BILL SUMMARY DETAILS

SB 40 (Stewart) – Review of Employment Contracts

HB 175 (Benjamin) and SB 984 (Rouson) – Judgement Liens

SB 1166 (DiCeglie) and HB 1183 (Barnaby) – Main Street Historical Tourism and Revitalization Act

HB 1143 (Dunkley) and SB 1508 (Wright) – 911 Public Safety Telecommunicators

HB 1471 (Black) and SB 1746 (Ingoglia) – Public Employees

HB 15 (Rudman) – Contracts for Live Entertainment

HJR 335 (Roth) – Requiring Broader Public Support for Constitutional Amendments or Revisions

HB 217 (Mooney) and SB 222 (Rodriguez) – College Campus Facilities in Areas of Critical State Concern

HB 939 (Griffitts) and SB 1066 (Burton) – Consumer Protection

HB 1625 (Beltran) – Procedures of the Legislature

HB 1527 (Joseph) – Immigration and State-issued Identification

SB 1598 (Torres) – Immigration and Immigrants

HB 109 (Andrade) and SB 246 (Harrell) – Conversion Charter Schools

HB 275 (Canady) and SB 340 (Yarborough) – Intentional Damage to Critical Infrastructure

SB 674 (Boyd) and HB 779 (Griffitts) – United States-produced Iron and Steel in Public Works Projects

SB 706 (Rodriguez) and HB 719 (Lopez) – Residential Swimming Pool Requirements

HB 1021 (Lopez, V.) and SB 1178 (Bradley) – Community Associations

HB 1421 (Fine) and SB 1700 (DiCeglie) – Independent Hospital Districts

HB 1623 (Beltran) – Emergencies 

HB 35 (Rudman) and SB 106 (Jones) – Acceptance of Cash Payments by Businesses

HB 141 (Abbott) and SB 196 (Simon) – Regional Rural Development Grants Program

HB 173 (Daniels) – Not-for-profit Corporations that Operate Residential Homeowners' Associations

HB 177 (Andrade) and SB 204 (Brodeur) – Competition for the Sale of Event Tickets

SB 482 (Berman) – Amblyopia Awareness Month

HB 495 (Woodson) – Prohibition of Smoking and Vaping in State Parks

HB 633 (Berfield) – Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Awareness and Assistance Training Program

SB 682 (DiCeglie) and HB 487 (Chaney) – Lost or Abandoned Property

SB 870 (Boyd) and HB 781 (Clemons) – Unsolicited Proposals for Public-private Partnerships

HB 873 (Payne) and SB 1156 (Collins) – Dangerous Dogs

HB 901 (Borrero) and SB 1120 (Martin) – Display of Flags by Governmental Entities

HB 1033 (Killebrew) and SB 1478 (Yarborough) – Animals

HB 1053 (Amesty) – Location of Medical Marijuana Centers, Retail Vape Shops, and On-premises Consumption of Alcohol

SB 1180 (Harrell) and HB 1065 (Caruso) – Substance Abuse Treatment

SB 1206 (Martin) – Live Performances

HB 1459 (McFarland) and SB 1680 (Bradley) – Artificial Intelligence Transparency 

HB 1583 (Steele) and SB 1636 (Gruters) – Substance Use Disorder Treatment Services 

HB 1659 (Botana) – Location of Equipment Owned by Amusement Business Owner

HB 7003 (Ethics, Elections & Open Government Subcommittee, Holcomb) – OGSR/Preregistered Voters

HB 7005 (Ethics, Elections & Open Government Subcommittee, Holcomb) – GSR/Financial Disclosure

HB 7007 (Ethics, Elections & Open Government Subcommittee, Holcomb) – OGSR/Campus Emergency Response

SB 7030 (Governmental Oversight and Accountability) and HB 7043 (Ethics, Elections & Open Government Subcommittee) – OGSR/Agency Personnel Information

