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ResearchFinance, Tax & Administration Legislation
Please navigate below to view a summary or check the status and recent updates of finance, tax & administration bills monitored by FAC.
Sponsor: Rommel/Grall
Status: Monitor
The bill prioritizes “pecuniary factors” (i.e. no social, political, or ideological disposition) as the first and only factor to consider in the investment of state and local funds. This applies to:
investment funds
procurement of vendors
public bonds (prohibits issue of ESG bonds/contracting with rating agencies who directly consider ESG scores within their ratings). Effective Date: 7/1/23
Sponsor: Roach/Brodeur
Status: Monitor
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actions, see below:
- Requires mayors, elected members of the governing body of a municipality, and county or municipal managers to begin filing the Form 6 annual disclosure with the Commission on Ethics starting January 1, 2024. The bill specifies that those individuals would thereafter not be required to file a Form 1 annual disclosure with the Commission Ethics. Currently, the Governor and Cabinet, legislators, constitutional officers and county commissioners are required to submit a financial disclosure known as a Form 6, which includes an individual’s total net worth and all assets and liabilities worth more than $1,000. HB 37: 1/1/24 SB 774: Effective Date: 7/1/23
Sponsor: Woodson/Polsky
Status: Monitor
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- The bill revises an existing homestead exemption for the surviving spouses of first responders who died in the line of duty. Currently, the spouse of a late first responder may receive a full homestead exemption assuming they were permanent Florida residents as of January 1 of the year in which the first responder died in the line of duty. Eligible first responder groups include law enforcement officers, correctional officers, firefighters, paramedics, or EMT’s. This bill would expand the eligibility to include federal law enforcement officers as well. The Revenue Estimating Conference projected an insignificant impact on local revenues, noting the rarity of such an event. Effective Date: 1/1/24
Sponsor: Rodriguez/ Gossett-Seidman
Status: Monitor
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Provides a sales tax exemption for the sale of investigative services by a small private investigative agency to a client. Authorizes the Department of Revenue to adopt emergency rules. Notwithstanding any other law, emergency rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are effective for 6 months after adoption and may be renewed during the pendency of procedures to adopt permanent rules addressing the subject of the emergency rules. Effective Date: Except as otherwise expressly provided in this act and except for this section, which shall take effect upon this act becoming a law.
Sponsor: Avila/Fernandez-Barquin
Status: Oppose
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- The bills would place a Constitutional amendment on the ballot reducing the state’s Save Our Homes assessment cap.
- Under current law, a homestead property is assessed for just value in its initial exemption year. In subsequent years, the assessed value on their property tax bill is then “capped” by the lesser of 3% or CPI growth. This bill would lower the cap further, to the lesser of 2% or the change in the CPI . In years of higher CPI growth, where the assessment is bound by the statutory limit, the reduction from 3% to 2% would result in lost revenues for local governments. The Revenue Estimating Conference determined the impact to be negative indeterminate, though they acknowledged that the impact could be significant in years where the proposed cap is binding. If the Constitutional amendment were to pass with the , the implementing bills, SB 120/HB 471, would codify the language of this bill.
Sponsor: Avila/Borrero
Status: Monitor
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- The bill would place a revised homestead exemption for low-income long term seniors on the ballot for voter approval. Under current law, property up to $250,000 in just value is eligible for the local-option exemption—this bill would raise this just value limit to $300,000, expanding the pool of eligible seniors in counties and municipalities that offer the exemption. The Revenue Estimating Conference projected a recurring negative impact of $5.7 million on local government revenues.
Sponsor: Holcomb / DiCeglie
Status: Monitor
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- Provides an exemption from public records requirements for records containing certain information pertaining to persons with legal custody of an animal from an animal shelter or animal control agency operated by a local government; provides for future legislative review and repeal of the exemption. Effective Date: 7/1/23
Sponsor: Trumbell / Brackett
Status: Support
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- Current law allows civil action challenges to local ordinances on grounds that they are expressly preempted by state law, or conflict with the state constitution. SB 170 expands this statute to include grounds that an ordinance is arbitrary or unreasonable and allows the courts to award attorney fees and costs to the prevailing complainant. An award of attorney fees or cost and damages cannot exceed $50,000 and costs to the prevailing plaintiff. Similar to challenges under current law that are brought against local ordinances on express preemption grounds, allows a complainant to recover damages against the local government that enacted the local ordinance.
- Requires a board of county commissioners to prepare a business impact statement before the adoption of certain ordinances. It also requires the preparation of a business impact estimate that must be published on a county’s or city’s website at the same time as notice of a proposed ordinance is published. The business impact statement must include: a summary of the proposed ordinance, including a statement of the public purpose to be served by the proposed ordinance, such as serving the public health, safety, morals, and welfare of the county; the estimated economic effect of the ordinance on private for-profit businesses in the county; an estimate of direct compliance costs businesses may reasonably incur if the ordinance is adopted, if any; identification of any new charge or fee on businesses subject to the proposed ordinance or for which businesses will be financially responsible, if any; and an estimate of the county’s regulatory costs, including an estimate of revenues from many new charges or fees that will be imposed on businesses to cover such costs. Additionally, a good faith estimate of the number of businesses likely to be affected by said ordinance and any additional information the board determines necessary.
