguez), a Senate Joint Resolution, proposes an amendment to the State Constitution to prohibit the assessed value of the homestead property of certain low-income seniors from exceeding a certain amount and providing that the assessed value may be changed only under certain circumstances. If approved, this amendment takes effect Jan. 1, 2027.
HB 321 (Rep. D. Smith) revises eligibility criteria for Florida limited partnerships to qualify for ad valorem tax exemptions for nonprofit homes for the aged. (Note this bill is similar to SB 298 (Sen. Wright) identified in the January 24 Legislative Reporter.)
SB 374 (Sen. Truenow) revises the definition of “farm product” in s.163.3162 to include both edible and nonedible plants and plant products; clarifies that activities protected under bona fide farm operation include, but are not limited to, the collection, storage, processing, and distribution of farm products; and reenacts s.163.3177(7)(b), related to the definition of “rural agricultural industrial center” to incorporate these changes. (Note this bill is identical to HB 211 (Rep. Cobb) identified in the January 24 Legislative Reporter.)
SB 388 (Sen. Rodriguez) amends multiple sections of Florida statutes to alter the management and investment of funds in various wildlife trust funds; provides that Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission may enter into cooperative agreements, voluntary agreements, or memoranda of understanding with related agencies and private landowners to coordinate nongame programs.
Legislative News
Immigration bill passes amid DeSantis objections News Service of Florida | Tallahassee Reports | Jan. 29
GOP-led Legislature refuses DeSantis bid to hinder citizen-led ballot measures
John Kennedy | USA Today Network-Florida | Jan 27
Daniel Perez is entering his less friendly to Ron DeSantis era
Peter Schorsch | Florida Politics | Jan. 27