Third Week of the 2025 Legislative Session 



Welcome to week 3 of the 2025 legislative session! The Countdown Clock reads 42 days until Sine Die. Bills will be heard and amended every day—stay on top of county priorities with this weekly legislative bulletin, or with our comprehensive Bill Tracker. 

It was an exciting week in Florida’s Capital County as FAC welcomed commissioners and staff from all 67 counties to its 2025 Legislative Day. We opened the day with presentations from a number of state leaders including Attorney General James Uthmeier ; Commissioner of Agriculture, Wilton Simpson; Department of Environmental Protection, Secretary Alexis Lambert; Secretary of Transportation, Jared Perdue; Secretary of Commerce Alex Kelly; Secretary of Veterans Affairs, James Hartsell; and the Secretary of Department of Children and Families, Taylor Hatch.  In the afternoon, commissioners and staff mobilized to the Capitol to meet with delegation members and other key legislative figures.   

We are so grateful for our FAC community—thank you for making Legislative Day 2025 a success!  

This week, the House and Senate both considered joint resolutions on county commissioner term limits. On Monday, SJR 802 by Sen. Ingoglia passed (6-2) Senate Ethics and Elections 6-2. On Wednesday, HB 679 by Rep. Salzman passed (12-5) in House Intergovernmental Affairs.  

The bills propose a constitutional amendment to impose an eight-year lifetime term limit on county commissioners and district school board members. A person cannot appear on the ballot for re-election if they will have served eight years by the end of their current term. The limit applies to county commissioner terms beginning after November 3, 2026, and school board terms beginning after November 8, 2022.  



The bills strip voters of their ability to self-govern by forcing them to vote on terms limits statewide, imposing their choices on other counties. Currently, 12 counties have term limits in place and every county has the ability through a citizen initiative process or an established charter to enact limits. 58% of the state’s population has already voted to impose term limits upon themselves through their county charter. FAC staff was joined by a number of county commissioners in speaking against the bill in committee. The following commissioners testified against the bill: FAC President Terry Burroughs (Okeechobee), President-Elect Michelle Lincoln (Monroe), Former President Ralph Thomas (Wakulla), as well as Commissioners Kathryn Starkey (Pasco), Jack Mariano (Pasco), and Russell Melendy (Hardee). 

On Wednesday, SB 110 by Sen. Simon passed unanimously on the Senate floor. This package represents a major priority for Senate President Ben Albritton, who has been outspoken in his desire for a “Rural Renaissance.” Specifically, it creates a state Office of Rural Prosperity (ORP) and makes major investments in a number of programs focused on rural communities. Highlights include:  

• Authorizes roughly $200 million in total appropriations  
• Shifts the fiscally constrained county distribution to a more reliable underlying revenue source. Additionally, the bill establishes a new distribution formula and $50 million floor on annual funding under this section. For reference, the FY 2023-24 distributions for this program totaled $12.2 million. Note: this increased funding also comes with narrower prescribed uses: 50% of the funding must be used on public safety expenditures, 30% on infrastructure, and the remaining 20% on general purposes.   
• Removes the $200 million cap on distributions into the State Transportation Trust Fund to allow for greater funding of associated programs  
• Establishes the Florida Arterial Road Modernization (FARM) program, an adaptation of the existing Farm-to-Market road program within the SCOP statute. The bill also establishes a $50 million annual floor for funding this program.  
• Establishes a $25 million annual floor for the SCRAP program, and requires that additional revenues from motor vehicle title fees be used to supplement SCRAP funding  
• Appropriates $45 million to the Rural Infrastructure Fund (RIF)   
• Raises the individual floor for local housing distributions under SHIP from $350,000 to $1 million, and appropriates $19 million to this end.   
• Authorizes a $1 million allocation for counties within the Renaissance Grant program. Eligible counties are those which are “growth-impeded” and spending should prioritize strategies to stimulate population growth in rural communities.   

The House companion’ HB 1427 has not yet been heard this session. 