- The following local ordinances are excluded from the business impact statement requirement –
- Ordinances that implement:
- Part II of chapter 163;
- Section 553.73;
- Section 633.202;
- Sections 190.005 and 190.046;
- Ordinances required to comply with federal or state law or regulation;
- Ordinances related to issuance or refinancing of debt;
- Ordinances related to the adoption of budgets or budget amendments;
- Ordinances required to implement a contract or an agreement; including but not limited to, any federal, state, local, or private grant or financial assistance accepted by a county government; or
- Emergency ordinances.
- Additionally, a county must suspend enforcement of an ordinance that is subject of action if the legal action is filed no later than 90 days after the adoption of the ordinance, the complainant requests suspension in the initial complaint or petition, and the county has been served with a copy of the complaint or petition. Only applies to ordinances adopted on or after October 1, 2023. An amendment to an ordinance enacted after October 1, 2023, can give rise to a claim only to the extent if the amendment language is the cause of the claim apart from the ordinance being amended. The bill is substantially the same as SB 280- Local Ordinances that failed last session.
- SB 170: An amendment was adopted clarifying notice at meetings, specifically if the proposed ordinance under consideration is continued to subsequent meetings. No notice is required except the continued consideration must be listed in an agenda or similar to what was produced for the subsequent meeting. This applies retroactively except to a court challenge that was filed by January 1, 2023.
- Effective Date: 10/1/23
Sponsor: Rudman
Status: Oppose
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- Provides that members of the governing body of noncharter county may be removed from office by electors of county. Effective Date: on the effective date of the amendment to the State Constitution proposed by HJR 131 or a joint resolution having substantially the same specific intent and purpose.
Sponsor: Burgess/Arrington
Status: Support
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- Provides a public records exemption for the personal identifying and location of current and former county attorneys, deputy county attorneys, assistant county attorneys and the spouses and children of such attorneys. Effective Date: 7/1/23
Sponsor: Robinson/Brodeur
Status: Oppose
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- Prohibits a local government from exacting impact fees beyond the statutorily defined limits. Current statute limits how quickly a local government can phase in an impact fee increase—however, s. 163.31801(6)(g) provides a mechanism for an extraordinary rate increase in the event of extraordinary need. To exceed the statutory limits, a local government must provide a demonstrated-need study, using data from within the prior 12 months. Additionally, the governing body of the local government must approve the extraordinary fee increase by a two-thirds vote, following two publicly noticed meetings on the subject.
- This bill would eliminate the mechanism for an extraordinary rate increase beyond the statutory limits. This would limit a local government’s ability to fund concurrent public infrastructure made necessary by rapid growth. This would also potentially penalize a local government for temporarily lowering impact fees to stimulate development—it would subsequently take longer to return to the standard fee schedule.
- The bill also prevents a second local government from charging new development or redevelopment that has already been assessed by the permitting local government. In other words, a county may not exact an impact fee for development that has already been assessed a municipal mobility fee. Effective Date: 7/1/23
Sponsor: Daley
Status: Monitor
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Requires ethics training for elected local officers of independent special districts; specifies requirements for such training. Ethics training for specified constitutional officers, elected municipal officers, and commissioners, and elected local officers of independent special districts. Beginning January 1, 2024, each elected local officer of an independent special district and each person who is appointed to fill a vacancy for an unexpired term of such elective office must complete 4 hours of ethics training each calendar year. This requirement may be satisfied by completion of a continuing legal education class or other continuing professional education class, seminar, or presentation, if the required subject matter is covered by such class, seminar, or presentation. Date: 7/1/23
Sponsor: Trabulsy/Gruters
Status: Support
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Creates Florida First Production Partnership Program within DEO. Requires that film, television, and digital media projects being produced in this state meet specified criteria to be eligible for rebates. Requires the Commissioner of Film and Entertainment to set application windows. Requires the Florida Film and Entertainment Advisory Council to determine a score for each qualified project using specified criteria. Requires certified projects to allow certain persons to visit the production site upon request of the commissioner and after providing the commissioner with reasonable notice. Provides for liability and imposing civil penalties for an applicant that submits fraudulent information, etc. Appropriation: $80,000,000 (20,000,000 over 4 years) Effective Date: upon becoming a law
Sponsor: Burgess/Amesty
Status: Monitor
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Requires governmental entities to block all prohibited applications on government-issued devices (cell phones, laptops, or other electronic devices), restrict access to prohibited applications on a government-issued devices, and remotely wipe and uninstall any prohibited application from a comprised government-issued device. Prohibited applications include any Internet application (eg. TikTok) that enables users to socially interact with one another and that is created, maintained, or owned by a foreign principal; or any Internet application deemed to present a security risk by the department. Foreign principals under the bill are defined as foreign country of concern from 288.860(1) or the political parties or members of a political party from those foreign country of concern. These include: the People’s Republic of China, the Russian Federation, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Republic of Cuba, the Venezuelan regime of Nicolás Maduro, or the Syrian Arab Republic. Governmental entities may request a waiver from the Department of Management Services (DMS) to allow designated employees to access prohibited applications if the access is deemed necessary to conduct governmental or educational business. Employees of governmental entities who have already downloaded a prohibited application must remove, delete, or uninstall the application by August 1, 2023. Authorizes DMS to adopt rules as necessary to administer this section.
