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Friday, February 03, 2012
Alert! Amendment shifts county health departments to counties
This week a strike-all amendment for HB 1263
relating to the reorganization of the Department of Health was filed.
Among many other provisions, the bill would require counties to take
over their local county health departments with the state establishing
block grants. Specifically, the provisions of the bill include: A requirement that the Department of Health contracts with each county to establish and maintain a county health department; Defines specific services to be provided by a county health department
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Friday, February 03, 2012
FAC says goodbye to John Ricco
This week FAC said goodbye to our longest serving employee John Ricco.
John has been with FAC for eighteen years. And it goes without saying
that his unwavering dedication and loyalty to our organization has made
us what we are today. John started with FAC has an intern, served as a
lobbyist and for the last 10 years built the FAC Enterprise Division
from the ground up, and where Enterprise Programs account for more than
40 percent of our revenues.
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Friday, February 03, 2012
FAC Legislative Day a Success!
This week marked more than 200 commissioners and staff coming to
Tallahassee to lobby in support of home rule and against unfunded
mandates. The day started with a legislative briefing which
included updates from Senate President Mike Haridopolos. The President
spoke about frustrations of Washington passing down mandates to Florida
and reaffirming his commitment to limit unfunded mandates to counties.
The President was also on hand to answer questions from the crowd on a
variety of legislation being debated this year.
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Friday, February 03, 2012
Action Needed! Possible cost shifts in Medicaid inpatient services
Late last week, FAC learned that the Revenue Estimating Conference was
reviewing the financial impact of a proposed change to county Medicaid
contributions for inpatient hospital services. While this proposal is
not currently part of a proposed bill, the changes it prescribes would
result in significant cost increases for counties should it be included
in a budget conforming bill.
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Friday, February 03, 2012
Action Needed! DJJ/Cost Share
FAC needs your help in getting the Senate to pick up a $2.7M
appropriation to adjust the counties’ share of secure detention costs. Last
summer, a DJJ/FAC workgroup met and agreed that an adjustment to the
budget split between the Shared County/State Juvenile Detention Trust
Fund and General Revenue was needed to more accurately reflect the
current utilization split between pre and post disposition days.
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Friday, February 03, 2012
Compromise found on Workforce bill.
The regional workforce bill (HB 7203
by Rep. Broeder) was amended on the House floor to remove the provision
that the workforce board chairs and executive directors serve at the
pleasure of the Governor. The bill, which quickly became a FAC
priority, allows county commission boards to retain their authority to
appoint their executive directors without the Governor’s approval but
allow the Governor to remove them for “cause.”
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Friday, February 03, 2012
Transportation bill advances
The House and Senate moved their transportation bills out of their first
committees of reference this week. While the bills are not identical, a
majority of the provisions in both include priorities of the Florida
Department of Transportation (FDOT). The House bill (HB 1399) is sponsored by Rep. Brandes and the Senate bill (SB 1866) is sponsored by Sen Latvala. Of
interest to counties is that both bills redefine “functional
classification” to provide that road classifications may be developed
using procedures promulgated by the FHWA.
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Friday, February 03, 2012
Tangible Personal Property Taxes pass House committee
HJR 1003 and HB 1005
(Rep. Eisnaugle) was heard on February 1, 2012 in the House Finance and
Tax Meeting. Both bills were approved and will next be heard in the
House Economic Affairs committee. The current bill language will provide
for the following: THE BILLS The joint resolution (HJR 1003) will grant the legislature authority through general law to provide that: Taxes on tangible personal property are not due unless the
assessed value of the property exceeds a specified amount greater than
twenty-five thousand dollars;
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Friday, February 03, 2012
Super Cap advances in House committee
HJR 1289 and HB 1291 (Rep. Brodeur) dealing with the provision of a super-homestead exemption has been proposed similar to SJR 312 and SB 314
by Sen. Simmons. However, the house version is not proposed as a
replacement for amendment 4 on the November 2012 statewide ballot, but
rather as an additional tax cut. While the current estimates
for amendment 4 total approximately $1.8 billion over the first four
years of implementation, the estimated cost of Rep. Brodeur’s proposal
would equal approximately $2.3 billion over the same time period.
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Friday, February 03, 2012
Local Business Taxes moves in house committee
HB 361
(Rep. Roberson) dealing with the proposed exemption for real estate
sales associates from paying local business taxes was heard by the
House Finance and Tax committee on February 1, 2012. The bill proposes
that all real estate sales associates that are employed by a real estate
broker are exempt from paying individual local business tax fees. The
bill was passed out of the committee.