On Wednesday, HB 301 by Rep McFarland passed (25-3) on the House Budget Committee. The bill significantly increases the statutory limits on liability for tort claims against the state and its subdivisions. Specifically, it raises the caps on claims from $200,000 to $1 million per person, and from $300,000 to $3 million per incident for claims arising between October 1, 2025, and October 1, 2030, with further increases thereafter. Notably, local governments, such as counties and municipalities, may settle claims exceeding these limits without requiring legislative approval. The bill also prohibits insurance policies from conditioning coverage on the passage of a claim bill, ensuring that judgments against government entities are enforceable within statutory limits. Additionally, the bill shortens the statute of limitations for negligence claims against the state from four years to two years, aligning with medical malpractice and wrongful death claims. FAC, along with other local governments, opposed the legislation. 



The Senate companion, SB 1570 has not yet been heard this session. 

On Thursday, HB 1221 by Rep. Miller passed (13–4) in House Ways & Means Committee.  



The bill requires local option taxes, such as discretionary sales surtaxes, food and beverage taxes, and tourist development taxes, to be reauthorized by referendum every 8 years, beginning in 2033. Levies that are pledged for debt service are exempt from the 8 year sunset cycle until the maturity date of outstanding bonds.   

The Senate companion SB 1664 by Trumbull has yet to be heard this Session.   

On Monday, CS/SB 1118 by Sen. McClain passed (5-3) in the Senate Community Affairs Committee. During committee, a strike all amendment was adopted making the following changes to the bill: 

• Provides a substantially new mechanism for the administrative approval of development on agricultural enclaves within 120 days. 
• Provides that the definition of an agricultural enclave may include up to 700 acres for the second boundary calculation (where the bill as filed specifies 640) and as a third alternative may be any property within the bounds of a rural study area intended for residential use. 
• Provides that property not currently equipped with public services may nonetheless be an agricultural enclave if the applicant offers to agree to pay for, construct, or contribute a proportionate share for concurrency purposes. 
• Provides that the prohibition on initiatives or referendum processes for land use regulations includes any code, ordinance, rule, or charter provision, density regulations, and municipal boundaries. 
• Extends the requirement for supermajority votes to include those amendments reducing density. 
• Removes provisions mandating administrative approval of residential infill development, and requiring minimum lot sizes to maximize density. 
• Introduces a section relating to the definition of fuel terminals. 
• Provides that all residential land use categories, residential zoning categories, and housing types are compatible with each other. 
• Prohibits optional elements of the comprehensive plan from containing policies which restrict the density or intensity established in the future land use element. 
• Provides for court review of comprehensive plan amendments with more favorable standards of review than the existing DOAH challenge framework. 
• Redefines “extraordinary circumstances” for the purposes of impact fee increases to include a calculation based on population growth. 
• Prohibits a county or municipality from requiring the installation of a work of art as a precondition to issuing a development permit. 
• Provides that the production of ethanol as it is used in the context of agricultural purposes is not considered chemical manufacturing or refining. 
• Prohibits a county or municipality from requiring the installation of a work of art as a precondition to issuing a development permit. 
• Introduces a timeline and procedures for meetings on and review of plat submittals. 
• Introduces sections relating to voluntary municipal annexation, which protects the assumption of land use regulation by a municipality that annexes unincorporated land.  



The House companion, HB 1209 by Rep. Steele has not been heard this session. 

On Tuesday, HB 1535 by Rep. McFarland passed unanimously in House Natural Resources & Disasters subcommittee. The package includes the following provisions:   



• Authorizes Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to either waive or reduce local government match requirements for beach erosion projects in federally declared disaster areas.   
• It provides property tax relief for agricultural equipment damaged by hurricanes and revises public hurricane shelter funding priorities.   
• It also requires counties and municipalities to develop post-storm permitting plans which includes in those plans the preemption on local government not to increase building permit or inspection fees for 180 days after a state of emergency was declared within the area for which the state of emergency is declared.  
• Prohibits certain local government actions post-hurricane that place a moratorium or other restrictions on development and creates a statewide substantial improvement lookback period for purposes of the National Flood Insurance Program. 
• Offers a 1 year look-back periods as it pertains to the National Flood Insurance Program 

The Senate companion, SB 180 by Sen. DiCeglie is waiting to be heard in its final committee stop.  

