One day after its scheduled close, the legislature adjourned after passing a $91.1 billion budget which fell slightly short of Governor Desantis’ recommended budget. $682 million was appropriated for water-quality efforts related to red tides, algae blooms, and Everglades restoration, and over $220 million was directed to the panhandle area for Hurricane Michael recovery efforts. Of the $332 million dollars that was available from the William E. Sadowski Affordable Housing Trust Fund, the legislature appropriated $200 million towards housing of which $115 million was dedicated for Panhandle housing projects related to Hurricane Michael.
Visit Florida was extended for another year with a $50 million appropriation. K-12 saw an increase of $242 per-pupil for Florida’s 2.8 million students, and the 2019 budget exceeded the 2018 budget by $2.4 billion. Upon receipt, Governor Desantis will have fifteen days to act.
Of the 1,861 bills (excluding local appropriation requests) that were filed, 195 passed and will be sent to the Governor’s desk for approval. Some of the major topics discussed were vegetable gardens, medical marijuana, Amendment 4, single-use straws, texting and driving, cancer benefits for firefighters and guns. Both presiding officers were successful in taking home priorities highlighted during their opening day speeches. Speaker Jose Oliva shepherded through legislation regarding “sanctuary cities” and certificates of need. President Galvano secured funds for Hurricane Matthew recovery and a three regional corridor toll road. Governor Desantis successfully asked for language allowing the importation of Canadian prescription drugs to Florida and a revision of Florida’s Assignment of Benefits during his State of the State speech.
Below you will find a detailed list of bills that passed and failed during the 2019 Legislative Session. Please not that bills that have failed will be revisited sooner than the previous year. The 2020 session will begin in less than eight months due to the constitutional change for election years.
BILLS THAT PASSED:
CS/CS/HB 5: Ballot Measures, sponsored by Representative DiCeglie, provides that a referendum to adopt or amend a local discretionary sales surtax must be held at a general election, and requires the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability, upon receiving a certain notice, to procure a certified public accountant for a performance audit. The bill also requires a supervisor of elections to verify petition signatures and retain signature forms in a specified manner, and provides that an initiative sponsor’s failure to comply with the specified requirements renders any referendum held void. It also requires a paid petition circulator to register with the Secretary of State and provide certain information, and prohibits compensation for initiative petition circulators based on the number of petition forms gathered. Furthermore, the bill also provides penalties for failure to register as a petition circulator.
CS/HB 9: Community Redevelopment Agencies, sponsored by Representative LaMarca, requires ethics training for community redevelopment agency commissioners, and requires a community redevelopment agency to follow certain procurement procedures. It also requires a community redevelopment agency to publish certain digital boundary maps on its website, and provide termination dates for certain community redevelopment agencies.
CS/SB 82: Vegetable Gardens, sponsored by Senator Bradley, prohibits local governments from regulating vegetable gardens on residential properties except as otherwise provided by law, and specifies that such regulations are void and unenforceable.
CS/CS/SB 96: Police, Fire, and Search and Rescue Dogs and Police Horses, sponsored by Senator Bean, increases the penalty for intentionally and knowingly causing great bodily harm, permanent disability, or death to, police canines or horses, fire canines, or search and rescue canines. The bill would also increase the penalty for using a deadly weapon upon police canines or horses, fire canines, or search & rescue canines.
CS/HB 107: Wireless Communications While Driving, sponsored by Representative Slosberg, requires a law enforcement officer to inform a motor vehicle operator of certain rights, and requires such officer to record the race and ethnicity of a violator when issuing a citation. It also requires law enforcement agencies to report such information to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, and prohibits a person from operating a motor vehicle while using a wireless communications device in a handheld manner in a designated school crossing, school zone, or work zone. The bill also authorizes a law enforcement officer during a specified period to stop motor vehicles to issue warnings to persons who are driving while using a wireless communications device in a handheld manner in a designated school crossing, school zone, or work zone. Furthermore, the bill requires that all law enforcement agencies maintain such information and report it to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles in a form and manner determined by the department.
CS/HB 127: Permit Fees, sponsored by Representative Williamson, requires governing bodies of counties and municipalities to post their permit and inspection fee schedules and building permit and inspection utilization reports on their websites. It also requires governing bodies of local governments to create building permit and inspection utilization reports, and post reports on their websites by specified date. The bill also provides requirements for such governing bodies and reports.
