Becker’s State Lobbying Update: Week 3, March 17 – 21, 2025
Hot Topic
“Rural Renaissance”
SB 110 by Senator Simon unanimously passed off the Senate Floor on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. A priority for Senate President Bill Albritton, this bill has a $200 million package of economic development plans for rural counties. Designed to bolster rural areas by funding a range of areas such as transportation, healthcare, and other economic development projects, SB 110 is now headed to be heard on the House Floor.
Community Affairs
Local Governing Authorities
SB 1188 by Senator McClain focuses on educational facilities, impact fees, and local ordinances. It exempts certain construction projects on public school grounds from concurrency requirements and allows local government to grant such exemptions to charter schools. The bill also provides a method for developers to negotiate contributions with school districts or charter schools in lieu of paying education impact fees, which must be within a three-mile radius of the development and approved by local authorities. Lastly, the bill prohibits local governing authorities from enforcing vehicular stacking ordinances against public and private schools during school hours that affect enrollment and restricts local governing bodies from imposing additional building requirements or site-development restrictions on startup charter schools beyond state educational and building code requirements. The bill favorably passed the Senate Community Affairs 6-2. The bill is now in Senate Transportation and has yet to be considered. Its House Companion HB 569 by Representative Kendall favorably passed the House Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee 12-2 and is now in the House Education Administration Subcommittee waiting to be scheduled.
Annexing State-owned Lands
SB 384 by Senator Burton modifies Florida Statute 171.0413 to include that a municipality must obtain an ordinance to annex contiguous, compact, unincorporated territory. The bill mandates that municipalities seeking to annex state-owned lands hold at least two advertised public hearings before adopting an annexation ordinance and notify each county’s legislative delegation member via writing or email by the first public hearing advertisement. The bill also stipulates that an annexation ordinance may propose only one compact area for annexation. It necessitates a referendum on the annexation before the ordinance becomes effective; approval leads to activation of the ordinance within ten days to one year after the referendum. The bill reenacts provisions related to mail ballot elections and prerequisites for annexation to accommodate the amendments to annexation notification requirements and ensures all major municipal services are extended to annexed areas on the date of annexation on a comparable basis to other municipal areas. SB 384 favorably passed the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee 8-0 and is now in the Senate Rules, awaiting scheduling. Its House Companion HB 275 by Representative Albert favorably passed the House Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee 16-0 and is awaiting consideration from the House State Affairs Committee. However, it has yet to be scheduled.
Child Welfare
SB 7012 by Children, Families, and Elder Affairs addresses workforce issues in the child welfare system, creates a pilot program for treatment foster care, and enhances the data and information the state must collect and report related to commercial sexual exploitation of children. The bill requires the Department of Children and Families (DCF) to create a recruitment program targeting former public safety and service employees to serve as child protective investigators and case managers. The bill also initiates a 4-year pilot program for treatment foster care, requiring DCF to implement and operate the program. The pilot program is intended to introduce a short-term, family-like placement option for children in foster care who have high resource indicators or children who are stepping down from a placement in an inpatient residential treatment. SB 7012 contracts DCF to perform a detailed study of residential and nonresidential treatment services for child victims of commercial sexual exploitation, to be completed with policy recommendations by 2025 end. Lastly, the bill appropriates funds for the fiscal year 2025-2026 to support these initiatives, with specific allocations for the treatment foster care pilot program and the recruitment program. SB 7012 unanimously passed off the Senate floor on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, and immediately certified. It will now be considered by the House. Its House Companion, HB 1127 by Representative Weinberger, favorably passed the House Human Services Subcommittee 18-0 and the House Health Care & Budget Subcommittee 14-0. The bill is now in its final committee, the House Health & Human Services Committee, and is waiting to be scheduled.
Local Administration
Municipal Water and Sewer Utility Rates
HB 11 by Representative Robinson amends legislation for a municipality which operates a water or sewer utility outside its municipal boundaries to charge consumers outside its boundaries the same rates, fees, and charges as it charges consumers within its boundaries if the consumers are located in a separate municipality, and the municipality providing services uses a water or sewer treatment plant located in the separate municipality to serve those consumers. The bill establishes that municipalities may charge equivalent rates to both internal and external consumers, with a possible surcharge of up to 25%. It also allows alternatively for charges that are just and equitable based on the same considerations as for internal consumers, with a stipulated maximum surcharge, and mandates a public hearing for rate setting. The House Bill ensures any rate adjustments for the original establishment method, but uniform changes across all service classes may not require additional hearings or notices. The bill was heard in its final committee, House Commerce committee, which unanimously passed with 23 Yeas. It has now headed to the House floor and has been placed on the Special-Order calendar for Wednesday, March 26, 2025. Its Senate Companion, SB 202 by Senator Jones, is now in Community Affairs and has yet to be considered.
Education
Prohibitions and Limitations on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Requirements for Medical Institutions of Higher Education
SB 1710 by Senator DiCeglie plans to implement new guidelines and restrictions relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in state agencies and medical institutions of higher education. The bill prohibits state agencies from using funds to establish or maintain DEI offices or officers, with penalties enforced by the Attorney General. The bill provides that state agencies may not apply for federal healthcare-related grants relating to DEI unless the agency publishes relevant materials online and distributes grant proposals to specific legislative committees. The bill also mandates that state agencies may not distribute grant or contract funds unless the recipient certifies the Chief Financial Officer that the funds will not be used for specified DEI activities. Lastly, the bill stipulates that medical institutions of higher education must require specific scientific-focused standardized tests for admissions and further requires those institutions to issue a letter grade, as opposed to passing/fail assessments, for each course required to graduate. On March 18th, the bill favorably passed the Senate Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee 6-2 and is now in the Senate Education Postsecondary Committee. Its House Companion, HB 731 by Representative Melo, was referred to three committees and has yet to be considered.
Term Limits for Members of County Commissions and District School Boards
HB 679 by Representative Salzman proposes an amendment to the Florida Constitution that would provide term limits for county commissioners and school district board members by amending Section 1 of Article VIII and Section 4 of Article IX. The bill restricts terms for both county commissioners and school district board members to be limited to eight years. For county commissioners, the bill proposes that the eight-year limit applies to terms of office beginning on or before November 3, 2026. For district school board members, the bill proposes that the eight-year limit applies to terms of office beginning before November 8, 2022. If passed, the joint resolution will be considered by the electorate at the next general election on November 3, 2026. The bill favorably passed the House Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee 12-5 on March 19th and is now in the House Education Administration Subcommittee. On March 18th, after being postponed, its Senate Companion, SB 802 by Senator Ingoglia, favorably passed the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee 6-2 and is now in the Senate Community Affairs Committee.
Criminal Justice
Arrest and Detention of Individuals with Significant Medical Conditions
HB 1099 by Representative Canady specifies that a law enforcement officer may use his or her discretion based on the totality of the circumstances, evaluating factors like public safety threats and flight risks, when determining whether to make an immediate arrest of a person who has a significant medical condition and at the time of the commission of the crime, resides in or is confined to a hospital or long-term care facility. The bill specifies that a law enforcement officer may consider all lawful methods to arrest such a person, including the possibility of obtaining an arrest warrant, but does preclude the officer from making an immediate physical arrest of such a person. The bill clarifies that law enforcement may still arrest without a warrant under certain conditions, maintaining the use of various law arrest methods. The bill was referred to two committees. It favorably passed the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee 17-0 on March 19th and then moved to the House Judiciary Committee, as it awaits scheduling. Its Senate Companion, SB 1450 by Senator Burgess, was referred to three committees. It was referred to the Senate Criminal Justice Committee earlier this month and has yet to be considered.