On Wednesday, CS/HB 1035 by Rep. Esposito passed unanimously House Industries & Professional Activities Subcommittee. The bill provides that single-family building permits do not expire before the effective date of the next edition of the Florida Building Code. The bill also provides that a building permit application for the construction of a single-family dwelling is deemed approved upon submission, and a building permit must be issued within two days. These permits would apply to construction of a single-family dwelling that is in a jurisdiction for which a state of emergency was issued within the preceding 24 months and a licensed architect or engineer signs and seals the application and attests that the plans comply with the Florida Building Code 

During the committee, an amendment was adopted that made the following changes:  

• Single-family building permits do not expire before the later of 180 days or the effective date of the next edition of the Florida Building Code 
• Local government may not require a single-family dwelling owner or the owner’s contractor to pull a building permit for work, which is valued at less than $7,500, on the lot containing the single- family dwelling.  
• A local government may require a building permit for electrical, plumbing, or structural work, not including the repair or replacement of exterior doors or windows, regardless of the value of such work. 
• A contractor who performs work that is exempt from needing a building permit must keep a record in writing of the work he or she performed, the property address where the work was performed, and the value of such work.  
• The bill provides that a local government must approve or deny a building permit application for work, which is valued at less than $15,000, on an existing single-family dwelling within five (5) business days of receiving a completed application.  

The Senate companion, SB 1128 by Sen. Ingoglia is waiting to be heard in its second committee. 

On Wednesday, SB 50 by Sen. Garcia passed off the Senate floor unanimously. The bill directs DEP to initiate rulemaking regarding nature-based methods for improving coastal resilience. At a minimum, the rule must consider: 

• Improved Coastal Resilience through green infrastructure, beach renourishment, dune restoration, living seawalls and shorelines, permeable pavement, and ecologically sound building materials 
• Permitting incentives and Resilient Florida grant priority for green infrastructure projects 
• Inventory of vulnerable coastal properties 
• Restoration of mangroves, reefs, and salt marshes Workforce training and flood and sea level rise research 

The bill also directs the Florida Flood Hub to develop guidelines for green and gray infrastructure to address sea level rise and storm surge impacts. Lastly, the bill requires a statewide feasibility study to determine the value of nature-based methods for coastal flood risk reduction. 



The House companion HB 371 by Rep. Mooney passed in State Affairs unanimously. 

On Monday, SB 1208 by Sen. Truenow passed unanimously its first committee stop, Senate Environment and Natural Resources. The bill requires utility owners to establish an inspection program for all service laterals connecting to their service area. Because the portion of the lateral extending to the house is technically private property, this would significantly expand a given utility system’s service area. Inspections must be conducted on a 7-year interval using CCTV cameras. Laterals that fail to meet certain performance standards upon inspection must be repaired or replaced within 12 months using trenchless technology.  

FAC staff Jared Grigas spoke in committee regarding the cost burden associated with a larger service area and tighter inspection cycle.  

 

The House Companion HB 1187 by Rep. Nix is currently in the House Natural Resources & Disasters Subcommittee. 

On Monday, SB 1822 by Sen. Martin passed (5-3) in the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee. The bill clarifies an existing preemption of local regulation of “auxiliary containers” (such as plastic bags, cups, and food packaging). Initially, local governments were precluded from regulating in this space until the legislature formally adopted state standards recommendations from DEP. The state ultimately never did so—this bill renders that unnecessary and expressly preempts local regulation altogether.  



The House Companion, HB 565 by Rep. Blanco has not been heard this session.  

On Monday, SB 1008 by Sen. Avila passed unanimously in the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee. The bill prohibits permitting of ash-producing incinerators or waste-to-energy facilities within a half-mile radius of residential properties, commercial properties, or schools. This effort comes in response to a proposed replacement facility in Miami-Dade County, following a fire at the previous site.  



The House Companion, HB 1609 by Rep. Weinberger has not been heard this session.  

On Monday, SB 1142 by Sen. Rodriguez unanimously passed in the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee. Meanwhile, CS/HB 1175 by Rep. Duggan passed (12-3) in the House Natural Resources & Disasters Subcommittee on Tuesday.  

The bills allow for the release of a water management district conservation easement under 15 acres under certain circumstances. Specifically, the parcel must be surrounded by impervious surfaces on three or more sides, have no cultural or historical significance, and the parcel owner must provide compensatory mitigation for any development that occurs. Once released, the parcel may be developed in a manner consistent with the surrounding parcels’ land use. 



