Draft Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Package
Bill number not yet assigned (R. Artilles)
SB 1132 (Sen. Brandes)

  • Summary: Primary issues relating to FDOT operations of interest to counties:   
  • Requires counties to adopt sound mitigation standards and regulations into their comprehensive plans that are applicable to proposed development projects adjacent to FDOT highways. Penalties for non compliance.
  • Allows for the creation of regional toll authorities by a county or two or more counties.
  • Senate version designates 3 toll authorities: Northwest Florida (Escambia and Santa Rosa); Okaloosa-Bay (Okaloosa, Walton, Bay);  Suncoast (Citrus, Levy, Marion, Alachua)
  • Repeals small county dredging program. Applicable to counties with populations of 300,000 and below for dredging and channel improvements. Program has not received funding since 2008.
  • Allows an increase in MPO membership – from 19 members to 25 – if an MPO includes a new urbanized area; or, there is the consolidation of two or more MPOs.
  • Authorizes FDOT to improve and maintain roads that are part of the county road system if they provide access to a state park.
  • Prospectively requires local governments to share parking meter revenues with the state if they are collected within the right-of-way limits of state road.
    • Status: Draft bill work-shopped in House committee week of Feb 18th.  The Senate bill was heard on Thursday, March 7 in Community Affairs.


Affordable Housing
SB 928 (S. Simpson)/HB 437 (R. Davis)

  • Summary:  SB 928 represents this year’s affordable housing package for the Florida Housing Finance Corporation.
  • Bill does not address funding issues for the State/Local SHIP programs, which will be addressed during the budgeting process.  (The Governor has budgeted $50 million for SHIP.)
  • Closes loophole created in 2011 that allows for-profit affordable housing developers to transfer ownership to a non-profit entity for the purpose of receiving an exemption from ad valorem taxes.
  • HB 437 is identical to SB 928, except it does not include tax loophole fix.
    • Status: HB 437 has passed its first committee of reference. SB 928 will likely be heard second week of session.

Affordable Housing
SB 740 (S. Simpson)/HB 921 (R. Renuart)

  • Summary: 
    • Stand-alone bills to close affordable housing tax exemption loophole.
    • REC estimate of fiscal impact: FY13/14 ($117M recurring) through FY17/18 ($140M recurring)
  • Status: Neither bill has been heard. 

Red Light Cameras
HB 4011 (R. Campbell)/No Senate Companion

  • Summary: Prohibits counties and cities from using red light cameras.
  • Status: Bill narrowly passed its first committee of reference

Other bills related to red light cameras include

HB 1061 (Artiles) –  Prohibits citations for turning right on red lights; requiring citations be sent certified mail; and providing prescriptive changes to yellow light signals.

-HB 1203 ( Nelson) –  Prohibits citations for turning right on red lights; and providing prescriptive changes to yellow light signals.

-SB 1342 (Abruzzo) – Prohibits citations for turning right on red lights; allows violators to petition a hearing officer; includes county penalities.

SB 1658 (Evers) –allows violators to petition a hearing officer.

Internet Cafes
Summary:

  • HB 155 (R. Trujillo)/No Senate Companion prohibits the operation of Internet Cafes.
  • HB 257 (R. Tobia)/SB 502 (S. Diaz de la Portilla) authorizes local governments to regulate (and prohibit) the operation of internet cafes.
  • HB 951 (R. Patronis)/SB 1030 (S. Thrasher) creates a two year moratorium (from July 2013 – July 2015) on the establishment of any new Internet Cafes.
    • Status: No bill has been heard in committee