Effective Date: 7/1/23
Sponsor: Shoaf/ Simon
Status: Monitor
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SB 640: FEB 16 Referred to S Commerce & Tourism, S Finance & Tax, S Appropriations, Now in S Commerce & Tourism
Authorizes a fiscally constrained county that is adjacent to the Gulf of Mexico or the Atlantic Ocean to use up to 10% of the tourist development revenue received to reimburse expenses incurred in providing public safety services required to address impacts related to increased tourism and visitors in that county, while not supplanting the normal operating expenses of an emergency medical services department, a fire department, a sheriff’s office, or a police department. Effective date: 7/1/23
Sponsor: Andrade/Brodeur
Status: Monitor
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- Provides limits (at least $50,000 but may not exceed $1 million) on a judgment for punitive and compensatory damages for certain claims. Authorizes an aggrieved party to bring a civil action for certain claims within a specified timeframe, regardless of the determination made by the Florida Commission on Human Relations. Effective Date: 7/1/23
Sponsor: McFarland/Bradley
Status: Monitor
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- Preempts the regulation of sale or resale of tickets to state, a local government may not impose requirements, restrictions, or conditions upon the sale or resale of tickets. Provides requirements for websites of ticket resellers, including donation, transfer, & resale of certain tickets. Authorizes the original seller to request certain information from final ticket holders. Prohibits the original ticket seller from taking certain actions against a person who purchases or resells a ticket. Effective Date:7/1/23
Sponsor: Stevenson/Trumbull
Status: Monitor
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- Provides for taxation of movable tiny home according to classification; provides classification requirements; includes movable tiny homes in provisions relating to mobile home registration, renewal registration, license plates, validation stickers, & revalidation stickers; license taxes; inspection of records of DHSMV; & dealers, manufacturers, distributors, & brokers; establishes uniform standards for manufacturing, inspection, & certification of movable tiny homes; limits alterations or modifications to movable tiny homes. Effective Date: 7/1/23, but only if HB 323/1406 or similar legislation takes effect
Sponsor: Bell/Perry
Status: Monitor
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- Creates an expedited permitting process for certain “fire sprinkler system projects.” Defines a fire sprinkler system project as a fire protection system alteration of a total of 20 or fewer fire sprinklers or the replacement of a fire sprinkler component in an existing commercial, residential, apartment, cooperative, or condominium building. HB 327 prohibits local enforcement agencies from requiring a fire protection system contractor to submit plans to obtain a building permit for a fire sprinkler system project. This expedited process allows a Contractor I or II to start work on such fire system project without first obtaining a standard permit and to obtain an expedited permit electronically. Effective Date: 7/1/23
Sponsor: Rodriguez /Roth
Status: Monitor
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Amends s. 212.05, F.S.; to provide that sales tax does not apply to certain leases or rentals of motor vehicles used primarily in the trade or established business of the lessee or renter; making a technical change; providing an effective date. Effective Date: 7/1/23
Sponsor: Tuck
Status: Monitor
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Provides specified entities may meet in private with their attorneys to discuss claims concerning private property rights; specifies what may be discussed during such meetings; requires such meetings be transcribed; provides transcripts become public records at specified times. Effective Date: 7/1/23
Sponsor: Beltran/Gruters
Status: Oppose
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- HB 401: Waives sovereign immunity for tort claims brought against the state, its agencies, or subdivisions, by increasing the per person limit amount from $200,000 to $2.5 million and increasing the current per incident limit of $300,000 to $5 million. Additionally, the bill eliminates the statute of limitations for filing sexual battery actions against the state, its agencies or subdivisions, if the victim was younger than age 16 at the time of the sexual battery. The bill does not resuscitate any such claim which would have been time-barred as of July 1, 2010. Applies to claims accruing on or after October 1, 2024. Effective Date: 10/1/24
- SB 604: Waives sovereign immunity for tort claims brought against the state, its agencies, or subdivisions, by increasing the per person limit amount from $200,000 to $400,000 and increasing the current per incident limit of $300,000 to $600,000. The bill authorizes the Department of Financial Services to annually adjust the cap beginning July 1, 2024, to reflect the changes in the Consumer Price Index for the Southeast or a successor index as calculated by the U.S. Department of Labor. Effective: 10/1/23
Sponsor: Porras/Calatayud
Status: Oppose/Monitor
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- HB 415: Preempts local governments from regulating temporary commercial kitchens involving licensing, permits, and fees. Defines a “temporary commercial kitchen” as any kitchen that is a public food establishment used for take-out or delivery meals housed in a portable movable structure by tow or are self-propelled or axel (sic) mounted, that include self-contained utilities, including gas, water, electricity, or liquid waste disposals. A mobile food dispensing vehicle or temporary commercial kitchen that is operated on the same premise and by a separately licensed public food service establishment may operate during the same hours of operation as the separately licensed public food service establishment, this does not affect a local governments authority to regulate the operation of a temporary commercial kitchen other than what is in the proposed statute.