The House bill also includes language allowing for offsite mitigation of development impacts. Specifically, it would allow a developer to mitigate impacts outside of the service area if there are insufficient credits available within the service area. There are no specific limitations to this—for instance, a developer could theoretically mitigate impacts to a South Florida watershed at a bank site in the Florida panhandle. Out-of-service area credits are subject to an escalator for increasingly distant mitigation. In other words, the farther you get from the service area, the more mitigation credits are required. This language matches that of SB 492 by Sen. McClain, which recently passed its first committee in the Senate.  

On Monday, SB 1212 by Sen. DiCeglie passed unanimously in the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee unanimously. The bill directs the Division of State Fire Marshal to adopt rules requiring firefighting gear to be free of chemical hazards or toxic substances once such gear becomes readily available, and to require notice to firefighters when gear contains such materials. The bill encourages employers to limit firefighter work schedules to 42 hours per week, and to establish telehealth access for mental health care and suicide prevention. 



The bill also expands workplace safety requirements to include occupational disease, suicide, and fatalities, and allows penalties to be imposed on firefighter employers who fail to comply with these enhanced safety standards. 

The House companion HB 929 by Rep. Booth is waiting to be heard in its second committee stop. 

On Monday, HB 11 by Rep. Robinson passed unanimously in the House Commerce Committee, its final committee stop unanimously. This bill requires that a municipal utility that provides service to an adjacent municipality charge these extra-jurisdictional consumers the same as those within their own boundaries under specific circumstances. This requirement specifically applies when the municipal utility operates a utility plant or facility in the adjacent municipality.   



The Senate companion, SB 202 by Sen. Jones is waiting to be heard in its second committee stop.

On Tuesday, PCS for CS/HB 105 by passed (15-7) in House Commerce Committee.  

Current law requires thoroughbred permitholders to conduct live racing as a condition of hosting other parimutuel activities, such as a cardroom. This bill removes this requirement, allowing parimutuel facilities to operate other forms of wagering without live racing. The bill requires thoroughbred permitholders to provide notice before discontinuing live racing and to continue offering races for at least three years after notification, with the earliest possible end date being July 1, 2030. The bill also modifies the purse structure and breeder awards, requiring purse supplements to be distributed through the Florida Gaming Control Commission rather than industry associations.  



The Senate companion, SB 408 by Sen. Burgess, is waiting to be heard in its first committee stop. 

On Monday, CS/SB 420 by Sen. Yarborough passed (5-3) in the Senate Community Affairs Committee. The bill prohibits counties and municipalities from funding, promoting, or taking official action on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, including the adoption of related ordinances, resolutions, or programs. The bill also prohibits local governments from maintaining DEI offices or officers and bars the use of any funding—regardless of source—to support DEI-related activities. Additionally, the bill states that any local elected official violating these provisions commits misfeasance or malfeasance in office. Finally, the bill allows any person to file a lawsuit against a county or municipality for noncompliance. 



The House companion,  HB 1571 by Rep. Black has not been heard this session.  

On Monday, CS/SB 784 by Sen. Ingoglia passed unanimously in Senate Community Affairs Committee, while CS/HB 381 by Rep. Holcomb also passed unanimously in House Housing, Agriculture & Tourism Subcommittee.  

The bill requires local governments to issue the street and mailing address, along with the individual parcel identification numbers, within two weeks after a final plat is recorded by the circuit court clerk or other recording officer. The bill imposes a penalty on a local government that fails to comply with the 2-week deadline; the building permit fee is reduced by 10% for each business day the local government fails to issue the street, mailing address and parcel identification number.  

During both committees, the bills were amended as follows: 

• The Senate bill requires that plat or replat submittals be reviewed and approved by a designated representative of the local governing body within 15 days. Any non-compliance must be communicated in writing to the applicant within this period. The local governing body must make a final decision to approve, approve with conditions, or deny the submittal within 30 working days. The applicant may not request an extension, and the governing body is not allowed to request additional time. The bill also sets a 14-business-day deadline for the appropriate governing body to issue street and mailing address if the local governing body fails to adhere by this timeline an applicant may engage a private provider to generate the necessary information. Local governments must verify the submission within five business days, and if they fail to respond, the information is deemed compliant. Additionally, local governments cannot collect addressing fees if they do not meet the deadline. 
• The House bill establishes a 20-business-day deadline for local governments to complete issuance and imposes changes to the 10 % financial penalty from a building permit fee an addressing fee.