HB 661 (Caruso) and CS/SB 332 (Burgess) require counties to establish maximum rates that may be charged for the storage of electric vehicles. Wrecker operators are also permitted to charge fair and reasonable costs, plus 10% for cleanup and disposal of hazardous materials or debris. If the vehicle is stored at a wrecker facility for more than 30 days, the entity that requested the storage is financially liable to the wrecker facility. Whenever a local government entity authorizes the removal of a vehicle, the local government entity is required to notify the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. CS/SB 332 requires municipalities to establish maximum rates that may be charged by wrecker operators for the storage of electric vehicles. Additionally, the bill requires the “governmental entity” to contact the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles within 24 hours, providing a full description of the vehicle or vessel. (Wagoner)

CS/CS/HB 433 (Esposito) and CS/SB 1492 (Trumbull) preempt the regulation of heat exposure requirements to the state. The bills prohibit local governments from providing preference for contractors on the basis of employment benefits offered by the contractor. The bills provide that starting September 30, 2026, a political subdivision cannot require a minimum wage for certain employees under the terms of a contract. CS/CS/HB 433 passed the House (74-36) and the Senate (24-15) and is awaiting action by the Governor. (Wagoner)

CS/CS/HB 179 (Bell) and CS/CS/SB 774 (Perry) make changes related to towing-storage operator practices, including allowable fees, payment, lien requirements, sale of unclaimed vehicles, and record retention. Specifically, the bill does the following:

•Reduce the timeframe in which a towing-storage operator must send the notice of lien from seven to five business days and reduce storage charges that may be charged if a lienor fails to provide this notice.

•Provide that a towing-storage operator may only charge certain fees.

•Require towing-storage operators to accept specified forms of payment.

•Increase the timeframe an unclaimed vehicle or vessel three years of age or newer may be sold by a lienor from 50 days to 57 days from the storage date and requires the notice of lien must not be sent less than 52 days before the sale.

•Increase the timeframe for the public notice requirement related to sale on an unclaimed vehicle by a towing-storage operator from ten days to twenty days before the sale.

•Require a towing-storage operator to make a towed vehicle available for inspection during normal business hours within one hour after arrival at a storage facility.

•Require a towing-storage operator to accept electronic titles as well as paper titles as evidence of a person’s interest in a vehicle or vessel. 

•Require a towing-storage operator to retain records of all vehicles and vessels recovered, towed or stored; all notice publications and certified mailings; and fees for at least three years.

•Provide that foreclosing a storage lien on a vehicle or vessel must be through the process as opposed to the warehouse lien and landlord and tenant statutes. 

•Create notice and bond requirements for foreclosure of storage liens on vehicles or vessels held by self-storage facilities. 

•Provide that counties and cities that have established maximum rates for what can be charged for cleanup and disposal must ensure that those rates are published on its website. In areas where no maximum rates have been established, the maximum rates established by the Division of Florida Highway Patrol will apply. 

•SB 202 (Rodriguez) preempts counties and cities from imposing any regulations upon a towing-storage operator more stringent than those within this legislation. 

CS/CS/HB 179 passed the House (115-0) and the Senate (33-0) and is awaiting action by the Governor. (Wagoner)

CS/CS/HB 7013 (Persons-Mulicka) and CS/SB 1058 (Hutson) are comprehensive bills dealing with special districts. Of interest to cities, the bills do the following:

•Establish a term limit of 12 years for members of an elected body governing an independent special district, unless the district’s charter provides for more restrictive terms of office. Any term of office that commenced before November 5, 2024, does not count toward the limitation created by the bill. This provision does not apply to the governing body of a community development district or any independent special district created by a special act.

•Add additional criteria for declaring a special district inactive, including Community Redevelopment Agencies (CRA’s).

•Authorize districts that have been declared inactive to expend funds as necessary to service outstanding debt.

•Reduce the maximum ad valorem millage rate that may be levied by a mosquito control district from 10 mills to 1 mill.

•Allow the board of commissioners to increase the special tax to no more than 2 mills on the dollar if approved by a referdendum.

•Require all special districts to adopt goals and objectives, as well as performance measures and standards to determine if those goals and objectives are being achieved. 

