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The 2025 Legislative Session rolled along to its fifth week! A number of bills of significance to municipalities were heard and voted on this week. On Tap @ the Cap, sent every Friday during session, is your weekly source for updates on key legislation, helping you stay informed and engaged. To see the full list of bills impacting cities, view FLC’s Legislative Bill Summaries.
đź“ž FLC members can join the weekly Monday Morning Call-Ins that began March 3 to get the latest information on priority issues and all things advocacy-related during legislative session. Learn More
FLC members, please remember to fill out the CityStats Survey that has been distributed.
This week’s On Tap will say that a number of bills are on a “Special Order Calendar” for the bills’ respective Legislative chamber. That means those bills are on the agenda to be heard on the floor for a Special Order Calendar’s respective chamber. Bills heard on the floor will be voted on by the entirety of that chamber’s body. Once a bill is heard and voted for by the entirety of both chambers, the House and the Senate, the bill will be sent to the Governor, where the bill will either be signed or vetoed by the Governor. With that in mind, let’s begin.
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Committee Weeks Wrapping Up
Week 5 and Week 6 will be the final weeks some committees and subcommittees would have met or will meet. Seeing as there is a large volume of bills referred to those committees and subcommittees, many bills were placed on agendas in order to ensure the bills stay alive through the second half of session. Therefore, this On Tap, similar to last week’s On Tap, will be lengthier than most so far this session.
Budget Proposals
The House and the Senate both released their proposed 2025-2026 Fiscal Year budgets this week. The chambers are about $4.4 billion apart with their initial proposals, with the House proposing $112.95 billion and the Senate proposing $117.36 billion. Negotiations between the chambers are underway and should be watched as we roll on in session.
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Stay Ready
As we are barreling closer to the finish line that is Sine Die, it is paramount that we all continue to stay as informed and energized as we have been from Day 1. Keep your devices close and accessible because it is important to be able to quickly respond to alerts and information that we will be sharing. We need all of us in order to ensure a successful Legislative Session. Please continue the hard work and dedication you have shown!
| The following is a brief recap of the key bills heard during the Week 5 of session. | |
Community Redevelopment Agencies (Oppose)
CS/HB 991 (Giallombardo) and SB 1242 (McClain) require all community redevelopment agencies (CRAs) in existence as of July 1, 2025, to terminate by the earliest charter expiration date or by September 30, 2045. The bills prohibit CRAs from initiating new projects or issuing new debt after October 1, 2025, and prohibit the creation of any new CRAs after July 1, 2025.
CS/HB 991 is waiting to be heard in its last committee of reference, the House Commerce Committee. SB 1242 was heard Tuesday in the Senate Judiciary Committee and passed on an 8-3 vote. (Cruz)
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Stormwater Management Systems (Oppose)
CS/CS/SB 810 (Burgess) mandates annual inspection of known stormwater works under normal and customary control of the municipality by June 1 of each year, beginning in 2026. The bill was heard Wednesday in the Senate Fiscal Policy Committee and passed on a 15-2 vote. (Singer)
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Homestead Exemptions and Assessment Limitations (Oppose)
CS/HJR 1257 (Busatta) proposes a constitutional amendment to extend homestead exemption benefits and assessment limitations to additional properties owned by homestead property owners that are leased for terms of six months or more to other persons. CS/HB 1259 (Busatta) implements CS/HJR 1257. Both bills were heard in the House Housing, Agriculture & Tourism Subcommittee on Tuesday and passed on a 9-4 vote. (Chapman)
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State Sales Tax Rate Reductions (Monitor)
HB 7031 (Duggan) reduces the general rate of state sales tax, currently at 6%, by 0.75%. The bill also reduces other sales tax rates by the same 0.75%, including the commercial rent tax, the rate on electricity, the rate on sales of new mobile homes, and the rate on coin-operated amusement machines. The bill was heard in the House Ways & Means Committee on Wednesday and passed on a 19-0 vote. (Chapman)
HB 7031 is on the House Special Order Calendar for Wednesday, April 9. This bill is liable to be amended in ways that could impact cities. It is important to monitor this bill as session continues.
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Synthetic Turf (Oppose)
CS/CS/HB 683 (Griffitts) and CS/SB 712 (Grall) prohibit local governments from regulating synthetic turf installed in single-family residential areas one acre or less in size or enforcing any rules that prevent property owners from installing synthetic turf. CS/CS/HB 683 is waiting to be heard in its second of three committee stops, the House Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee. (Singer)
CS/SB 712 was heard Monday in the Senate Community Affairs Committee and passed on an 8-0 vote. The bill was amended in Community Affairs to address many of the concerns regarding synthetic turf regulation. However, the League is continuing to work with the bill sponsor regarding other provisions of the bill that could be harmful to cities.