On Monday, SB 1738 by Sen. Ingoglia passed unanimously in Senate Community Affairs. The bill permits a local government to identify facilities necessary to maintain current levels of service, as opposed to facilities necessary to meet newly adopted levels of service, in the capital improvements element of the comprehensive plan. The bill allows a local government to elaborate on capital improvements in its comprehensive plan, but does not replace the adoption of a level of service for the purpose of applying concurrency to future development. 

The House companion, HB 203 by Rep. Grow has not been heard this session. 

On Tuesday, CS/CS/SB 384 by Sen. Burton passed unanimously in the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee, and on Wednesday, CS/HB 275 by Rep. Albert passed unanimously in the House Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee. The bills require municipalities seeking to annex state-owned lands to notify each member of the local legislative delegation in writing or by email before the first public hearing on the annexation proposal. 



The bills do not change the existing annexation process but add this notification requirement to increase transparency and legislative oversight when state-owned lands are involved. 

On Tuesday, HB 645 by Rep. Conerly passed unanimously in the House Natural Resources & Disasters Subcommittee. The bill grants a general permit under the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for replacing basic septic systems with a distributed wastewater treatment system (DWTS). The permittee must meet certain reporting and operational criteria as part of their permit approval. The bill also allows for installation of individual distributed wastewater treatment units (DWTUs) without further DEP action if the units and broader system are commonly owned by the same entity. Additionally, DEP must be noticed 30 days in advance of installation.   



The Senate companion, SB 796 by Sen. Bradley is waiting to be heard in its second committee.  

On Tuesday, CS/HB 733 by Rep. Anderson passed unanimously in the House Natural Resources & Disasters Subcommittee. The bill prohibits a local pollution control program from denying a “no further action” notice or site rehabilitation completion order once certain performance criteria have been met in the cleanup process. Once a completion order has been issued, the entity responsible for rehabilitation is eligible for tax credits under the state’s brownfield redevelopment program for two years following the completion order. Additionally, the bill removes local government mapping requirements for institutional controls on brownfield sites.   



The Senate companion, SB 736 by Sen. Truenow is waiting to be heard in its second committee stop.  

On Tuesday, SB 1320 unanimously passed the Senate Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government. The bill permanently reauthorizes the Resilient Florida Trust Fund within the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), preventing its scheduled sunset on July 1, 2025. The trust fund supports state and local resilience projects to address flooding, sea level rise, and other climate-related impacts. Staff supported the bill in committee as part of FAC’s guiding principles. 

On Tuesday, HB 433 by Rep. Overdorf passed (12-3) in the House Government Operations Subcommittee. Meanwhile, the Senate version, SB 108 by Sen. Grall, unanimously passed the Senate floor on Wednesday. 

The bill requires every state agency, in coordination with the joint administrative procedures committee (JAPC), to review all agency rules for statutorily delegated authority on a five-year schedule—20% per year. Additionally, the House version requires a statement of estimated regulatory costs (SERC) for all proposed/final rules, and change notices. Current law only requires a SERC for those rules or changes likely to increase regulatory costs by more than $200,000 within the first year of implementation.  

On Tuesday, CS/HB 651 by Rep. Tuck was amended and passed (14-3) the Housing, Agriculture & Tourism Subcommittee in the House. The bill as filed would have required counties to review the 10-year site plans of electric utilities and conduct a study on the site suitability of any solar projects planned on agriculture lands. This language was ultimately left out of a strike-all amendment adopted by the committee.   

The strike-all did, however, include a familiar provision preempting local governments from restricting the installation of housing for agricultural workers on land classified as agricultural. A standalone bill including this preemption passed the legislature in 2024 but was ultimately vetoed by the Governor.   

