HEADLINES Sine Die. The Florida Legislature adjourned on Friday, April 30th around 2:40 pm. The 2021 regular session presented some extraordinary challenges to all who participated in the legislative process. As this COVID-19 Session comes to an end, the following business was conducted: 3,140 Bills and Proposed Committee Bills (PCBs) filed 2,632 Amendments filed 3,788 […]
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BECKER UPDATE: 2021 Florida Legislative Session, Week #7 & Week #8
HEADLINES Budget. After a week of budget conferencing, the House and Senate appear to be nearing agreement on the state budget for the fiscal year. On Friday night, House and Senate budget chiefs publicly accepted compromises regarding health care, education and prisons expenditures. Some of the key decisions included backing off proposed Medicaid cuts for […]
Read MoreBECKER UPDATE: 2021 Florida Legislative Session, Week #6
HEADLINES Budget. The House and Senate took votes last week on their chambers’ ‘proposed respective budgets for the 2021-2022 fiscal year. The House voted on Thursday to approve their $97B proposed budget by a vote of 104-14, while the Senate unanimously passed their $95B spending plan. Senate President Wilton Simpson signaled that he did not think […]
Read MoreBECKER UPDATE: 2021 Florida Legislative Session, Week #5
HEADLINES Budget. The Revenue Estimating Conference will meet on April 6th. It is anticipated that revenue projections will be higher than expected, resulting in an increase in the amount of cash available going into budget negotiations. With respect to the expected $10B in relief money coming to the state from the federal government, Senate President […]
Read MoreBECKER UPDATE: 2021 Florida Legislative Session, Week #4
HEADLINES Budget. This week, the House and Senate released their respective budget proposals for the 2021-2022 fiscal year. Both houses of the legislature prioritized resiliency, flood mitigation, and sea level rise-focused projects this year. The House set aside $29.1M for water projects; the Senate set aside $37.5M. Additionally, the House’s proposal included $100M for land […]
Read MoreBECKER UPDATE: 2021 Florida Legislative Session, Week #3
COVID-19. Governor DeSantis announced on Friday that Floridians aged 50 and older will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine beginning March 22nd, due to the now modest demand for vaccines. The Governor estimates that the state will be on track to open vaccines to all Floridians before May 1st. At this juncture, more than 3 million […]
Read MoreBECKER UPDATE: 2021 Florida Legislative Session, Week #2
WASHINGTON, D.C. UPDATES COVID-19 On Thursday, March 11, 2021, President Biden signed a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 stimulus bill known as the American Rescue Plan. This packaged bill contains a wide range of benefits to help Americans still suffering from the pandemic-related collapse of the economy. The measure includes direct payments of up to $1,400 for […]
Read MoreBECKER UPDATE: 2021 Florida Legislative Session, Week #1
OPENING DAY Tuesday, March 2, 2021 marked the opening day for the 2021 Legislative Session for the House and the Senate. Senate President Wilton Simpson, House Speaker Chris Sprowls, and Gov. Ron DeSantis addressed both chambers with a level of hope and optimism as the state is doing its best to function in what is […]
Read MoreFlorida House Moves Forward With Legislation to Preempt Local Governments From Regulating Vacation Rentals
Vote of the Regulatory Reform Subcommittee Fell Mostly Along Party Lines As our many local government clients know, the Becker Team has been intimately involved in lobbying against the many attempts to limit their ability to manage the vacation rental crisis. The issue continues to severely impact cities of all sizes. We continue to be […]
Read MoreCoronavirus Special Edition “Federal Dollars: How the CARES Act is Affecting Florida”
It has been over a month since the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Trump on March 27, 2020. This over $2 trillion economic relief package provides fast and direct economic assistance for American workers, families, small businesses, and preserves jobs for American […]
Read MoreThe Becker Insider | March 2020
The Becker Insider provides recent news and unique perspectives into the Florida policy issues that matter most to you. At Becker, we believe that our strengths truly lie in our differences. Our local, state, and federal lobbying teams have deep and longstanding relationships across the political spectrum, allowing us to better champion the interests of […]
Read MoreLegislative Update: Week 8-9 (March 3 – March 10)
Headlines Governor declares state of emergency: A news conference was held Monday afternoon at the Capitol, where the Governor urged Floridians to take common-sense precautions and stressed that normally healthy individuals remain at low risk of contracting the coronavirus. This press conference comes after five lawmakers were forced to self-quarantine due to their attendance at a […]
Read MoreLegislative Update: Week 7 (February 24-28)
Headlines E-Verify: This week a House committee decides to advance legislation that requires Florida businesses to verify employment eligibility for workers. HB 1265 by Representative Cord Byrd passed favorably in the Commerce Committee in a 15-8 vote. This bill would require either use of the federal E-Verify database or, in some cases, use of the […]
Read MoreLegislative Update: Week 6 (February 17-21)
Headlines Abortion: This week, after two days of grueling and heated debate, parental consent for minors’ abortions was voted to become law by the Florida House. SB 404 by Senator Kelli Stargel is now headed to Governor DeSantis’ desk for review and signature. Florida law currently requires that parents or guardians are notified if a […]
Read MoreLegislative Update: Week 5 (February 10-14)
Below you will find a summary of legislation that moved during week five of Session. Each issue discussed has the potential to impact your municipality and organization. In the weeks ahead, we will continue to monitor these bills and others while advocating on your behalf. Ready to Sign: This week, Governor Ron DeSantis received four […]
Read MoreLegislative Update: Week 4 (February 3-7)
Appropriations: This week both the House and Senate passed their respective budgets out of the Appropriations Committee. The Senate proposed a $92.8 billion budget that includes a 3% pay raise for state workers, the first in years. The House proposed a $91.3 billion that is $1.3 billion lighter than the Senate. Both chambers included $500 […]
Read MoreAlex Alamo, Member of the 41st Class of Leadership Miami
Becker’s Alex Alamo is a member of the 41st class of Leadership Miami, a program that helps prepare future leaders for success by cultivating civic engagement and educating members on identifying and addressing vital issues that impact Miami-Dade County, now and in the future. The program also helps to establish a long-lasting network of professional […]
Read More“Personnel Note: Alejandro Alamo, Former Aide to Jeanette Núñez, Joins Becker” – Florida Politics
Becker, a multi-practice commercial law firm with attorneys, lobbyists and other professionals at offices across the East Coast, today announced that Alejandro Alamo has joined the firm as a Government Relations Consultant in its Government Law and Lobbying practice. He was a Legislative Assistant to then-state Rep. Jeanette M. Núñez, now the state’s Lieutenant Governor. “I’m thrilled to be joining Becker […]
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