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Friday, February 03, 2012
SB 604 – Commercial Fertilizer Application
This bill, SB 604,
provides legislative intent finding that the implementation of best
management practices (BMPs) for commercial fertilizer application is a
critical component of the state’s efforts to minimize potential impacts
to water quality. The bill states that persons who have obtained the
limited certification for urban landscape commercial fertilizer
application are required to follow BMPs, and are exempt from all local
government ordinances that address the fertilization of urban turfs,
lawns, and landscapes
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Friday, February 03, 2012
Counties win! Indigent Burials moves forward
The indigent burials bill, HB 625,
by Representative Ken Roberson passed unanimously out of its second
committee of reference this week, House Community and Military Affairs. The bill updates current law in respect to the procedures counties establish in disposing of unclaimed or unidentified bodies. HB 625
(entitled "Disposition of Human Remains") still has one last committee
to move through in the House before it gets to the floor.
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Friday, February 03, 2012
Numeric Nutrients bill moves forward
-U.S. Rep Southerland announces Congressional Bill--
Legislative Ratification: This week, SB 2060
was passed by the Senate Environmental Preservation and Conservation
Committee. The bill would exempt the DEP rule from the ratification
process and direct the DEP to submit the rule to the EPA for approval.
The bill has since been placed on the Special Order Calendar for second
reading. The House companion, HB 7051,
was passed unanimously by the State Affairs Committee last week, and
has also been placed on the Special Order Calendar for second reading.
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Friday, February 03, 2012
Crack Down on School District Zero Tolerance Polices
Due to a substantial increase in the number of juveniles entering the criminal justice system, in 2009, the Legislature substantially amended the law relating to school district zero tolerance policies to encourage schools to handle minor student misconduct, including potential misdemeanor criminal conduct, in-house instead of referring it to law enforcement.
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Friday, February 03, 2012
Prison Privatization Efforts Stall in Both Chambers
The prison privatization bill, SB 2038
was up for full debate on the Senate floor Tuesday. The issue grew no
less controversial over the weekend leading to a flurry of amendments
being filed aimed at giving state correctional officers the right of
first refusal to positions in the private prisons to killing the
initiative altogether. Even though the time allotted for debate was
extended, the senate still couldn’t get through all the measures and it
was eventually decided that the debate would be continued on
Wednesday. The bill, however, was never called up on Wednesday.
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Friday, February 03, 2012
Public Testimony at Public Meetings
This bill, SB 206, which requires local government public meetings to provide a reasonable opportunity for the public to be heard passed unanimously in its last Senate committee of reference Thursday. Its House companion, HB 355, will be heard in Rulemaking and Regulation Friday, which is also its last committee.
For more information or questions please contact FAC Public Safety Advocate Lisa Hurley.
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Friday, February 03, 2012
Misdemeanor Pretrial Substance Abuse Programs
This good bill, SB 186, which seeks to expand the list of persons eligible for voluntary admission into misdemeanor pretrial substance abuse education and treatment intervention programs unanimously passed its last committee stop this week and joins its House companion, HB 183, on the floor.
For more information or questions please contact FAC Public Safety Advocate Lisa Hurley.
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Friday, February 03, 2012
SB 1354 - Relating to Environmental Resource Permitting
This bill, SB 1354,
directs the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to adopt
statewide environmental resource permit (ERP) rules. The Water
Management Districts (WMDs) and delegated local governments are directed
to implement the rules without rulemaking, except to conform to
existing rules. The bill specifies the statewide ERP rules are to be
based on existing DEP and WMD rules. Differences are allowed that are
based on geographic differences in physical or natural characteristics.
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Friday, February 03, 2012
SB 1178 - Relating to Permits for Alternative Water Supplies
This bill, SB 1178,
directs that alternative water supply (AWS) development projects are
eligible for consumptive use permit (CUP) durations of at least 30
years. These permits will continue to be subject to compliance reports
and water management district water shortage orders. The bill also
provides that If the permittee issues bonds to finance the AWS project
and completes the construction, the CUP may be extended for an
additional seven years. This will allow the entity that develops the
AWS project to operate the facility for 30 years after construction in
order to repay 30-year bonds.