•Repeal a provision that allows a special district to convert into a municipality without legislative approval.

•Require each petition to create a community development district to contain a sworn affidavit concerning planned development. 

•Provides that the boundaries of most types of independent special districts may only be changed by an act of the Legislature.

•Require independent special fire control districts to report certain information to the Division of State Fire Marshal. 

•Prohibit the creation of new neighborhood improvement districts (NIDs) after July 1, 2024. (Branch)

SJR 582 (Ingoglia) proposes a constitutional amendment to the State Constitution to prohibit the state, a county, a municipality or any other political subdivision from paying reparations to an individual who is a descendant of an enslaved individual who lived in the United States before December 6, 1865. (Cruz)

HB 421 (Gossett-Seidman) and SB 572 (Rodriguez) require local governments and other entities to make best efforts to provide advance notice to the entity or person who installed a traffic-related roadside memorial commemorating a deceased person before altering, dismantling, destroying or removing it. (Wagoner)

SB 166 (Polsky) creates the Medical Marijuana Public Employee Protection Act. The bill would prohibit a public employer from taking adverse personnel actions against an employee or job applicant who is a qualified patient for their use of medical marijuana unless that use is impairing the employee's ability to perform their job duties or responsibilities. (Chapman)

CS/HB 395 (Black) and CS/SB 1122 (Martin) prohibit a local government from removing historical monuments and memorials. A local government may only relocate a historical monument in certain circumstances. The bills provide that any person or entity that damages, defaces, destroys or removes an existing monument or memorial will be civilly liable for the costs to return, repair or replace the monument or memorial unless the person was authorized, or the entity was the owner. The bills limit the effects of the bill to monuments and memorials located on public property that have been displayed for at least 25 years and applied the provisions on a prospective basis. CS/SB 1122 was amended to add a severability clause that provides that if a court finds a portion of the underlying law is ruled unconstitutional, the overall law will remain intact. CS/SB 1122 also moves back the date of application to protect a monument that was removed to July 1, 2018. (Wagoner)

CS/CS/SB 888 (Perry) and CS/CS/HB 621 (Steele) provide residential property owners an alternative remedy to remove unauthorized persons, such as a squatter, from a residential dwelling. The residential property owners may request the sheriff immediately remove unlawful occupants under specific circumstances. CS/CS/HB 621 passed the House (108-0) and the Senate (39-0) and is awaiting action by the Governor. (Cruz)

CS/CS/HB 271 (Lopez, V.) and CS/CS/SB 388 (Garcia) make several changes to the regulation of private parking lot operations. Of interest to cities, the bills require owners or operators of private property used for parking to place signage where it is clearly visible to people entering the parking lot. The bills provide that the signage may be regulated by the local government where the property is located. CS/CS/HB 271 passed the House (113-0) and the Senate (40-0) and is awaiting action by the Governor. (Branch)

CS/SB 496 (Perry) and CS/HB 535 (Snyder) expand the criteria for the installation of low-voltage electric fences in areas not considered to be zoned exclusively for single-family or multifamily residential use if the area is within more than one zoning category. Of concern to local government, the bills prohibit the regulation of low-voltage alarms in any manner that is more restrictive than state law. CS/HB 535 passed the House (119-0) and the Senate (40-0) and is awaiting action by the Governor. (Branch)

SB 648 (DiCeglie) and HB 377 (Borrero) allow a person who holds a valid vehicle-for-hire license or permit from any city or county the ability to operate a vehicle for hire in another city or county without being subject to additional licensing or permitting requirements. This preemption would not apply to transportation services to and from airports or seaports. HB 377 passed the House (118-1) and the Senate (38-0) and is awaiting action by the Governor. (Branch)

SB 1094 (Martin) specifies that beginning July 1, 2024, the Department of Health must get approval from the Legislature before adding any new vaccines for school attendance. The bill also prohibits the department, state agencies, local governments and political subdivisions from participating in or employing any digital health identification registry or similar mechanism for tracking the health data of residents without prior approval from the Legislature. The bill also introduces a way for people to claim an exemption from vaccination if an FDA-approved vaccine is not available, allowing individuals to make this claim for themselves or their dependents without facing additional conditions from employers or other entities. The bill prohibits certain mandatory vaccination policies during public health emergencies without legislative approval. (Branch)

