First Committee Week of the 2022 Legislative Session Kicks off Alongside FAC’s Innovation & Policy Conference

This week kicked off the first Legislative Committee week of the 2022 Legislative Session as Legislators gathered in the State Capitol. Committee meetings were held from Monday, September 20th through Thursday, September 23rd. The week focused on updates on implementation of last session’s legislation, expert testimony in subject areas, and initiated the decennial reapportionment and redistricting process for new state legislative and congressional districts. Committee week also featured the formal designation of the next Florida House Speaker, Representative Paul Renner. Speaker Designate Renner will serve during the 2022 and 2023 Legislative sessions with Senate President Designate Kathleen Passidomo.  

For those who joined us in the beautiful Palm Beach County at Innovation & Policy Conference this past week, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedules to discuss and debate through the all the policy proposals for this upcoming year. Your commitment to the process and to this Association is exceptional. Thank you again to all the counties who were able to participate. 

We look forward to see you all in November 17-19th for Legislative Conference in Walton County very soon! 

Senate and House Committees Meet for the First Time, Starting Redistricting Process 

Both chambers held educational overviews of the constitutionally designated decennial redistricting process. On Monday, the Senate Committee on Reapportionment began the decennial work of identifying Census changes and impacts to Florida legislative districts. The Senate Committee on Reapportionment creates redistricting plans for Florida’s congressional and state legislative districts to account for population shifts revealed by data from the 2020 census. On Wednesday, the House Redistricting Committee met for the first time. On Thursday, the House Subcommittees also met to distinguish their legislative jurisdiction. 

US Census data released in April identified a gain of one Congressional seat in Florida. Committee presentations highlighted the differences between reapportionment and redistricting. Redistricting is the process of redrawing electoral district boundaries to account for population growth. Reapportionment will assign legislative seats among the established political subdivisions. Staff described the constitutional and statutory criteria used to assist lawmakers.  

Population changes showed the increases in central Florida, while many rural Florida counties decreased in population. You can view the committee meeting packet and presentation here.  

The images below provided by the Florida House Redistricting Committee display population changes in Florida counties.  

Senate President Simpson established three legislative committees for the redistricting process:  

• Senate Committee on Reapportionment 
• Select Subcommittee on Congressional Reapportionment 
• Select Subcommittee on Legislative Reapportionment  
• Click here for Senate President Committee Assignments 
• Senate Memo: Reapportionment Information – Committee Assignments 

House Speaker Sprowls established three legislative committees for the redistricting process. These three committees are charged with redistricting Florida's state legislative and congressional district boundaries during the 2022 Regular Session: 

• House Redistricting Committee 
• Congressional Redistricting Subcommittee 
• State Legislative Redistricting Subcomittee 
• House Speaker Sprowls Committee Assignments 
• Memo from Speaker Sprowls: A Look Ahead: The 2022 Redistricting Cycle 

Joint Legislative Website Launched for Redistricting Process 

This week, the legislature unveiled the state website dedicated to the 2022 Florida redistricting cycle. The website is a free, public access tool with redistricting data and an interactive map-drawing application and is intended for public engagement. Data on the website is powered by the recent US Census. The website will be updated periodically throughout the redistricting cycle. All Floridians are able to draw and submit maps through the website. 

To visit the website, click here.

Department of Correction Updates House on Temporary Prison Closures 

The Florida Department of Corrections Deputy Secretary Ricky Dixon presented on recent temporary prison closures and staffing issues during the House Criminal Justice & Public Safety Subcommittee. In August, DOC announced the temporary closure of three state prison facilities in a “strategical consolidation” of the current inmate population. FDC reiterated that many facilities are currently operating at critical staffing levels. Closures include the suspension of work squads, work camps, and community release centers. The temporary closures are intended to ensure safe and secure correctional institutions. The suspension of supervised work squads impacts 48 counties. The statewide correctional officer vacancy rate is over 28% while 46 of 50 prisons are operating at emergency or urgent level. The presentation stressed the importance of retention and pay in maintaining appropriate staff levels. 