The bill does give local governments limited authority to require certain building, sanitation, and landscaping standards of such a housing facility. Such housing structures constructed before July 1, 2024, are exempt from these requirements unless the structure is changed or expanded. Housing structures are to be removed if agricultural operations cease for 365 days (following a 180-day notice period by the local government to resume operations) or if the DOH housing permit is revoked.   

The package also includes a prohibition on fluoridating public water supplies, among other provisions.  

The Senate companion SB 700 recently passed its first committee and is now in the House Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government.

On Tuesday, HB 665 by Rep. Steele passed (16-1) Housing, Agriculture & Tourism Subcommittee. The bill defines “extraordinary circumstances” as it relates to impact fee increases as having a permanent population estimate at least 1.25 times the 5-year high-series population projection by the University of Florida Bureau of Economic and Business Research (BEBR). The bill also clarifies requirements for a demonstrated-need study when increasing impact fees beyond established limitations. The bill also prohibits counties from requiring an applicant to install a work of art, pay a fee for a work of art, or reimburse the county for any costs related to a work of art as a condition of processing or issuing a development permit or development order. 



The Senate companion SB 482 by Sen. DiCeglie will be heard on Tuesday in Senate Community Affairs.   

On Tuesday, SB 1756 passed (6-2) in Senate Governmental Oversight and Accountability. The joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment to eliminate the office of Lieutenant Governor and replace it with a Commissioner of Government Efficiency, who would be a Cabinet member responsible for auditing, investigating, and reporting waste, fraud, and inefficiency in the executive branch, counties, municipalities, and special districts. The amendment also repeals the Government Efficiency Task Force and revises the gubernatorial succession process. A referendum in 2044 would determine whether to eliminate the new Commissioner position.  



The Senate companion, HB 1325 passed (17-8) in State Affairs Committee.

On Tuesday, SB 7022 passed (8-0) in Governmental Oversight and Accountability. The bill revises provisions related to the Florida Retirement System (FRS), allowing elected officers, except legislators, to remain in office while receiving Deferred Retirement Option Program (DROP) proceeds after reaching age 59 ½. Upon termination, the officer receives accumulated DROP benefits with interest. The bill also modifies employer retirement contribution rates across membership classes, including the Regular Class, Special Risk Class, Elected Officers’ Class, and Senior Management Service Class. Additionally, it requires the Division of Retirement to recoup improperly distributed DROP proceeds if an officer fails to terminate employment as required. 

On Wednesday, SB 1304 by Sen. Bradley passed unanimously in Regulated Industries.  

The bill repeals the 2021 land use preemption that made solar facilities a permitted use by right on agricultural lands. Prior to the preemption, many local governments conducted special use permitting reviews and public hearings to allow for community input on proposed solar projects. This repeal would allow such practices to resume.  

Additionally, the bill allows local governments to regulate the decommissioning of solar projects once they’ve reached the end of their useful life. A number of county commissioners spoke in support of the bill in committee.  



The House companion, HB 1595 has not yet been heard this session.

On Wednesday, CS/SB 462 by Sen. DiCeglie passed (6-3)  in Senate Transportation. During committee, a strike all amendment was adopted making the following changes to the bill: 



• Revises the monthly distribution of sales tax revenues to the STTF to $4.167 million. 
• Increases maximum allowable highway speed limits on certain highways by 5 miles per hour. 
• Authorizes public-use airports to participate in the FAA’s Airport Investment Partnership Program and to contract with a private partner to operate the airport under lease or agreement. 
• Makes airports operating under public-private partnership agreements eligible for certain aviation-related funding. 
• Revises the membership of the board for the Center for Urban Transportation Research at the University of South Florida. 
• Revises provisions regarding the FDOT’s requirements if it receives bids outside of its criteria to automatically award the bid. 
• Requires the utility owner to pay actual, instead of reasonable, damages and costs associated with its failure or refusal to timely relocate utilities. 
• Authorizes FDOT to reimburse the utility owner for a portion of its utility relocation costs if certain conditions are met. 
• Authorizes FDOT to withhold amounts due to a utility owner or withhold the issuance of new permits to the utility owner in the same FDOT district where the utility relocation is located, if the utility owner is not meeting certain obligations. 
• Provides that the members of FDOT’s mediation boards are compensated for their services. 
• Revises provisions relating to MPOs, including requiring the exchange of best practices, and accountability and transparency requirements, and the repeal of the MPOAC. 
• Clarifies the scope of FDOT’s report on the widening of I-4. 