CS/CS/CS/SB 168: Federal Immigration Enforcement, sponsored by Senator Gruters, Prohibiting sanctuary policies; requiring state entities, local governmental entities, and law enforcement agencies to use best efforts to support the enforcement of federal immigration law; authorizing a law enforcement agency to transport an alien unlawfully present in the United States under certain circumstances; prohibiting discrimination on specified grounds.
CS/CS/CS/SB 182: Medical Use of Marijuana, sponsored by Senator Brandes, redefies the term “marijuana delivery device” to provide an exception to the requirement that such devices must be purchased from a medical marijuana treatment center for devices that are intended for the medical use of marijuana by smoking. The bill also redefines the term “medical use” to include the possession, use, or administration of marijuana in a form for smoking, and restricts the smoking of marijuana in enclosed indoor workplaces. It also requires a qualified physician to submit specified documentation to the Board of Medicine and the Board of Osteopathic Medicine upon determining that smoking is an appropriate route of administration for a qualified patient, other than a patient diagnosed with a terminal condition.
CS/HB 207: Impact Fees, sponsored by Representative Donalds, revises minimum requirements for adoption of impact fees by specified local governments, and also exempts water and sewer connection fees from the Florida Impact Fee Act.
CS/HB 281: Pub. Rec./Voters and Voter Registration, sponsored by Representative Stevenson, provides exemption from public records requirements for telephone numbers and email addresses of voter registration applicants and voters. It also provides exemption from public records requirements for information concerning preregistered voter registration applicants who are minors, and provides for future legislative review and repeal. The bill also provides for retroactive application, and provides statements of public necessity.
CS/CS/CS/SB 248: Public Records/Civilian Personnel Employed by a Law Enforcement Agency, sponsored by Senator Hooper, expands exemptions from public records requirements for agency personnel information by defining the term “home addresses” for purposes of public records exemptions for personal identifying and location information of certain agency personnel and their family members. The bill also exempts personal identifying and location information of active or former civilian personnel employed by a law enforcement agency, and of spouses and children of such personnel, from public records requirements. It also provides for legislative review and repeal of the exemptions, and provides statements of public necessity.
SB 310: Off-highway Vehicles, sponsored by Senator Perry, redefines the terms “ATV” and “ROV” to increase the authorized width and dry weight of such vehicles, and also redefines the term “all-terrain vehicle” to increase the authorized width and dry weight of the vehicle.
CS/HB 311: Autonomous Vehicles, sponsored by Representative Fischer, exempts autonomous vehicles and operators from certain prohibitions, and provides that a human operator is not required to operate a fully autonomous vehicle. It also authorizes a fully autonomous vehicle to operate regardless of the presence of a human operator, and authorizes the Florida Turnpike Enterprise to enter into agreements to fund and operate facilities. The bill also provides requirements for insurance and the operation of on-demand autonomous vehicle networks, and revises registration requirements for autonomous vehicles. Furthermore, it provides for the uniformity of laws governing autonomous vehicles.
CS/HB 325: Coastal Management, sponsored by Representative LaMarca, revises criteria the DEP must use in determining and assigning annual funding priorities for specified beach management and erosion control projects, and specifies tiers for such criteria. It also requires tiers be given certain weight, and requires the DEP to update active project lists on its website. The bill also specifies allowable uses for certain surplus funds, and requires funding for certain projects remain available for specified period. Furthermore, the bill revises the method the DEP ranks and funds certain inlet management projects, and requires the DEP to update and maintain a report regarding the progress of certain inlet management projects. Finally, the bill also revises requirements for a comprehensive long-term management plan, and requires the DEP to submit a 3-year work plan and related forecast for availability of funding to the Legislature.
CS/CS/HB 327: Pub. Meetings/Pub. Records/Local Government Utilities, sponsored by Representative Davis, exempts from public meetings requirements portions of meetings that would reveal certain exempt information concerning information technology systems held by specified utilities, and requires exempt portions to be recorded and transcribed. It also exempts from public records requirements recordings and transcripts of such meetings, and authorizes the release of portions of such meetings under specified circumstances. The bill also provides for future legislative review and repeal of exemption, and provides a statement of public necessity.
