Becker’s State Lobbying Update: Week 4, March 24 – 28, 2025

Hot Topics

“2025 Proposed Budget”

On Friday, March 28, 2025, both chambers released their proposed budgets for FY 2025-2026.  The Senate proposes a $117 billion budget, $1.3 billion less than the current year’s budget.  This budget includes a 4% raise for all state employees, a minimum $1,500 increase. It also includes $48.7 billion for health care, where $35.6 billion is designated to fully fund Florida’s Medicaid and KidCare Programs and $19.2 million for Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health Clinics. The Senate budget also includes $39.3 million for Cultural and Museum Program Support Grants and $13.5 million for Historical Preservation Grants.  The House proposed a $112.9 billion budget, $4.4 billion less than the proposed Senate budget, $6 billion less than the 2024-2024 budget, and $2.5 billion less than the Governor’s proposed budget.  The House is also proposing a committee bill to permanently lower the state’s sales tax by .75%, bringing the general sales tax down from 6% to 5.25%, which will result in a tax cut for Floridians totaling almost 5 billion dollars per year. $285 million is for affordable housing and hometown heroes, $133 million for education initiatives, $200 million for the Resilient Florida Conservation grant program, $600 million for drinking water initiatives, and $0 in state funds for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives.  The Florida legislature will discuss and negotiate both proposed House and Senate budgets over the next couple of weeks and during the budget conference, which will most likely be scheduled closer to the end of the legislative session in late April.

“Veto Overrides”

On Wednesday, March 26, 2025, the Florida House voted to restore four of Governor Ron DeSantis’s line-item vetoes aimed to reinstate more than $5 million for infrastructure projects, a staffing system for the state Department of Corrections, and a program assisting senior veterans.  During the special session held in February 2025, the Legislature made a historic decision to override a veto that restored funding for legislative operations.  That override reinstated $28.3 million for Senate services and $28.4 million for the House. In a second round of restorations, the Florida Legislature voted to reinstate four statewide projects in areas such as Jacksonville and Rockledge. The veto overrides still require approval from the Senate to restore the funding.

“Funding School Vouchers”

On Wednesday, March 26, 2025, the Senate PreK-12 Education Appropriations Committee heard SB 7030, Educational Scholarship Programs, a bill proposed by the committee, which makes substantial changes to education choice and school funding programs to improve student tracking, ensure the funding follows the student between schools, enhance budget predictability, and create consistency across scholarship programs.  To ensure funding stability, the bill moves the Family Empowerment Scholarship (FES) into a separate category within the Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP). The bill expands the Educational Enrollment Stabilization Program to provide state funds for stabilizing school districts affected by enrollment changes, ensuring districts do not receive less funding than specified calculations and that scholarships are funded for all eligible students.  Additionally, scholarship payments will shift from quarterly to monthly. The bill favorably passed out of the Senate PreK-12 Education Appropriations Committee with a vote of 8 Yeas, 1 Nay.  It is scheduled to be heard in its second committee, Appropriations, on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, at 9:00 am.

“Sovereign Immunity”

On Thursday, March 27, 2025, despite the resistance from local governments, HB 301, Suits Against the Government, favorably passed in the House Budget Committee with a vote of 25 Yeas and 3 Nays.  This legislation could significantly increase the amount cities, counties, and other public agencies must pay in injury lawsuits.  The bill aims to raise the state’s sovereign immunity limits from $200,000 to $1 million per person and $300,000 to $3 million per occurrence. Additionally, the bill would allow local governments to settle claims beyond these limits without legislative approval, eliminating the need for a claims bill in certain cases. Historically, the Legislature implemented the caps in the 1970s and last amended in 2010.  The bill favorably passed two of its referred committees and has one more committee stop before heading to the House floor.  Its Senate companion, SB 1570 by Senator DiCeglie, has yet to be heard in committee.

“Rural Renaissance”

On Monday, March 24, 2025, HB 1427 by Representatives Griffitts Jr. and Abbott was heard in its first committee, the House Commerce Committee.  HB 1427 is the companion bill to SB 110 by Senator Simon, which unanimously passed off the Senate floor last week.  Like the Senate bill, HB 1427 will establish the Office of Rural Prosperity within the Department of Commerce to support rural communities by helping them navigate available state and federal resources and representing rural interests across state government. The Office will serve as the state point of contact for rural local governments and newly created grant programs focusing on infrastructure, economic development, education, and health care in rural communities. HB 1427 has two more House committee stops before it reaches the House floor.

Education
Educator Preparation

HB 875 by Representative Rizo begins the process of aligning the core principles, standards, and content of Florida’s different types of teacher preparation programs. The bill requires the State Board of Education (SBE) to adopt a rule establishing the uniform core curricula for all teacher preparation programs, including two mandatory courses. The bill also creates the competency-based Coaching for Educator Readiness and Teaching (CERT) Program. Following its implementation, the bill plans to repeal the Professional Learning Certification Programs and Professional Education Competency Programs. HB 875 also standardizes the requirements for teacher mentors and clinical educators and requires the Department of Education to develop criteria for clinical educator training. The bill authorizes waiver of specified educator certification requirements based on participation in teacher preparation programs using the new uniform core curricula. In addition, HB 875 establishes, subject to appropriation, The Florida Institute of Teaching Excellence, housed at Miami-Dade College. Lastly, the bill establishes minimum qualifications for part-time, non-degree teachers of fine and performing arts, requiring that professional learning activities be linked to student learning and provide professional growth for instructional and administrative staff. On Tuesday, March 25, 2025, the bill favorably passed the House Careers & Workforce Subcommittee 12-4. The bill is currently in the Higher Education Budget Subcommittee and is scheduled to be heard on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. Its Senate Companion, SB 930 by Senator Davis, has been referred by the Senate Education PreK – 12 Committee and has yet to be considered.