The House companion HB 1397 by Rep. Abbot has not yet been heard this session.

On Wednesday, CS/CS/CS/SB 88 by Sen. Wright passed (22-3) in Senate Rules. The Bill Establishes a definition of utility terrain vehicle (UTV) and provides county and municipal road regulations. The bill allows UTVs to operate at all hours but a UTV may only be operated on designated two-lane county roads or two-lane municipal streets in which the posted speed limit is less than 55 miles per hour. Before making such designation, the responsible county or municipality must first determine that a UTV may safely travel on or cross the public road or street, considering factors including speed, volume, and character of motor vehicle traffic using the road or street. The bill also allows a county or municipality to enact an ordinance regarding UTV operation and equipment, which is more restrictive than the requirements set forth in the statute. A county or municipality may also prohibit the use of UTVs on any road under its jurisdiction if the governing body of such county or municipality determines that such prohibition is necessary in the interest of safety. During the committee, an amendment was adopted that clarifies that UTVs are subject to motor vehicle insurance requirements and that a person must maintain the registration certificate or a copy of the registration in the UTV. 

The House companion, HB 221 by Gentry has not yet been heard this session.

On Wednesday, SB 7006 by the Senate Regulated Industries unanimously passed Senate Rules and it now heads to the Senate floor. The bill expands existing public records and meetings exemptions for 911, E911, and public safety radio communication systems to include Next Generation 911 (NG911) systems. It exempts from public disclosure building plans, blueprints, and diagrams depicting the structural elements of these systems, as well as geographic maps showing actual or proposed locations of communication infrastructure. It also extends exemptions for government meetings where such sensitive information is discussed. These exemptions, previously set to expire in 2025, are now extended to October 2, 2030. 

On Monday, CS/SB 1134 by Sen. Calatayud passed (7-1) Senate Community Affairs Committee. The bill allows private providers to perform “single-trade plans review,” an analogous concept to single-trade inspections provided for in current law, authorizing private provider plans review for single construction trades such as plumbing, mechanical, or electrical. Single-trade plans review can be conducted using an automated or software-based system and qualifies for expedited permit processing, from 20 days to five, for single-family and two-family dwellings. 

The bill also expands the universe of valid trade work for which private providers can perform inspections and now plans review, to include solar energy and energy storage installations or alterations, and specifically allows private providers to conduct single-trade inspections virtually. 

The House companion, CS/HB 1071 by Rep. Benarroch passed unanimously House Industries & Professional Activities Subcommittee on Wednesday. An amendment was adopted during the committee Provided that if an automated or software-based plans review program is used for a single-trade plans review, such program must be familiar with the Florida Building Code and any local amendments. 

On Wednesday, CS/HB 577 unanimously passes House Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee. The bill requires counties to establish a separate maximum rate for the removal and storage of electric vehicles that may be up to three times greater than the rates established by that county for the removal or storage of gasoline or diesel vehicles. The bill also authorizes wrecker operators to charge actual costs, plus a 10 percent surcharge, for the cleanup of an accident scene involving an electric vehicle. During the committee meeting, an amendment was adopted that Increased the maximum surcharge a wrecker operator may charge for the cleanup of an electric vehicle accident from 10 percent to 15 percent. 

The Senate companion’ CS/SB 872 will be heard in its second committee stop Senate Community Affairs on Tuesday.    

On Wednesday, CS/HB 1523 by Rep. Busatta unanimously passed in House Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee. The bill limits municipal water and sewer utilities from charging more than 25% above in-city rates to customers located outside municipal boundaries and restricts municipalities from transferring more than 10% of gross revenues from out-of-boundary utility customers to fund non-utility government functions. Any remaining revenues must be reinvested in the utility or returned to those customers. 



Additionally, the bill requires joint public meetings between municipalities and affected jurisdictions prior to entering into or amending agreements to provide utility service outside city limits. The bill also expands existing state preemption laws by prohibiting counties, municipalities, and special districts from restricting fuel types or appliances (e.g., gas stoves) used by utilities or in homes. 

The Senate companion, SB 1704 has not yet been heard this session.