CS/CS/SB 366: Infectious Disease Elimination Programs, sponsored by Senator Braynon, citing this act as the “Infectious Disease Elimination Act (IDEA)”, it provides that a county commission may authorize a sterile needle and syringe exchange program, and requires the development of an oversight and accountability system for certain purposes. It also provides for immunity from civil liability, under certain circumstances.
CS/CS/CS/HB 385: Transportation, sponsored by Representative Avila, requires certain counties to use surtax proceeds only for purposes related to fixed guideway rapid transit systems, rail systems, bus systems, development of dedicated facilities for autonomous vehicles, and certain services. It also authorizes a percentage of surtax proceeds to be distributed to certain municipalities to be used for certain purposes, and authorizes an electronic copy, instead of a true copy, of rental or lease documentation issued for a motor vehicle or issued for a replacement vehicle in the same registration period to be in the possession of the operator or carried in the vehicle and exhibited upon demand of any authorized law enforcement officer or agent of the department. The bill also authorizes the department to establish a program for transportation projects that demonstrate certain innovative techniques for measuring resiliency and structural integrity and controlling time and cost increases.
CS/CS/HB 437: Community Development Districts, sponsored by Representative Buchanan, authorizes certain lands within a county or municipality which a petitioner anticipates adding to a new community development district to be identified in a petition to establish a new district. It also provides detailed procedures for amending boundaries of a district to add land, and authorizes community development districts to merge with another type of special district created by a special act or by filing a petition for the establishment of the new district. The bill also authorizes community development district merging with another type of district to enter into merger agreements for certain purposes.
CS/CS/SB 426: Firefighters, sponsored by Senator Flores, grants certain benefits to a firefighter upon receiving a diagnosis of cancer if certain conditions are met, and requires an employer to make certain disability payments to a firefighter in the event of a total and permanent disability. The bill also provides for death benefits to a firefighter’s beneficiary if a firefighter dies as a result of cancer or cancer treatments, and also adjusts the allocation of funds to provide line-of-duty death benefits for members in the investment plan of the Florida Retirement System.
CS/CS/HB 441: E911 Systems, sponsored by Representative DuBose, requires counties to develop and implement a plan for a text-to-911 system, and requires the DMS to develop a plan to upgrade 911 public safety answer points to allow the transfer of emergency calls. The bill also requires each sheriff to enter into specified written agreements regarding PSAPs, and requires each PSAP to broadcast emergency communications and public safety information. It also requires county sheriffs to certify compliance in writing with the FDLE by a specified date.
CS/CS/HB 447: Construction, sponsored by Representative Diamond, authorizes counties and local governments to provide notice to certain persons, and authorizes counties and local governments to charge a person one search fee for a certain amount. The bill also provides exemptions to certain contracting requirements, and authorizes a local enforcement agency to close permit. It also provides that a contractor is not liable in certain circumstances, and prohibits a local enforcement agency from penalizing certain purchasers of property.
CS/CS/HB 453: Micromobility Devices, sponsored by Representative Toledo, authorizes a county or municipality to regulate the operation of micromobility devices, and authorizes a county or municipality to require licensure. The bill also requires proof of certain insurance coverage, and provides that the regulation of micromobility devices is controlled by state and federal law. It also provides that the operator has all rights and duties applicable to a rider of a bicycle, and exempts micromobility devices from certain requirements. Furthermore, the bill provides that a person is not required to have a valid driver license to operate a micromobility device, and also authorizes parking on sidewalks. Finally, it requires the securing of shared micromobility devices under certain circumstances, and exempts micromobility devices from certain emblem requirements.
CS/HB 487: Carrying of Firearms by Tactical Medical Professionals, sponsored by Representative Gottlieb, exempts certain licensed medical professionals from specified provisions concerning the carrying of firearms, and requires certain policies and procedures for law enforcement agencies. The bill also provides that such professionals have no duty to retreat in certain circumstances, and provides immunities and privileges for such professionals. It also providing construction, and requires the appointing law enforcement agency to issue to tactical medical professionals any firearm or ammunition.
CS/HB 521: Wetland Mitigation, sponsored by Representative McClure, authorizes local governments to allow certain permittee-responsible mitigation on lands purchased and owned by local governments for conservation purposes, and provides an exception to provisions prohibiting a governmental entity from creating or providing mitigation for the project other than its own unless certain conditions are met.