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Emergency Preparedness and Response (Monitor)
CS/CS/SB 180 (DiCeglie) is a comprehensive bill revising Florida’s emergency preparedness and response infrastructure. Of note to municipalities, the bill revises several disaster recovery procedures and expands training requirements for municipal emergency officials. On Wednesday, CS/CS/SB 180 was heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee and passed on a 15-2 vote. (Singer)
CS/CS/SB 810 is on the Senate Special Order Calendar for Wednesday, April 9.
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Recovery Residences (Oppose)
CS/HB 1163 (Owen) and CS/SB 954 (Gruters) update requirements for recovery residences and their administration. Specifically, the bills require cities to allow the establishment of a recovery residence in all districts zoned for multi-family use, without any additional requirements. The Senate companion was heard Monday in the Senate Community Affairs Committee and passed on a 6-2 vote. The House bill was heard Tuesday in the House Human Services Subcommittee and passed on a 12-5 vote. (Wagoner)
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Affordable Housing (Monitor)
CS/SB 1730 (Calatayud) revises a myriad of land use policy provisions within the Live Local Act, including provisions relating to zoning eligibility and restrictions on height, density, and non-residential use. The bill was heard on Monday in the Senate Community Affairs Committee and passed on an 8-0 vote. (O’Hara)
CS/SB 1730 will be heard next Tuesday, April 8, in the Senate Rules Committee.
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Private Providers/Alternative Plans Review and Inspections (Monitor)
CS/CS/HB 1071 (Benarroch) revises current law relating to alternative plans review and inspections pursuant to law. The bill requires a local building official to issue a requested permit to a private provider for single-trade plans review for single-family or two-family dwellings no more no more than five days after receipt of the permit application.
CS/CS/HB 1071 was heard in the House Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee on Tuesday and passed on a 16-0 vote. The bill was amended to reduce the permit issuance timeframe from five days to two business days. (O’Hara)
| The following are bills that will take center stage during Week 6 of session. | |
Sovereign Immunity
HB 301 (McFarland) and SB 1570 (DiCeglie) increase the statutory limits on liability for tort claims against the state and its agencies and subdivisions (which include cities). The bills increase the current caps to $1 million per person and $3 million per incident. (Cruz)
HB 301 will be heard Tuesday, April 8, at 8 a.m., in the House Judiciary Committee, and we need your help!
📢 Please contact members of the House Judiciary Committee (click here for contact information) to inform the members of the committee of the dangers the bill presents to cities and respectfully ask the committee members to oppose the bill.
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Utility Relocation (Oppose)
HB 703 (Robinson, W. ) and CS/SB 818 (McClain) would require cities to pay the full cost of relocating broadband, cable, and video service infrastructure in the public right-of-way when they initiate a public works project, even though the infrastructure is privately owned by telecommunications companies. The bills also set the timeline for all utility owners to begin relocation work after receiving notice that their facilities are interfering with public road or rail projects. (Singer)
HB 703 will be heard Monday, April 7, at 3 p.m., in the House Commerce Committee, and we need your help!
📢 Please contact members of the House Commerce Committee (click here for contact information) and let them know that this bill would unfairly shift private business costs onto local taxpayers, forcing cities to subsidize the operations of broadband and cable providers.
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Unlawful Demolition of Historical Buildings and Structures (Support)
HB 717 (Greco) and SB 582 (Leek) authorize municipalities to impose an enhanced fine for the unauthorized demolition of a structure listed on the National Register of Historic Places or designated as a local historic landmark if the code enforcement board or special magistrate makes specific findings. HB 717 has been heard in all of its committees of reference and is waiting to be placed on the House Special Order Calendar so it can be heard on the House Floor. (Cruz)
SB 582 is on the Senate Special Order Calendar for Wednesday, April 9.
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Government Administration (Monitor)
HB 5009 (Budget Committee) is a conforming bill to this year’s House budget that significantly strengthens and increases the Legislature’s authority to investigate the operations, performance, and financial management of all governmental entities in the state. (Wagoner)
HB 5009 is on the House Special Order Calendar for Wednesday, April 9.
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Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (Oppose)
CS/CS/HB 651 (Tuck) and CS/CS/SB 700 (Truenow) are comprehensive Florida Department of Agricultural and Consumer Services-backed bills addressing agricultural land use, electric utility planning, EV charging station permitting, mosquito control, firearm regulation preemption, agricultural education facility protections, and legally verified agricultural worker housing, with provisions enhancing coordination between state and local governments and expanding DACS' oversight and enforcement authority. CS/CS/HB 651 has been heard in three of its four committees of reference and is waiting to be heard in its final committee, the House Commerce Committee. (Singer)
CS/CS/SB 700 will be heard on Tuesday, April 8, at 2 p.m. in the Senate Fiscal Policy Committee.
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