- Effective Date: 7/1/23 SB 752: Original form and does not include the same preemption.
Sponsor: Fine / Gruters
Status: Oppose
The bill specifies that, for ad valorem tax purposes, all tax appeals regarding time share units in which the taxpayer asserts that there are an adequate number of resales to provide a basis for arriving at value conclusions, the number of resales shall be considered adequate when a reasonable number of resales are provided by the taxpayer and supported by the most recent standards adopted by the Uniform standards adopted by the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice. The Revenue Estimating Conference placed an impact of $208.2 M on the bill. Effective Date: 7/123
Sponsor: Garcia /Fernandez-Barquin (I)
Status: Monitor
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- Revises the timeframe under which certain appeals of value adjustment board decisions must be filed by a property appraiser under certain circumstances; specifying when erroneous assessments of homestead property must be corrected; authorizing a taxpayer to appeal the amount of a homestead assessment limitation difference with the value adjustment board; adding appeals for which a value adjustment board must meet to hear, etc. Effective Date: 1/1/2024
Sponsor: Rizo; Basabe, Black, Fine, Massullo,MD, Salzman
Status: Monitor
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- The bill aligns district school board term limits to the other term limits provided for in the Florida Constitution. The bill prohibits a school board member from appearing on a ballot for reelection if the member will have served, or would have served if not for resignation, in that office for 8 consecutive years. The proposed limitation would apply only to terms of office beginning on or after November 8, 2022, and is prospective, so that school board members reelected to a consecutive term in 2022 could serve another 8 consecutive years before reaching the term limit. The bill takes effect on July 1, 2023.
Sponsor: Rouson/Maney
Status: Monitor
Revises three statutes that govern admission to, and participation in, the state’s “problem-solving courts.” The problem-solving courts are pre-trial intervention court programs that afford a defendant the opportunity to participate in getting the help he or she needs and avoid a criminal conviction. This bill expands eligibility for pretrial intervention programs, creates consistency within the criteria of the programs, and revises data reporting requirements for the programs. Effective Date: 7/1/23
Sponsor: Hutson /Caruso
Status: Monitor
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- The bill prohibits the charge of interchange fees on the sales tax proportion of an electronic payment transaction. This prohibition applies to debit cards, credit cards, and any other payment devices approved through a payment card network. A payment card network can comply with this prohibition by deducting the tax portion of a transaction before calculating the interchange fee or the payment card network can rebate the merchant for the portion of the interchange fee attributable to the tax portion of the transaction. The bill provides for a $1,000 civil penalty per each violation in addition to refunding the entire surcharge to the merchant. The bill has an effective date of July 1, 2023
Sponsor: Book/Cassel
Status: Monitor
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- Authorizes parental leave for state employees in the Career Service System who have a stillborn child; prohibiting a public employer or an employment agency from engaging in certain activities relating to wages and salary; authorizing a public employer or an employment agency to confirm a prospective employee’s wage or salary history under certain conditions; prohibiting an employer from engaging in certain activities relating to wages and salary, etc. Effective Date: 7/1/2023
Sponsor: Garcia (A)/Rodriguez
Status: Monitor
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- The bill modifies DROP to allow a member of the Special Risk Class who is a correctional officer and who is a DROP participant on or after July 1, 2023, to participate for up to 36 calendar months beyond the 60-month period if he or she enters DROP on or before June 30, 2028. The bill takes effect on July 1, 2023.
Sponsor: Powell/Daniels
Status: Monitor
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Requires the state and its political subdivisions to give preference in promotion in positions of employment to certain veterans or their relatives. Requires the Department of Veterans’ Affairs to adopt certain rules to ensure veterans are given special consideration in the promotion process. Requires a numerically based selection process to be used to determine qualifications for promotion. Provides for an investigation and administrative hearing of a complaint regarding not being awarded a promotion according to veterans’ promotion preference. Effective Date: 7/1/23
Sponsor: Fine/Rodriguez
Status: Support
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Allowing the total of the mortgage-related debt and the amount of any PACE assessments on a property to reach 100 percent of the property’s fair market value
Requiring certain disclosures to be made to residential property owners prior to or at the time of signing a PACE financing agreement
Requiring certain disclosures to be made verbally, by telephone, prior to issuance of a notice to proceed
Establishing a maximum term for PACE assessments
Prohibiting the use of certain financing tools through PACE
Establishing provisions governing PACE program administrators’ enrollment and oversight of contractors that install qualifying improvements on residential real property
Prohibiting the use of certain terms in PACE marketing
Requiring an annual report from PACE program administrators.