CS/HB 591: Pub. Rec./Public Utility Held Customer Information and Data, sponsored by Representative Davis, exempts from public records requirements customer meter-derived data and billing information in increments of less than one billing cycle that is held by certain utilities, and also provides a statement of public necessity.
CS/CS/HB 595: Alcohol or Drug Overdose Prosecutions, sponsored by Representative Silvers, prohibits the arrest or penalty under specified provisions of a person seeking medical assistance for an individual experiencing an alcohol-related or drug-related overdose or for himself or herself. It also prohibits this protection from being grounds for suppression of evidence in other prosecutions.
CS/CS/HB 771: Environmental Regulation/Single-Use Straws, sponsored by Representative Overdorf, requires counties and municipalities to address the contamination of recyclable material in specified contracts, and prohibits counties and municipalities from requiring the collection or transport of contaminated recyclable material by residential recycling collectors. The bill also specifies required contract provisions, and prohibits local governments from requiring certain project verification from the DEP. It also revises types of dock and pier replacements and repairs that are exempt from verification and certain permitting requirements, and also prohibits local government entities from adopting or enforcing ordinances and regulations relating to single-use plastic straws. It also provides for a lift of moratorium.
CS/CS/CS/SB 796: Public Utility Storm Protection Plans, sponsored by Senator Gruters, requires public utilities to individually submit to the Public Service Commission, for review and approval, a transmission and distribution storm protection plan. The bill also requires the commission to conduct an annual proceeding to allow utilities to justify and recover certain costs through a storm protection cost recovery clause, and authorizes utilities to recover depreciation on certain capital costs through the recovery clause.
CS/CS/HB 827: Engineering, sponsored by Representative Toledo, prohibits specified services to the department for a project that is wholly or partially funded by the department and administered by a local governmental entity from being performed by the same entity. It also revises licensure certification requirements to include active engineering experience and a minimum age, and revises the timeframes in which a fee owner or the fee owner’s contractor using a private provider to provide building code inspection services must notify the local building official.
CS/CS/CS/HB 829: Attorney Fees and Costs, sponsored by Representative Sabatini, provides for the award of attorney fees and costs and damages in civil actions challenging local ordinances as being preempted by the State Constitution or state law, and prohibits an award of attorney fees and costs under certain circumstances. The bill also specifies that municipalities and counties may continue to enforce or extend certain ordinances, regulations, resolutions, rules, moratoriums, or policies until certain actions are taken.
CS/CS/CS/HB 851: Human Trafficking, sponsored by Representative Fitzenhagen, requires the Department of Legal Affairs to establish a certain direct-support organization, and provides for future review and repeal. The bill also provides for instructions on human trafficking, and requires specified licensees or certificate holders to post human trafficking public awareness signs in their place of work. It also provides penalties, and requires specified continuing education for certain persons. Furthermore, the bill requires the Department of Law Enforcement to establish a continued employment training component relating to human trafficking.
HB 861: Local Government Financial Reporting, sponsored by Representative Fernandez-Barquin, requires county and municipality budget officers to submit certain information to the EDR within a specified timeframe, and requires adopted budget amendments and final budgets to remain posted on each entity’s official website for a specified period of time. It also requires the EDR to create a form by a specified date.
CS/CS/CS/HB 905: Department of Transportation, sponsored by Representative Andrade, prohibits local governments from adopting standards contrary to the DOT standards for permissible use of aggregates and reclaimed asphalt pavement material. The bill also authorizes the DOT to establish a program for transportation projects demonstrating innovative techniques for measuring resiliency and structural integrity, and prohibits local governments from contracting with a single entity for the performance of certain services. It also revises the maximum amounts of contractual claims that must be arbitrated by the State Arbitration Board, and revises the terms of interlocal agreements to reimburse local government for costs of operating specified fire stations.
CS/CS/CS/SB 1000: Communications Services, sponsored by Senator Hutson, specifies limitations and prohibitions on municipalities and counties relating to the registrations and renewals of communications service providers, and prohibits certain municipalities and counties from electing to impose permit fees, and revises items over which municipalities and counties may not exercise regulatory control.