Administrative Efficiency in Public Schools
Senate Bill 166 by Senator Simon streamlines administrative processes for school districts by reducing regulations, increasing flexibility in policymaking, and enhancing financial and facilities management. The bill outlines exemptions for district school boards from adopting specific rules when engaging public input at public meetings. It revises the duty of the State Board of Education concerning rule adoption, stipulating adherence to specific legal provisions, and mandates the Department of Education to annually inform district school superintendents of their rights to petition for declaratory statements regarding the applicability of maintaining required statutory provisions for school districts. In addition, it removes the requirement for district school boards to employ an internal auditor under certain financial conditions and omits the obligation of including school financial reports in student handbooks while introducing a requirement for the department to produce and make accessible and available reports regarding school accountability on its website. Lastly, the bill revises provisions related to the 5-year facilities plan for schools and the timeframe for school districts to develop an Individual Education Plan (IEP) and service matrix following parental requests. The bill unanimously passed its last committee stop, the Senate Fiscal Policy Committee, 18-0, and is now headed to the Senate floor and has been placed on the calendar for 2nd reading.  A committee substitute was filed to education services regarding Title 1 funds to allocate for specified STEM curricula and broadens the advanced degrees that may be used in setting a school district salary.  This bill does not have a House companion.

Local Administration

Local Government 
Senate Bill 482 by Senator DiCeglie provides that a county or municipality may not require an applicant to install, pay a fee for, or reimburse the costs of a work of art as a condition of processing or issuing a development permit or order. The bill provides a definition of “extraordinary circumstance” in relation to population estimates and adjustments for counties and municipalities, requiring specific population growth criteria. This definition serves the purpose of raising impact fees beyond the statutorily prescribed percentage. The bill’s definition is based on a 25% increase in local permanent population estimates. The bill mandates that a demonstrated-need study for impact fee increases justify the specific projects and their proposed benefits from exceeding phase-in limitations. During the discussion, the definition of “extraordinary circumstances” was overtly questioned, resulting in the bill being reported unfavorably following limited debate by the Senate Community Affairs Committee. A motion for reconsideration was made and seconded, resulting in the bill being postponed to Monday, March 31, 2025. Its House Companion, HB 665 by Representative Steele, passed its first committee stop 16-1 and is now in the House Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee and awaits consideration.

Municipal Water and Sewer Utility Rates
HB 11 by Representative Robinson states that a municipally owned utility that provides water or sewer services outside municipal boundaries must charge consumers the same rates, fees, and charges as it does those customers within its municipal boundaries. On Wednesday, March 26, 2025, HB 11 unanimously passed off the House floor. The bill is now in Senate Messages. Its Senate Companion, SB 202 by Senator Jones, is now in the second committee stop, Senate Community Affairs, and has been scheduled for consideration on Monday, March 31, 2025, at 4:00 pm.

Display of Flags by Governmental Entities
Senate Bill 100 by Senator Fine prohibits a governmental agency, local government, or other unit of local government, including a public school, college, or university, from erecting or displaying a flag that represents a political viewpoint, including a politically partisan, racial, sexual orientation, gender, or political ideology viewpoint. The bill supports that this rule does not affect private individuals’ right to free speech or a governmental entity’s right to display flags mandated by law. The bill also mandated that any U.S. flag must hold a position of prominence above any other flag. Lastly, the bill authorizes current or retired U.S. Armed Forces or National Guard members to use reasonable force to prevent the disrespect or removal of the U.S. flag, except when instructed otherwise by law enforcement. On Tuesday, March 25, after being questioned about how “race, sexual orientation, or gender” fit under “political viewpoint” and concerns about the bill’s “reasonable force” provision, SB 100 favorably passed 5-3 out of Senate Community Affairs. The bill is now in the Senate Rules Committee, awaiting consideration. Its House Companion, HB 75 by Representatives Borrero and Jacques, has been referred to three committees and has yet to be considered.

Community Affairs

Housing
Senate Bill 1594 by Senator McClain modifies current laws relating to the various ad valorem tax exemptions for projects providing affordable housing.  Specifically, the bill revises the definition of “urban infill” to allow the $150 million dedicated by the Live Local Act to be used for additional project types. In addition to defining “urban infill,” the bill also expands other definitions associated with affordable housing and taxation to be used for added project types such as “adaptive reuse project,” “multifamily project,” “qualified project,” and “infrastructure.” The bill prohibits the Florida Housing Finance Corporation (FHFC) from imposing certain financing requirements on affordable housing projects. The bill requires assessments of affordable housing needs before enacting relevant ordinances, implements penalty clauses for prematurely terminating a land use agreement aimed at affordable housing, and allows property owners to contest tax-related decisions legally. Lastly, the bill creates the Florida Housing Revitalization Act to allow a new corporate income tax and insurance premium credit for expenses for rehabilitating historic properties to be used as affordable and workforce housing. The bill was scheduled to be heard in Senate Community Affairs on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, but was temporarily postponed. Its House Companion, HB 923 by Representative Lopez, was discussed on Monday, March 24, during the Office of EDR’s Revenue Estimating Impact Conference, but no votes were taken. The bill has been referred to by the House Ways & Means Committee and has yet to be considered.