AFFORDABLE HOUSING
  by Dee Carper
State Housing Initiative Partnership (SHIP) Program
HB 699 (Aubuchon) remains on third reading on the House calendar. However, the substantive language of the bill was amended to ...


BUDGET UPDATE
  by Dee Carper
House and Senate leaders continue to debate over ways to cut more than $4 billion in state spending. Some of the biggest differences remain over more than $1 billion in cuts to health and human services. One sticking point is a ...


BUILDING CODES
  by Tim Stanfield
Building Code Standards
SB 560 (Constantine) was read twice on the Senate floor this week. The bill provides discretionary power to the Florida Building Commission to implement recommendations regarding cost-effective, energy-efficiency standards for ...


ENERGY
  by Tim Stanfield
Energy – Preemption
SB 1544 (Saunders) was passed by the Senate this week. The bill provides a multitude of incentives for the sale, use, and production of renewable fuel sources, and imposes requirements for the implementation of “green” construction standards ...


ENVIRONMENTAL
  by Scott Dudley
Fertilizer—Preemption/Mandate
HB 1267 (Nelson/McKeel) and SB 2352 (Aronberg/Baker) address the use of consumer fertilizers. Both bills require local governments to adopt the model ordinance recommended by the Consumer Fertilizer Task Force if the local government is planning to regulate consumer ...


FINANCE AND TAXATION
  by Rebecca O'Hara
Discretionary Sales Surtax -- Preemption
SB 2298 (Fasano) and HB 891 (Vana) authorize certain counties to levy by ordinance a 1% surtax for emergency fire rescue services and facilities, effective upon voter approval. The bills provide the governing authority of such county would be designated as the “regional service provider” for emergency ...


GENERAL GOVERNMENT
  by Various
Budget Transparency/Reserve Restrictions – Unfunded Mandate
CS/HB 7123 (Grant) by the House Government Efficiency and Accountability Council seeks to restrict unreserved undesignated fund balances to not more than 20% of operating revenues or ...


GROWTH MANAGEMENT
  by Tim Stanfield
Growth Management – Unfunded Mandate and Preemption
SB 474 (Garcia) was passed by the Transportation Committee April 22. The bill includes a provision that would prohibit local governing bodies in municipalities with populations of over 5000 from acting as the local land planning agency. ...


PERSONNEL
  by Kraig Conn
Workplace Safety Study
CS/CS/SB 652 (Lynn) and CS/CS/HB 967 (A. Gibson) establish a 15-member task force to review and recommend safety standards for government employees. The task force is ...


PROPERTY RIGHTS
  by Stephanie Usina
Property Rights- Preemption
HB 881 (Precourt) and SB 1578 (Baker) revise the Bert J. Harris, Jr., Private Property Rights Protection Act. The changes would shorten the time frame for local governments to make settlement offers and lengthen ...


TRANSPORTATION
  by Scott Dudley
Driving Under the Influence/ High Occupancy Vehicle Lanes
SB 1992 (Baker) and HB 1329 (Glorioso) amend numerous provisions relating to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV). The bills address DUI penalties, high occupancy vehicle lanes, penalties for drag racing ...