CS/CS/SB 1020: State Hemp Program, sponsored by Senator Bradley, creates the state hemp program within the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and provides requirements for program licensure. The bill also directs the Commissioner of Agriculture, in consultation with and with final approval from the Administration Commission, to submit a specified plan within a specified timeframe to the United States Secretary of Agriculture, and revises the schools at which the department is required to authorize and oversee the development of industrial hemp pilot projects.
CS/CS/SB 1024: Blockchain Technology, sponsored by Senator Gruters, establishes the Florida Blockchain Task Force within the Department of Financial Services, and requires the task force to develop a specified master plan. It also specifies the duties and procedures of the task force.
CS/HB 1159: Private Property Rights, sponsored by Representative La Rosa, prohibits local governments from requiring permits, fees, or other notices for certain tree activity on residential property under specified conditions, and deletes a provision that authorizes electric utilities to perform certain right-of-way tree maintenance only after certain local government approval. It also creates the Property Owner Bill of Rights, and requires county property appraisers to provide specified information on their websites.
CS/CS/CS/HB 1393: Department of Financial Services, sponsored by Representative Clemons, requires the Division of Treasury to maintain certain warrants rather than turning them over to the Division of Accounting and Auditing, and provides requirements for a combination license as a funeral director and embalmer. The bill also revises the requirements for a funeral establishment and the requirements and responsibilities of a funeral director in charge, and requires a preneed licensee, under certain circumstances, to provide certain persons with a written notice of intent to distribute funds under the preneed contract. It also establishes the Florida Blockchain Task Force within the department.
SB 1552: Florida Red Tide Mitigation and Technology Development Initiative, sponsored by Senator Gruters, establishes the Florida Red Tide Mitigation and Technology Development Initiative, and requires the initiative to submit an annual “8 report” by a specified date to the Governor, the Legislature, the Secretary of Environmental Protection, and the executive director of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. It also establishes the Initiative Technology Advisory Council.
CS/CS/CS/SB 1666: Vessels, sponsored by Senator Flores, revises boating safety identification requirements for certain persons, and directs the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to conduct, contingent upon appropriation, a specified study of the impacts of long-term stored vessels and certain anchored and moored vessels on local communities and the state and to submit a report to the Governor and Legislature within a specified timeframe. The bill also authorizes certain counties, upon certain approval, to create no-discharge zones, and specifies the fines for violations related to no-discharge zones.
HB 5401: Department of Environmental Protection, sponsored by the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee, transfers specified powers and duties of the FWCC relating to environmental crimes to the Division of Law Enforcement within the DEP. The bill also provides for the DEP and the FWCC memorandum of agreement, and provides for the reassignment of personnel and the retention of benefits. It also establishes the Division of Law Enforcement within the DEP, and provides specified authority to the DEP and the FWCC officers. Furthermore, it provides for the deposit of proceeds in specified DEP trust funds, and appoints a DEP representative to the Joint Task Force on State Agency Law Enforcement Communications. Finally, the bill authorizes certain use of Inland Protection Trust Fund moneys, and provides penalties for false personation and unlawful use of badges and other symbols of DEP officers.
CS/SB 7012: Vaping, sponsored by the Senate Innovation, Industry, and Technology Committee, implements s. 20, Art. X of the State Constitution, as amended by Amendment 9 (2018). The bill prohibits vaping in an enclosed indoor workplace, except as otherwise provided, and provides exceptions to the prohibition against vaping and smoking in an enclosed indoor workplace. It also requires the proprietor or other person in charge of an enclosed indoor workplace to develop and implement a policy regarding specified smoking and vaping prohibitions.
CS/HB 7021: Financial Disclosure, sponsored by the House Public Integrity and Ethics Committee, requires the Commission on Ethics to procure and test an electronic filing system, and provides requirements for the system. The bill also provides the duties of units of government, commission, and persons required to file a specified form, and requires forms to be electronically filed. It also prohibits information from being included in filings, and provides that the commission is not liable for the release of information. Furthermore, it requires the commission to redact information, and requires the commission to include information in instructions for electronic filing. Finally, the bill requires information be delivered electronically, and revises the schedule to the State Constitution.