To view the FDC Temporary Closures and Staffing Update, click here. 

House Hears Agency Budget Requests on Water 

The House Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee heard overviews of agency legislative budget requests. Agency requests highlight Governor DeSantis’s priorities for the upcoming fiscal year and legislative session. Highlights impacting counties include: 

Florida Department of Environmental Protection 

• Everglades restoration: $480.9 million 
• Targeted Water Quality Improvements: $175 million 
• Resiliency: $152 million 
• Springs Restoration $50 million 
• Alternative Water Supply: $40 million 
• Combat Blue-Green Algae and Red Tide: $25.8 million 
• Beach Nourishment: $50 million 
• Florida Forever: $100 million 

Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

• Rural and Family Lands Protection: $20 million 
• Water Quality: $26.7 million 

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission 

• Derelict Vessel Removal: $2 million 
• Coral Reef Restoration: $750,000 

House Staff Presents on Sovereign Immunity and Legislative Claims Process 

The House Civil Justice & Property Rights Subcommittee staff led a presentation on Sovereign Immunity and the legislative claims bill process. Committee staff overviewed the history of sovereign immunity law, the legislative claims bill process, legislative history of claim bills over the past eight years, and compensation fees for attorneys & lobbyists. Legislators asked committee staff on potential legislative changes including the raising of statutory caps on claims. Staff provided examples from other states rate caps.  

FDOT Highlights Electric Vehicle Master Plan in Both Chambers 

FDOT Assistant Secretary Brad Thoburn updated legislators in both the House and Senate on the department’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Master Plan. SB 7018 (2020) directed FDOT to work with the Public Service Commission (PSC) and other state agencies for current and future plans for the development of electric vehicle charging station infrastructure along the State Highway System. Released in July 2021, the EV Master Plan identifies electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) locations, adoption barriers, quantify funding impacts, fleet adoption and provide strategies for implementation. FDOT stressed the importance of developing additional Direct Current Fast Charging (DCFC) locations that offer 30-minute full charge. FDOT is also researching the development of using Florida’s managed lanes for Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) allowing for in-transit charging options.  

The goals of the EV Master Plan support short and long travel as well as emergency evacuation strategies. Public available EV charging stations are sparse in rural areas of the state highway system, potentially stranding drivers. The presentations also highlighted market trends in EV adoption over the 20-year planning horizon and the potential negative impact on transportation revenues through decreased collection of gas taxes. The PSC addressed lawmakers on the utility regulatory considerations and how electricity is provided and sold to consumers at EV charging locations. While the PSC has jurisdiction over charging stations owned and operated by the utility companies, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services provides oversight of third-party operators. In the Senate, the Committee also heard a presentation from Florida Power & Light on EV adoption and the impact from at-home EV charging on utility grids.  

To view the FDOT EV Infrastructure Master Plan, click here. 

State CIO Grant Updates House on Cybersecurity 

Florida Digital Service State Chief Information Officer Jamie Grant testified during the House Government Operations Subcommittee. CIO Grant highlighted implementation efforts on HB 1391 (2020) on Technology Innovation and HB 1297 (2021) on Cybersecurity. HB 1391 established the Florida [Digital Service] to propose innovative solutions that securely modernize state government through digital transformation and interoperability. The legislation required the creation of enterprise architecture and support the cloud-first policy. HB 1297 designated the Florida [Digital Service] as the lead entity responsible for assessing state agency cybersecurity risks and determining appropriate security measures. The bill created the Florida Cybersecurity Advisory Council within DMS. On Tuesday, Governor DeSantis appointed seven members to the Advisory Council from the public and private sector including Michael McConnell the Executive Director of Cyber Florida. Legislators grilled CIO Grant on recent departures and understaffing within the state information office and the development of the Cybersecurity Operations Center (CSOC). The CSOC is the state threat clearinghouse and response coordination unit responsible for standardizing reporting policies and procedures.