The bill does not have a fiscal impact on state or local government. Effective Date: 7/1/23
Sponsor: Avila/Amesty
Status: Monitor
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Requires, rather than authorizes, a property appraiser to grant the homestead property tax exemption to eligible permanently and totally disabled veterans or their surviving spouses if certain conditions are met; requires, rather than authorizes, the transfer of the exemption to a surviving spouse’s new residence under certain circumstances. The REC determined this language to have no significant impact on revenues. Effective Date: 7/1/2023
Sponsors: Plansencia / Brodeur
Creates a Sales Tax Exemption for Certain Investigation and Security Services. It exempts charges for investigation and personal background check services, security guards and patrol services, and armored car services from the sales and use tax Effective Date: 7/1/23
Sponsors: Hawkins / DiCeglie
Status: Monitor
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HB 595 revises conditions under which certain aircraft-related operations are deemed to serve a governmental, municipal, or public purpose or function. Also deletes a requirement for the property appraiser relating to applications for an exemption for leasehold interests in government property. SB 1706 has both of the above provisions and adds circumstances under which property used exclusively for educational purposes is deemed owned by an educational institution. Effective Date: 7/1/23
Sponsor: Ingoglia/Holcomb
Status: Oppose
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- Provides that a county administrator’s or county attorney’s employment contract cannot be renewed, extended, or renegotiated within 12 months before an August Primary election for a county mayor or members of the governing body of the county. Effective Date: 7/1/23
Sponsors: Temple/ Ingoglia
Requires referendum to reenact expiring tourist development tax or tourist impact tax, respectively, to be held at general election immediately preceding expiration date of tax; requires referendum to approve millage rate increase for children’s services independent special district property tax to be held at general election immediately preceding effective date
of increase; requires referendum to approve county or municipal ad valorem tax millage increase, respectively, to be held at general election immediately preceding effective date of increase; requires referendum to reenact expiring local government discretionary sales surtax to be held at general election immediately preceding expiration date of surtax; requires referendum to reenact expiring ninth-cent fuel tax or expiring local option fuel taxes, respectively, to be held at general election immediately preceding expiration date of tax; removes provisions that authorize school district millage elections to be held at any time & specify limit on such elections; requires such elections to be held at general election immediately preceding effective date of millage. Effective Date: 7/1/23
Sponsor: Overdorf
Status: Monitor
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Limits the total sales tax that may be collected on each sale of aircraft to $18,000. Effective Date: 7/1/23
Sponsor: Brodeur
Stauts: Oppose
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- Creates the Statewide Blue Ribbon Task Force on County Realignment within the Department of Economic Opportunity. Requires the task force to evaluate the “effectiveness, efficiency, and value of realigning, contracting, or expanding county boundaries in this state.” Creates conditions for membership, timeline, and termination of said Task Force. Effective Date: 7/1/23
Sponsor: Woodson/Wright
Status: Monitor
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Sponsor: Brackett
Status: Monitor
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If purchases are returned to a dealer by the purchaser or consumer after the tax imposed by this chapter has been collected from or charged to the account of the consumer or user, the dealer is entitled to reimbursement of the amount of tax collected or charged by the dealer, in the manner prescribed by the department. Removes limitation on maximum amount of tax that can be recovered from certain payments. Effective Date: 7/1/23
Sponsor: Borrero
Status: Monitor
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- Permits a person holding a vehicle-for-hire license or permit issued by a county or municipality to operate in any other county or municipality without additional licensing or permitting requirements or fees, with certain conditions. Effective Date: 7/1//23
Sponsor: Gruters/Amesty
Status: Monitor
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- This bill concerns the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program and the associated statutes. The PACE program, administered by local governments either directly or through contract entities, allows property owners to finance certain improvements to their property related to energy conservation, renewable energy, or resiliency. Upfront funding for the improvements is provided through the program, and incrementally paid off as a non-ad valorem assessment on the property owner’s tax bill.
- The program has received scrutiny for the priority status lien given to a delinquent PACE assessment, as well as lending behavior seen by critics as predatory. The bill provides additional criteria for program approval, with an emphasis on the applicant’s ability to pay. To gain approval, property owners are required to be current on their property taxes, have no involuntary liens exceeding $10,000 on the property, and have no notices of default in the prior three years. Additionally, residential property owners are required to be current on any mortgage payments. The bill revises the disclosure requirements for residential property owners applying for the program.