CS/CS/SB 7030: Implementation of Legislative Recommendations of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission, sponsored by the Senate Education Committee, requires sheriffs to establish a school guardian program or contract with another sheriff’s office that has established a program under a certain condition, and requires the Office of Safe Schools to annually provide training for specified personnel. The bill also requires district school boards and school district superintendents to partner with security agencies to establish or assign safe-school officers, and revises requirements for school district zero-tolerance policies. It also requires the Florida Safe Schools Assessment Tool (FSSAT) to be the primary site security assessment tool for school districts.
SB 7036: OGSR/Payment of Toll on Toll Facilities/Identifying Information, sponsored by the Senate Infrastructure and Security Committee, amends a specified provision which provides an exemption from public records requirements for personal identifying information held by the Department of Transportation, a county, a municipality, or an expressway authority for certain purposes. It also deletes the scheduled repeal of the exemption.
CS/SB 7066: Election Administration, sponsored by the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee, requires the Secretary of State to provide signature matching training to certain persons, and revises the voter threshold necessary to require the reporting of certain precinct-level results by ballot. The bill also requires the supervisor of elections of the county in which an ineligible voter is registered to notify the voter of instructions for seeking the restoration of voting rights pursuant to s. 4, Art. VI of the State Constitution, in addition to restoration of civil rights pursuant to s. 8, Art. IV of the State Constitution. It also requires the supervisor of elections to make a final determination of whether a person who has been convicted of a felony offense is eligible to register to vote, including if he or she has completed all the terms of his or her sentence.
CS/SB 7068: Transportation, sponsored by the Senate Infrastructure and Security Committee, creates the Multi-use Corridors of Regional Economic Significance Program within the Department of Transportation. The bill specifies that projects undertaken in the corridors are tolled facilities and certain approved turnpike projects, and are considered as Strategic Intermodal System facilities. It also requires the department to identify certain opportunities to accommodate or collocate multiple types of infrastructure-addressing issues during the project development phase.
CS/CS/HB 7103: Community Development and Housing, sponsored by the House Commerce Committee, prohibits local governments from imposing certain requirements relating to affordable housing, and provides procedures for addressing deficiencies. The bill also provides minimum requirements for adopting impact fees, and requires local governments to credit against the collection of impact fees contributions related to public education facilities. It also requires local governments to increase impact or mobility fee credits previously awarded, and specifies the use of summary procedure in development order cases. Furthermore, the bill revises the timeframe an owner or contractor must notify a building official of the use of a private provider, and revises the timeframe for approval or denial of permit applications. Finally, the bill authorizes contractors to petition the court to enforce building code inspection service laws, and limits the number of times a building official may audit a private provider.
CS/HB 7123: Taxation, sponsored by the House Ways & Means Committee, requires that all of the proceeds from filing fees for trial and appellate proceedings be deposited into the State Courts Revenue Trust Fund, and provides a tangible personal property assessment limitation, during a certain timeframe and in certain counties, for certain agricultural equipment rendered unable to be used due to Hurricane Michael. The bill also reduces tax rates on rental or licensee fees for the use of real property, and revises an insurer’s authority to reduce certain tax installment payments for purposes of determining if a certain tax penalty is imposed.
BILLS THAT FAILED:
SB 1668 (HB 1197) – School Choice, sponsored by Senator Hutson, revises the purposes that charter schools are authorized to fulfill. The bill authorizes Florida College System institutions to sponsor charter schools within their respective service areas for a certain purpose, and to offer postsecondary programs leading to industry certifications to eligible students. It also provides that the standard charter renewal contract be developed by consulting and negotiating with sponsors and charter schools.
SB 1726 (HB 1171) – Parental Rights, sponsored by Senator Gruters, designates the “Parents’ Bill of Rights”, and providing that the state, its political subdivisions, other governmental entities, or other institutions may not infringe on parental rights without demonstrating specified information. The bill also requires each district school board to develop and adopt a policy to promote parental involvement in the public school system, and prohibits certain health care practitioners from taking specified actions without a parent’s written permission.
SB 1434 – Florida Education Finance Program, sponsored by Senator Diaz, requires school districts that participate in the Florida Education Finance Program to expend 80 percent of funds from the program for classroom spending purposes.
SB 396 (HB 55) – Campaign Finance, sponsored by Senator Farmer, prohibits a statewide elected official from soliciting or accepting contributions during a regular, extended, or special legislative session, and also provides that a member of the Legislature is bound by the rules of his or her respective house.