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Friday, February 03, 2012
CS / SB 1858 - Relating to Water Storage and Water Quality Improvements
This bill, SB 1858,
specifies legislative intent to encourage public-private partnerships
for water storage and water quality improvements on agricultural lands
throughout the state. The CS specifies that any agreement must include a
“baseline condition” which determines the extent of wetlands and other
surface waters on a property. Lastly, the CS specifies that during and
after expiration of any agreement the extent of the wetlands and other
surface waters on the property is the original baseline condition.
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Friday, February 03, 2012
HB 691 – Relating to Beach Management
This bill, HB 691,
streamlines the permitting processes for coastal construction permits
and joint coastal permits, including beach restoration and nourishment
projects. In addition, the bill: Allows the Department
of Environmental Protection (DEP) to issue coastal construction permits
or joint coastal permits before an incidental take authorization is
issued pursuant to the federal Endangered Species Act; Directs the DEP to adopt rules related to turbidity mixing zones to reduce or eliminate the need for variances;
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Friday, February 03, 2012
HB 1197 - Relating to Agriculture
This bill, HB 1197,
amends s. 586.10, F.S., to specify that the Department of Agriculture
and Consumer Services (DACS) has the exclusive authority to regulate
beekeeping, apiaries, and apiary locations. The bill also specifies that
an apiary can be located on land classified as agricultural land or on
land that is integral to a beekeeping operation.
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Friday, February 03, 2012
HB 1389 - Relating to Water Storage and Water Quality Improvements
This bill, HB 1389,
encourages public-private partnerships to accomplish water storage and
water quality improvements on private agricultural land. The bill
provides that when an agreement is entered into between a water
management district or the DEP and a private landowner to establish such
partnerships, a baseline condition determining the extent of wetlands
and other surface waters on the property must be established as a
“baseline.”
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Friday, February 03, 2012
CS / HB 1379 - Relating to Water and Wastewater Utilities
This bill, HB 1379,
was amended by a strike-all this week which significantly changed the
legislation from utility regulation to one simply requiring a study to
“identify issues of concern of investor-owned water and wastewater
utility systems, particularly small systems, and their customers.” The
original bill prohibited tiered rate structures, limited rate recovery
and required certain levels of customer service. The amended bill
creates the Study Committee on Investor-Owned Water and Wastewater
Utility Systems.
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Friday, February 03, 2012
SB 540 - Secondary Metals Recyclers
The bill, SB 540,
provides that the regulation of regulated metals property is preempted
to the state except with respect to ordinances enacted prior to March 1,
2012. In addition, the bill: defines the terms appropriate law enforcement official and personal identification card; requires that secondary metals recyclers maintain and daily
transmit an electronic record of all the previous day’s purchase
transactions to the appropriate law enforcement official;
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Friday, February 03, 2012
CS / SB 820 - Relating to Onsite Sewage Treatment and Disposal Systems
This bill, SB 820,
repeals the state-wide onsite sewage treatment and disposal system
(septic system) evaluation program, including program requirements, and
the Department of Health’s (DOH) rulemaking authority to implement the
program. The bill requires a county or municipality with a first
magnitude spring to develop and adopt by local ordinance a septic system
evaluation and assessment program, unless the county or municipality
opts out by a majority plus one vote. All other counties and
municipalities may opt in.
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Friday, February 03, 2012
HB 503 – Relating to Environmental Regulation
The bill, HB 503,
creates, amends, and revises numerous provisions relating to
development and construction permitting, application and procedural
requirements, and programmatic and regional general permits. Among other
things, the bill: Prohibits a county or municipality from conditioning the approval
for a development permit on an applicant obtaining a permit or approval
from any other state or federal agency; Provides that terms and conditions for coastal construction permit applications must be set forth by rule;
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Friday, February 03, 2012
SB 1132 – Relating to Beekeeping
This bill, SB 1132, grants the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (DACS) exclusive authority to regulate, inspect, permit, and determine placement of managed honeybee colonies. The bill revises definitions in the Florida Right to Farm Act for “farm operation” and “farm product” so that the definitions include honeybee and aquaculture activities and the definition of “apiary” to allow honeybee hives to be placed on agricultural land or land integral to a beekeeping operation.
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Friday, February 03, 2012
SAVE THE DATE!
FAC 2012 Annual Conference & Educational Exposition
Orlando Marriott World Center (Orange County)
June 19 - 22, 2012
Hotel room block opens March 1
More detailed conference and registration information will be sent electronically in mid-March.
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