- The bill also caps annual fees on the assessment at the lesser of 1% or $5000 for commercial properties. Effective Date: July 1, 2023
Sponsor: Rodriguez
Status: Monitor
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This bill expands the eligibility to receive the total exemption to include persons with an intellectual disability. Also removes a requirement that an otherwise disabled individual must use a wheelchair for mobility. Effective Date: 7/1/23
Sponsor: Waldron / Berman
Status: Monitor
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This bill prohibits the purchase or acquisition of real property and strategic assets by the People’s Republic of China. The bill also defines “strategic assets” to mean water treatment facilities, power plants, emergency operation centers, telecommunication towers and facilities, law enforcement facilities, and other structures used for similar purposes or deemed strategic by the state. Effective Date: 7/1/23
Sponsor: Harrell
Status: Support
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- Provides an exemption from public records requirements for personal identifying and location information of persons reporting a potential violation of a county or municipal code or ordinance; providing for retroactive application. Sunsets on October 2, 2028, unless saved from repeal by the Legislature. Effective Date: Upon becoming a law
Sponsor: Yarborough
Status: Monitor
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This bill creates a sales tax exemption for the purchase of certain machinery and equipment relating to renewable natural gas and requires purchasers of such machinery and equipment to furnish the vendor with a certain affidavit. Effective Date: 7/1/23
Sponsors: Botana / Hutson
Status: Monitor
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Much of the funding for the clerks’ annual operating budgets comes from the fines, fees, service charges, and costs collected by the clerks in connection with judicial proceedings (“revenue”) and submitted into the Florida Clerk of Court Trust Fund (“FCC Trust Fund”) for distribution. However, such revenue does not go entirely to the clerks; instead, Florida law directs the Florida Department of Revenue (“DOR”) to distribute such revenue among the clerks, municipalities, counties, 51 state trust funds with various purposes, and the state’s General Revenue Fund.
HB 977:
· Redirects specified revenue, totaling approximately $31.15 million annually, away from the General Revenue Fund and to specified trust funds for use by the clerks in performing court-related functions and complying with court-related technology mandates.
· Creates a mechanism whereby the clerks may fund their mandatory FRS employer contribution increases through a legislative appropriation, if such an appropriation is made.
· Changes the remissions period for the submission of budget allocation overages from monthly to quarterly to address cash flow problems sometimes created by the monthly remittance requirement.
· Increases the reimbursement amount the clerks may request for domestic violence injunction petitions (for which there is no filing fee) from $40 per petition to $60 per petition, subject to a legislative appropriation.
· Authorizes the clerks to request reimbursement for approved civil indigency applications at the rate of $195 per approved application, subject to a legislative appropriation.
Effective Date: 7/1/23
Sponsor: Botana / Ingoglia
Status: Monitor
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- State and local governments are required, unless exempted by law, to deposit public funds in a qualified public depository (QPD) pursuant to the Florida Security for Public Deposits Act (Act), which is administered by the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Department of Financial Services (DFS). Before a QPD accepts or retains a public deposit, it must deposit collateral with an approved custodian in an amount commensurate with the amount of public deposits held and the financial stability of the QPD. Currently, banks, savings banks, and savings associations are the only types of financial institutions eligible to be a QPD or a custodian for another QPD’s pledged collateral.
The bill makes the following amendments to the Act:
- Allows state-chartered and federally-chartered credit unions to become QPDs and custodians for another QPD’s pledged collateral;
- Provides criteria a credit union must meet before the CFO can designate the credit union as a QPD;
- Creates separate mutual responsibility and contingent liability provisions for credit union QPDs to prevent banks from sharing liability with credit unions in the event of a credit union QPD’s default or insolvency, and vice versa; and
- Requires the CFO to segregate and separately account for any collateral proceeds, assessments, or administrative penalties attributable to a credit union from those attributable to any banks, savings bank, or savings association.
The bill takes effect on July 1, 2023
Sponsor: Grall/McFarland
Status: Monitor
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SB 990 provides programmatic and financial supports for child care facilities and early learning providers. Specifically the bill:
Modifies requirements for Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) classroom instructors, program and child assessments, and implementation of the accountability measures for VPK programs.
Establishes a program to deliver intensive reading interventions to VPK students with substantial deficiencies in early literacy.
Modifies requirements for obtaining and maintaining the Gold Seal Quality Care designation.
Directs early learning coalitions to support the Teacher Education and Compensation Helps (T.E.A.C.H.) Scholarship Program by assisting with co-pays for providers.
Modifies requirements related to licensing of child care facilities by the Department of Children and Families.
Provides an exemption from licensing for child care facilities owned by certain corporations.
Modifies the existing exemptions from special assessments levied by municipalities to include preschools.
Provides tax credits for:
Contributions to child care facilities by corporations.
Startup costs and operational costs for child care facilities established by corporations.
Contributions to child care facilities on behalf of employees by corporations.
Clarifies cancelation and coverage from residential property insurance for large family child care homes.