SB 230 (HB 131) – Voter Registration Maintenance, sponsored by Senator Gruters, requires supervisors of elections to enter into agreements with clerks of the circuit courts to receive specified information, and requires the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to furnish monthly to the Department of State a list of persons who identified themselves as aliens. The bill also requires the Department of State to compare the list with the statewide voter registration system and provide the names of registered voters who are aliens to the supervisors of elections of the counties in which the voters are registered.
SB 694 – Disposable Plastic Bags, sponsored by Senator Rodriguez (J), authorizes certain municipalities to establish a pilot programs to regulate or ban disposable plastic bags, and also provides for the adoption and expiration of a certain required ordinance.
SB 1568 – Discharge of Domestic Wastewater, sponsored by Senator Rodriguez (J), prohibits the construction of new deep injection wells for domestic wastewater discharge or the expansion of existing wells, and also limits the discharge capacity of domestic wastewater deep well injection. The bill also prohibits the discharge of domestic wastewater through ocean outfalls and deep injection wells after specified dates.
SB 1008 – Ethics, sponsored by Senator Rodriguez (J), prohibits a state public officer from voting in an official capacity on any measure that he or she knows would inure to the special private gain or loss of certain principals, parent organizations or subsidiaries of a corporate principal, relatives, or business associates of the officer. The bill also revises disclosure requirements applicable to state public officers in the event of a voting conflict.
SB 588 (HB 1299) – Preemption of Local Regulations, sponsored by Senator Hutson, prohibits certain governmental entities from adopting or enforcing local ordinances or regulations relating to over-the-counter proprietary drugs and cosmetics before a specified date, and preempts the establishment of the requirements for alternate generated power sources to the state and to the Division of Emergency Management.
SB 1610 – Emergency Mitigation and Response, sponsored by Senator Montford, creates the Hurricane Michael Recovery Task Force adjunct to the Division of Emergency Management of the Executive Office of the Governor to make recommendations to the Legislature regarding additional assistance needed in the response to, recovery from, and mitigation of the effects of Hurricane Michael in certain areas. It also requires the task force to review the effectiveness of local, state, and federal activities in those areas, as well as the availability of resources and any additional assistance needed.
SB 1780 (HB 1117) – Adult Use Marijuana Legalization, sponsored by Senator Farmer, renaming the Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco to the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. The bill also exempts certain activities involving marijuana from use and possession offenses, and authorizes persons age 21 and over to engage in certain activities involving personal use of marijuana in limited amounts. It also provides limits on where persons may engage in specified activities.
SB 1046 (HB 1125) – Tobacco Products, sponsored by Senator Mayfield, redefines the term “tobacco products” to include all recreational nicotine products, and prohibits retail tobacco products dealers from dealing in flavored tobacco products unless they prohibit persons under a specified age on the premises. The bill also authorizes the sale or delivery of tobacco products in direct, face-to-face exchanges with dealers or their agents or employees.
SB 1762 (HB 1291) – State Renewable Energy Goals, sponsored by Senator Rodriguez (J), directs the Office of Energy within the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, in consultation with other state agencies, state colleges and universities, public utilities, and other private and public entities, to develop a unified statewide plan to generate the state’s energy from renewable sources by specified dates.
SB 1748 (HB 3) – Preemption of Local Regulations, sponsored by Senator Perry, prohibits certain local governments from imposing or adopting certain regulations on businesses and business entities on or after a specified date, and specifies that certain regulations expire and may only be readopted or continue to be imposed after meeting specified criteria. The bill also specifies that specified specialty contractors are not required to register with the Construction Industry Licensing Board.
SB 1350 (HB 15) – Local Government Fiscal Transparency, sponsored by Senator Hutson, expands the scope of the Legislative Auditing Committee review to include compliance with local government fiscal transparency requirements, and also provides procedures for the Auditor General and local governments to comply with the local government fiscal transparency requirements. It also revises reporting requirements for certain local government economic development incentives.
SB 246 (HB 101) – Public Construction, sponsored by Senator Hooper, revises the amounts of retainage that local governmental entities and contractors may withhold from progress payments for any construction services contract, and revises requirements for the Department of Management Services rules governing certain contracts. It also revises the amounts of retainage that certain public entities and contractors may withhold from progress payments for any construction services contract.