SB 1174 (Ingoglia) and HB 1451 (Michael) prohibit a local government from accepting as identification any identification card or document that is issued by any person, entity or organization that knowingly issues the identification cards or documents to individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States. This prohibition does not extend to any documentation that is issued by or on behalf of the Federal Government. HB 1451 passed the House (81-32) and the Senate (28-9) and is awaiting action by the Governor. (Wagoner)

CS/CS/HB 189 (Salzman) and CS/CS/SB 1046 (Martin) are comprehensive bills dealing with gaming. Of concern to cities, the bills preempt local governments from enacting or enforcing ordinances or local rules relating to gaming, gambling, lotteries or any activities described in Section 546.10 or Chapter 849, Florida Statutes. There was an amendment added to CS/CS/SB 1046 that increased the clarity for when an establishment is required to cease and desist gaming operations in violation of the law. (Wagoner)

CS/HB 1099 (Melo) and CS/SB 676 (Bradley) are comprehensive food delivery platform bills. Of concern to cities, the bills expressly preempt the regulation of the food delivery platforms to the state. A food delivery platform is defined in the bills as a third-party company that picks up food from restaurants to deliver to consumers. CS/SB 676 passed the Senate (39-0) and the House (112-0) and is awaiting action by the Governor. (Branch)

CS/CS/CS/SB 996 (Burgess) and CS/CS/HB 1285 (Canady) make several changes to Florida’s K-12 public schools and postsecondary institutions. Of concern to cities, the bills were amended to enable private schools to establish new campuses in existing facilities like churches or theaters, bypassing local zoning regulations and traffic management requirements. The bills seek to prevent cities and counties from holding public meetings to approve rezoning these facilities for educational use and from requiring private schools to mitigate traffic impacts. As a consequence, residents near these new schools would lack the opportunity to voice concerns or influence the location of new private schools. CS/CS/HB 1285 passed the House (84-35) and the Senate (84-29) and is awaiting action by the Governor. (Branch)

CS/CS/HB 1419 (Tuck) and CS/CS/SB 1420 (Burgess) are comprehensive bills that amend requirements for comprehensive plan amendments and revise the roles of the Florida Department of Commerce (formerly Department of Economic Opportunity). The bills mandate that local governments hold a second public hearing to decide whether to adopt comprehensive plan amendments within 180 days after receiving agency comments. Failure to hold this hearing and adopt the amendments within this timeframe will result in the amendments being deemed withdrawn, unless an extension is agreed upon with the state land planning agency and any affected person who provided comments. The bills require local governments to transmit all adopted amendments, along with supporting data and analysis, to the state land planning agency and any other agency or local government that provided timely comments within 10 working days after the final adoption hearing. If the local government does not meet this 10-working-day deadline, the amendments will be deemed withdrawn. Both bills have been amended to extend the repayment period of the Local Government Emergency Revolving Bridge Loan Program, and any existing loans executed before February 1, 2024, from 5 to 10 years. CS/CS/SB 1420 was amended on the Senate floor to include a provision prohibiting citizen-led county charter amendments not in effect by January 1, 2024, from preempting any city development order, land development regulation, a comprehensive plan or voluntary annexation. CS/CS/SB 1420 passed the Senate (38-1) and the House (104-9) and is awaiting action by the Governor. (Cruz)

HB 459 (Rudman) and SB 402 (Yarborough) revise the criteria of the State Health Officer extending a statewide public health emergency to require approval by a two-thirds majority vote of the Legislature. HB 459 prohibits the State Health Officer from issuing a blanket closure on government buildings and services, churches and altering election procedures and protocols. However, any action that will affect an entire group must be authorized on a case-by-case basis, with each case being afforded all rights of due process. (Branch)