Effective Date: 7/1/23
Sponsor: Hooper
Status: Monitor
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Imposes specified additional annual license taxes on electric vehicles. Imposes specified additional annual license tax on plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Authorizes persons and entities to biennially renew vehicle registrations for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Specifies requirements for the use of the proceeds by local governments; providing for future expiration, etc. Effective Date: 7/1/23
Sponsor: Yarborough
Status: Monitor
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- Prohibits the consideration of the residential addresses of certain persons during the district-drawing process for boards of county commissioners; requiring municipalities to fix the boundaries of their districts in a certain manner; specifying that district changes may be made only in odd-numbered years; prohibiting the consideration of the residential addresses of certain persons during the residence-area-drawing process for district school boards, etc. Effective Date: 7/1/2023
Sponsor: Maney/Burgess
Status: Monitor
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- Revises requirements for transfer of ownership of motor vehicle or mobile home. Authorizes application for reissuance of title issued by tax collector. Specifies weight of vehicle for which DHSMV may deem license plate with reduced dimensions is necessary. Authorizes certain disabled veterans to be issued military or specialty license plate in lieu of “DV” license plate. Requires certain information on driver license or ID card of sexual offender or sexual predator to be printed in red. Provides requirements for presentation of license or ID card to certain persons. Effective Date: 7/1/23
Sponsor: Barnaby/DiCeglie
Status: Monitor
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- Provides requirements for hiring considerations by public employers; provides postsecondary degree may be baseline requirement; authorizes applicant to appeal hiring consideration to DMS; provides certain reports may be made to DMS; provides remedies if DMS substantiates appeal or report; authorizes head of employing agency, beginning on specified date, to elect to substitute certain work experience for postsecondary educational requirements for person seeking to enter into contract with employing agency; prohibits substitution of work experience for certain postsecondary educational requirements. Effective Date: 7/1/23
Sponsor: Ingoglia
Status: Oppose
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- Establishes term limits for county commissioners and school board members of 8 consecutive years. This would not include a term before November 8, 2022. Effective Date: 7/1/23
Sponsor: Gruters/Anderson
Status: Monitor
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Sponsor: Steele/Trumbull
Status: Monitor
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Sponsor: Thompson/Joseph
Status: Monitor
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Requires the Secretary of State to be elected rather than appointed; requiring an applicant to designate a party affiliation or select “no party affiliation” to be registered to vote; authorizing a person who meets certain requirements to register to vote at an early voting site or at his or her polling place and to immediately thereafter cast a ballot; authorizing the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to preregister certain individuals to vote; authorizing a candidate to pay his or her qualification fee with a cashier’s check; requiring the Governor to consult with affected supervisors of elections in fixing the dates for special elections, etc. Effective Date: 7/1/23
Sponsor: Shoaf
Status: Monitor
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Requires Secretary of Economic Opportunity to appoint deputy secretaries & directors for specified divisions of DEO; exempts loans made with funds administered by DEO from certain taxes; revises eligibility requirements for certain grants awarded by DEO; removes scheduled repeal of Florida Development Finance Corporation; revises membership of board of directors of Space Florida; revises areas in which DEO may provide grants through Everglades Restoration Agricultural Community Employment Training Program. Effective Date: July 1, 2023
Sponsor: Lopez (J) CoSponsors: Arrington, Dunkley, Eskamani, Waldron / Torres, Jr.
Status: Monitor
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- Requires a supervisor of elections or a political subdivision that administers an election to provide certain language-related assistance to a limited English-proficient voter under certain circumstances; requiring such supervisor of elections or political subdivision to provide election materials of a certain quality in a covered language; authorizing the use of automatic translation services under certain circumstances; requiring a supervisor of elections to operate and provide public notice of a language assistance hotline, etc. Effective Date: 7/1/2023
Sponsor: Rouson
Status: Monitor
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Requiring an agency subject to ch. 119, F.S., to provide an electronic option for payment of fees associated with a public records request, etc. Effective Date: 7/1/23
Sponsor: Borrero/ Collins
Status: Monitor
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Prohibits governmental entities (including Counties) from knowingly entering into contracts with entities of foreign countries of concern. Identifies as foreign entities of concern: the Peoples Republic of China, the Russian Federation, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Republic of Cuba, the Venezuelan regime of Nicolas Maduro, or the Syrian Arab Republic. Governmental entities may not knowingly enter into a contract with an entity which would give access to an individual’s personal identifying information if:
· The entity is owned by the government of a foreign country of concern,
· The government of a foreign country of concern has a controlling interest in the entity, or
· The entity is organized under the laws of or has its principal place of business in a foreign country of concern
The bill also prohibits knowingly providing economic incentives to entities of a foreign country of concern. Effective Date: 7/1/23
Sponsor: Fernandez-Barquin/Garcia
Prohibits county from creating office, special district, or governmental unit, or expanding powers or authority of such office, district, or unit, under certain conditions; provides county commissioner is guilty of misfeasance or malfeasance in office under certain conditions; authorizes state to withhold county funding under certain conditions; authorizes county constitutional officers & residents to bring action in circuit court. Effective Date: 7//23
Sponsor: Cassel/Pizzo
Status: Monitor
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Sponsor: Robinson (W) Jr. / Bradley
Status: Monitor
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- Requires clerk of circuit court to create, maintain, & operate opt-in recording notification service through electronic registration portal; specifies portal & notification requirements; provides immunity from liability for clerk; clarifies that action may be brought to quiet title after fraudulent attempted conveyance; directs clerk to provide simplified complaint form; requires real estate licensees & parties providing real estate transaction closing services to send fraud prevention notice; limits liability of real estate licensee for noncompliance but provides that such noncompliance may be introduced as evidence for certain violations; provides that failure of property owner to respond notice does not preclude or limit his or her ability to establish certain challenges or defenses or limit his or her remedy in any quiet title or declaratory judgment action; prescribes form for quitclaim deed; revises requirements for recording instruments affecting real property. Effective Date: July 1, 2023
Sponsor: Pizzo/Joseph
Status: Monitor
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Requires governmental entities to make requested records available to members of the Legislature, the Attorney General, the Chief Financial Officer, or the Commissioner of Agriculture, respectively, within a specified timeframe upon the request of such person; prohibiting members of the Legislature, the Chief Financial Officer, and the Commissioner of Agriculture from receiving certain records during a specified period of time; requiring that members of the Legislature and such officers submit their requests to governmental entities in a specified format, etc. Effective Date: 7/1/2023
Sponsor: Rizo/Rodriguez
Status: Support
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- Revises definition of term “operating budget”; authorizes local governments to carry forward certain percentage of unexpended funds; provides that such funds may be used for purposes other than construction of buildings or structures. Effective Date: July 1, 2023
Sponsor: McFarland / Bradley
Status: Monitor
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- The bill creates a public records exemption for information received by the Department of Legal Affairs (DLA) pursuant to a notification of a violation under s. 501.173, F.S., or received pursuant to an investigation made by the DLA or a law enforcement agency.