SB 1758 (HB 141) – Water Quality Improvements, sponsored by Senator Mayfield, cites this act as the “Clean Waterways Act”, and requires the Department of Environmental Protection, in coordination with the Department of Health, to develop a report to be submitted to the Legislature by a specified date on the impacts of transferring the onsite sewage program of the Department of Health to the Department of Environmental Protection by a type two transfer. The bill also revises the requirements for a basin management action plan for an Outstanding Florida Spring, and establishing a wastewater grant program within the Department of Environmental Protection.
SB 428 (HB 291) – Growth Management, sponsored by Senator Perry, requires a local government’s comprehensive plan to include a property rights element, and provides a statement of rights that a local government may use. It also requires each local government to adopt a property rights element by a specified date.
SB 1244 (HB 641) – Community Development District Bond Financing, sponsored by Senator Wright, requires district boards to authorize bonds by a two-thirds vote of the members
SB 854 (HB 691) – Special Neighborhood Improvement Districts, sponsored by Senator Gruters, revises the number of directors allowed for the boards of special neighborhood improvement districts, and requires local planning ordinances to specify director term lengths and provide for staggered terms. It also requires that directors be landowners in, rather than residents of, the proposed area and be subject to certain taxation.
SB 1036 (HB 715) – Florida Building Code Enforcement, sponsored by Senator Gruters, prohibits a local government from carrying forward more than a specified amount of unexpended revenue, and revises requirements for the expenditure of certain unexpended revenue. It also expands the list of activities that are prohibited from being funded by fees adopted for enforcing the Florida Building Code.
SB 1752 (HB 1139) – Inspections and Permits, sponsored by Senator Perry, authorizes a county or municipality that imposes inspection fees to establish an expedited inspection process that provides priority processing for such inspections. The bill also authorizes a local government that imposes permit fees to establish an expedited permitting process that provides priority processing for such permits. It also specifies that certain procedures apply to building permit applications for any nonresidential buildings, instead of nonresidential buildings less than a specified size.
SB 1572 (HB 1237) – Displacement of Private Waste Companies, sponsored by Senator Albritton, revises the process for a local government to displace a private waste company in a county or municipality, and requires a local government to announce its intent to adopt an ordinance or a resolution for organized collection service through a resolution of intent. It also provides requirements for the resolution of intent.
SB 1792 (HB 1237) – Towing of Vehicles and Vessels, sponsored by Senator Gruters, specifies that local governments may enact rates to tow or immobilize vessels on private property and to remove and store vessels under specified circumstances, and prohibits counties or municipalities from enacting certain ordinances or rules that impose fees or charges on authorized wrecker operators or towing businesses. It also prohibits municipalities or counties from enacting an ordinance or rule requiring an authorized wrecker operator to accept checks as a form of payment, and authorizing certain persons to place liens on vehicles or vessels to recover specified fees or charges.
SB 1800 (HB 1333) – Florida Building Code, sponsored by Senator Gibson, authorizes the Florida Building Commission to adopt certain triennial amendments.
SB 436 (HB 529) – Use of Vessel Registration Fees, sponsored by Senator Hooper, authorizes a portion of county or municipal vessel registration fees to be used for specified additional purposes.
SB 622 (HB 6003) – Traffic Infraction Detectors, sponsored by Senator Brandes, repeals provisions relating to the installation and use of traffic infraction detectors to enforce specified provisions when a driver fails to stop at a traffic signal, provisions that authorize the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, a county, or a municipality to use such detectors, and the distribution of penalties collected for specified violations. It also repeals provisions relating to the authorization to use traffic infraction detectors.
SB 762 (HB 639) – Duties and Obligations of Sheriffs, sponsored by Senator Gruters, requires each sheriff to coordinate with certain boards of county commissioners and chief judges to develop a comprehensive plan for security of trial court facilities. It also specifies that sheriffs and their deputies, employees, and contractors are officers of the court under specified circumstances.
SB 1022 (HB 973) – Onsite Treatment and Disposal Systems, sponsored by Senator Albritton, transfers the Onsite Sewage Program within the Department of Health to the Department of Environmental Protection, and removes provisions prohibiting the award of research projects to certain entities. The bill also requires the county health departments to coordinate with the department to administer onsite sewage treatment and disposal system evaluation programs, and requiring the Department of Environmental Protection to appoint an onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems technical advisory committee.