Legislative Update
VISIT FL Legislation Cruises Through Senate
On Thursday, the Senate passed SB 434, which extends VISIT FLORIDA, the state’s tourism marketing arm through Oct. 1, 2031. The House companion is also ready for the floor and could be taken up as early as week 6.
Local Wage Mandate Preemption Prevails in House and Senate Committees
HB 943 and SB 1124 both moved through committees this week. The bills preempt minimum wage and employee benefits to the state level by prohibiting local governments from requiring higher than the state minimum wage in any procurement policy, contract, or purchase order. Also known as “prevailing wage,” these bills protect taxpayers that pay for these inflated wages and prevent a patchwork of prevailing wage laws. The House bill has one committee stop remaining, and the Senate bill has two.
Insuring Florida: House & Senate Hear Property Insurance Reform Proposals
House and Senate proposals to reform Citizens Property Insurance advanced through committee this week. HB 1307, which passed unanimously, will allow private companies to take out policies from Citizens Property Insurance at renewal if they have comparable coverage and the new policy is within five percent of premium cost during 2023. The bill slowly increases the premium threshold to twenty percent by 2026. Meanwhile, SB 1728 allows for the takeout of policies immediately at the twenty percent premium threshold. SB 1728 also includes language to warn a consumer about the potential of insurance fraud when being solicited for a new roof and allows for insurers to offer insurance policies that pay actual cash value on roofs of over 10 years, instead of replacement cash value.