- The bill permits the DLA to disclose this confidential and exempt information during an active investigation under specific circumstances.
- Once an investigation is completed or once an investigation ceases to be active, the following information received by the DLA will remain confidential and exempt:
- All information to which another public record exemption applies;
- Personal information;
- A computer forensic report;
- Information that would otherwise reveal weaknesses in a business’ data security; and
- Information that would disclose a business’ proprietary information.
- The bill provides for the repeal of the exemption on October 2, 2028, unless it is reenacted by the Legislature under the Open Government Sunset Review Act.
- The bill takes effect on the same date that linked bill HB 1547 / SB 262, relating to technology transparency, takes effect, if such legislation is adopted in the same legislative session or an extension thereof and becomes law.
Sponsor: Melo, Tuck CoSponsors: Rizo / Yarborough
Status: Monitor
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- Revises interest rate & penalty that applies to property owners who unlawfully received homestead exemption; revises criteria under which rental of homestead property is considered abandonment for tax exemption purposes. Effective Date: July 1, 2023
Sponsor: Michael/Ingoglia
Status: Monitor
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- Prohibits counties and municipalities, respectively, from providing funds to any person, entity, or organization to issue identification documents to an individual who does not provide proof of lawful presence in the United States; specifying that certain driver licenses and permits issued by other states exclusively to unauthorized immigrants are not valid in this state; requiring certain hospitals to collect patient immigration status data information on admission or registration forms; increasing the maximum fine that may be imposed for a first violation of specified provisions relating to employing, hiring, recruiting, or referring aliens for private or public employment, etc. Effective Date: Except as otherwise expressly provided in this act, this act shall take effect July 1, 2023
Sponsor: Avila/Fernandez-Barquin
Status: Monitor
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Amending a provision which provides an exemption from public records for building plans, blueprints, schematic drawings, and diagrams, including draft, preliminary, and final formats, which depict the internal layout or structural elements of an attractions and recreation facility, entertainment or resort complex, industrial complex, retail and service development, office development, health care facility, or hotel or motel development; removing a provision authorizing disclosure of exempt information under certain circumstances; removing the scheduled repeal of the exemption Effective Date: 10/1/23
Sponsor: Avila
Status: Monitor
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Repeals the current exemption from public inspection and copying requirements for United States Census Bureau (USCB) address information held by an agency pursuant to the Local Update of Census Addresses (LUCA) program. The Open Government Sunset Review Act requires the Legislature to review each public record and each public meeting exemption 5 years after initial enactment. If the Legislature does not reenact the exemption, the exemption automatically repeals on October 2nd of the fifth year after enactment.
Sponsor: Koster/Collins
Status: Monitor
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SB 1364 addresses occupational license portability in the United States by requiring Florida licensing boards that issue occupational licenses or government certifications to individuals under ch. 455, F.S., relating to the regulations of professions by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), or ch. 456, F.S., relating to the regulation of professions by the Department of Health (DOH), to issue an occupational license or government certification (universal license) to eligible applicants, under certain circumstances (universal licensing requirement). The bill provides that this requirement does not apply to occupations regulated by the Florida Supreme Court, certified public accountants, and other credentials, such as those used for medical board certification.
Applicants may seek a universal license through one of three pathways described in the bill:
- Universal licensing if licensed by another licensing entity;
- Universal licensing based on work experience in another state or the military; or
- Universal licensing based on private certification with work experience in a non-licensing state or the military.
Under the bill, an applicant with a valid occupational license or certification in good standing, or who otherwise meets the requirements for an occupational license for a lawful occupation, is presumed to be qualified for the license and must be issued an occupational license or government certification by the appropriate Florida licensing board.
The bill provides that during a declared state of emergency, the Governor may order the
recognition of occupational licenses from outside Florida or from a foreign country as if the licenses were issued in Florida, may expand any occupation license scope of practice, and authorize licensees to provide services in Florida in person, telephonically, or by other means for the duration of the emergency.