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News & Notes
Growth management bill with local government preemptions dies

A new growth management bill (SB474/HB7129) that was making its way through the legislative process ultimately died during the last days of session. The highly controversial bill, opposed by FAC, would have preempted local governments and virtually eliminated school concurrency. During the final days of session many strike-all amendments were filed which while making other changes to the bill did not address the concerns FAC has had with the bill throughout session.

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Despite numerous attempts, County lobbyists stop Expedia Bill

When it was clear the online travel company tax exemption bill would likely die in the legislative process, many attempts were made by proponents to amend other bills that were being heard on the House and/or Senate floor. However, through the vigilance and hard work of the FAC lobbying team and county lobbyists those attempts failed, ultimately preventing this loss of millions of dollars of revenue to state and local governments.

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Cuts to County Health Departments drastically reduced

Down from a proposed $30 million reduction, the House and Senate budget conferees agreed to a $9.28 million reduction to cost based reimbursement rate (CBR) for County Health Departments. CBR earnings support a substantial portion of the county health departments’ primary care safety net infrastructure and a $30 million reduction would have forced many county health departments to restrict or close their clinical care components. FAC and county lobbyists worked tirelessly on this issue that quickly became one of FAC’s top priorities.

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Health Insurance Claims Bill Victory

After strong efforts by FAC and others, the bill carrying our EMS Direct Pay language, SB 1012, has passed out of the House and Senate and is on its way to the Governor. The bill authorizes the payment of health insurance policy benefits directly to a licensed ambulance provider. This was a priority issue for FAC’s Health and Humans Services Policy Committee and will save counties millions of dollars throughout the state.

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No Medicaid Reform Expansion

The House was pushing for language in the health care budget implementing bill that would have expanded Medicaid reform pilot projects to an additional nine counties (Miami-Dade, Monroe, Pasco, Pinellas, Hardee, Highlands, Hillsborough, Polk, and Manatee) -an effort strongly opposed by FAC.

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House attempts to change property taxes yet again fail

As expected, the House attempts to pass additional property tax changes this session, including capping all property taxes at 1.35 percent and passing a Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) failed to gain any traction in the Senate.

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Suspension of benefits passes – on its way to Governor.

Suspending inmates Medicare/Medicaid benefits in lieu of terminating them was passed by the House and Senate and has been sent to the Governor for his signature. This bill (SB1456), strongly supported and lobbied by FAC and county lobbyists, would allow inmates who lose their Medicaid/Medicare benefits to immediately reestablish those benefits once they are released as opposed to having to wait 90 days for Medicaid/ Medicare to be re-activitated.

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Energy Bill heads to Governor

An expansive energy bill (SB1544) was passed this week by the House and Senate and is headed to the Governor’s desk for his signature. The bill, which will change major policies throughout the state, unfortunately also included many county preemptions and unfunded mandates. The bill would no longer require power companies to submit a statement of consistency regarding transmission lines, power lines, and substations – preventing local governments on commenting as to where they can go.

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Small counties receive $10 million in funding assistance

In this tough budget year, ensuring that legislators kept their promise to offset Amendment 1 losses to Florida’s fiscally constrained counties has been next to impossible. With cuts totally $4 billion, the state initially proposed to delay funding for Florida’s fiscally constrained counties until 2009-2010. However, through the hard and tireless work of FAC, the small county coalition and Florida’s small county representatives and senators $10 million has been designated to assist small counties recover from the impacts of Amendment 1.

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Florida Forever program and funding remains intact

Both the House and Senate voted unanimously to continue the Florida Forever program allocating $300 million. The popular program sets aside revenue and bonding authority to allow the state to purchase preservation lands across Florida. Since its inception in 2001, the Florida Forever has preserved over 2.8 million acres and protected the habitat for more than 190 wildlife species.

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Funding slashed for Small County Technical Assistance Program (SCTAS) for 2008-09

Perhaps the most disappointing loss this legislative session is in the funding to the Small County Technical Assistance Program (SCTAS). The program, typically funded at $350,000 annually provides small counties assistance to deal with increasing demands placed upon their limited financial and staff resources.

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Some details in the budget

Following session, FAC will compile a complete summary of the budget and other bills tracked during the legislative process. Until that report is available we thought you might find the following summary by the Associated Press helpful.

The roughly $66 billion budget lawmakers will vote on this week includes less money for many state programs than they received last year because the overall budget is about $5 billion smaller. Here are some details from the spending plan for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Passing a state budget is the only thing lawmakers are required to do each year.

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Property tax glitch bill gets bad amendment

The property tax glitch bill (SB1588), which remained purely technical until the last days of session, was amended in the House to include language that would preempt the authority of local governments and an additional loss in revenue. The amendment (HAmend210103) changes the calculation of the maximum millage rate that a county, municipality, or special district may levy by a majority vote. It provides that the rolled back rate (used for determining the millage rate that can be levied by a majority vote) must be calculated as if the tax base had not been reduced by Amendment 1.

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Clerk of Courts bill dies during final day of session

A bill, opposed by FAC and counties, that would have expanded the post-audit authority of the Clerk of Courts and would have granted statutory authority to the clerks to conduct performance audits of county commission departments, died during the final day of session. The bill strongly supported by Clerks across the state was opposed by FAC because it so significantly altered the checks and balances system at the local level. For more information contact Amanda Ghaffari.

FAC 2008 Annual Conference

Restore the Partnership: Working Together for Florida’s Future Join us at the Doral Golf Resort & Spa, June 24-27 for the Florida Association of Counties 2008 Annual Conference. Hundreds of county officials will gather in Miami-Dade County to learn, network and share best practices to better serve Florida’s counties. From workshops with outstanding speakers to an exposition hall filled with knowledgeable service providers, participants will gain new ideas and practices they can apply on the job.

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SCTAS SPECIAL PROJECT DEADLINE: 30 DAYS REMAINING

This is a reminder to all participating small counties that you have one month to complete your SCTAS assisted project and submit all necessary paperwork to SCTAS by June 2. Please send in the necessary paperwork by to PO Box 549 Tallahassee, FL 32303 or by faxing it to (850) 893-8456.

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Hillsborough County award close to $1 million grant from DCF

Hillsborough County has been awarded a Criminal Justice, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Reinvestment Grant award from the Florida Department of Children and Families in the amount of $999,999 over a period of three state fiscal years at $333,333 a year. The funds from the grant will be used to provide needed intensive case management, treatment, and ancillary social services and support not otherwise available for ex-offenders.

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Sarasota County Recognized by Florida Partners in Crisis

Sarasota County has been recognized for its innovative leadership in acute care systems by Florida Partners in Crisis, Inc. The award, the first of its kind, was presented to the Sarasota Board of County Commissioners during a meeting December 11 by Michele Saunders, the executive director of the organization. Florida Partners in Crisis is a statewide association and advocacy group for organizations and local governments involved in acute care systems.

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