BILL SUMMARY DETAILS

HB 7009 (Committee on Public Integrity & Ethics) and SB 7006 (Ethics and Elections Committee) reenact provisions of the Florida Code of Ethics for Public Officers and Employees that provide penalties for violations of the statute. Re-enactment of the provision will make the statutory penalties applicable to amendments to the Florida Constitution by Amendment 12 adopted in the 2019 general election, which prohibits a public officer or public employee from abusing her or her public office to obtain a disproportionate benefit. (O’Hara)

SB 442 (Rader) requires a universal primary to be held to select candidates for any state office, U.S. representative or senator, or any county, municipal or district office. The bill requires all candidates to appear on a single ballot. The two candidates receiving the highest and next highest number of votes for that office would advance to the general election, regardless of party affiliation. The bill permits all qualified electors, regardless of party affiliation, to vote in the primary election. (O’Hara)

CS/SB 1490 (Bradley) and HB 1435 (Williamson) authorize specified reporting individuals or procurement employees as defined in the Code of Ethics (but not including any elected officer) to accept gifts or compensation to be used toward costs incurred due to serious bodily injury or disease of the individual or child of such person. The bills authorize any legislative or executive branch lobbyist or principal to make, and an employee of the legislative or executive branch to accept, expenditures for donations toward care and treatment of a serious bodily injury or illness of the employee or child of the employee. (O’Hara)

SB 768 (Perry) is linked to SB 766 (Perry). SB 768 establishes a statewide local government lobbyist registration fee. It provides the fee may not exceed $40 for each principal represented for one county and governmental entities therein or exceed $5 for each principal represented for each additional county and governmental entities therein. The bill prohibits a local government from charging a fee for the registration of lobbyists or principals, or for the enforcement of lobbyist regulation except as may be reasonable and necessary to cover the cost of such enforcement. Enforcement fees may be charged only if enforcement action is initiated and are limited to the direct and actual cost of the enforcement action. (O’Hara)

CS/SB 1372 (Brandes) makes technical, election administration changes recommended by the Florida State Supervisors of Elections Association for the 2020 general election cycle. The bill was amended to expressly preempt a local government from enacting or imposing any limitation on contributions to a political committee or electioneering communications organization, or limitations on any expenditures for an electioneering organization or an independent expenditure. (O’Hara)

SB 766 (Perry) and HB 611 (Sabatini) impose mandatory lobbyist registration requirements on all governmental entities as defined in the bill, including all municipalities and counties. The bills also amend statutory meeting notice requirements for cities and counties.

The bills require the Florida Commission on Ethics to create the Local Government Lobbyist Registration System, and beginning October 2020, any local government lobbyist registration ordinance or requirement is preempted by the state system. The bills define lobbying, provide exceptions and specify activities that do not constitute lobbying.

A person may not lobby a government entity (which includes any municipality or county) until the person has electronically registered as a lobbyist with the commission. The bills appear to prohibit separate registration fees for each municipality in a county, as they authorize separate registration submissions for each county and prohibits additional fees for governmental entities within each county. The bills specify information to be included in the lobbyist registration. Registration is renewable annually and must include authorization from each principal identified. HB 611 directs the Commission on Ethics to set the annual lobbying registration fee by rule but provides the fee shall not exceed $20 for each principal represented within a county and governmental entities therein and that it may not exceed $5 for each additional principal represented. Registration fee limits and penalty amounts are addressed in a separate Senate bill, SB 768 (Perry).
 

The bills require the commission to publish lobbyist registration information on the internet. It requires a governmental entity to make reasonable efforts to ascertain whether a person who lobbies that entity is registered with the commission. Upon discovery of a violation of requirements of these provisions, the bill authorizes a person or governmental entity to file a complaint with the commission. If probable cause is found, a person may be subject to reprimand, censure, assessment of a civil penalty not to exceed $500 per violation or suspension from lobbying for a specified period. HB 611 authorizes governmental entities to impose additional civil penalties not to exceed $500 per violation or a suspension from lobbying the entity for up to two years.

The bills prohibit a governmental entity from requiring classes, certifications or additional requirements as a requisite for lobbyist registration. They authorize a governmental entity to require lobbyist compensation reporting and disclosure of lobbyist contacts with government officials and authorizes restrictions on the exchange of money or things of value between lobbyists and government officials.
 

By January 2021, a governmental entity shall notify the commission of any local requirement that imposes additional or more stringent obligations with respect to lobbyist compensation reporting or other lobbying activities and provide this information and any associated forms to the commission. By January 2022, each governmental entity shall conform its lobbyist regulation system, if any, to the commission’s system to eliminate duplicative requirements. The bill authorizes the commission to adopt rules to implement its provisions.

Lastly, the bills amend statutory meeting notice requirements for municipalities and counties. Except in the case of emergency meetings, the governing body of a municipality or governing board of a county must provide notice of any meeting of the body or board at least seven days in advance by posting a notice on body or board’s website. The meeting notice must include a statement of the general subject matter to be considered by the body or board. (O’Hara)

SB 264 (Farmer) – Strategic Fuel Reserve 

SB 402 (Harrell) and HB 767 (Grant, M.) – Assisted Living Facilities

SB 1272 (Montford) – Statewide Emergency Shelter Task Force

SB 752 (Bean) and HB 705 (Killebrew) – Emergency Sheltering of Persons with Pets

CS/SB 538 (Diaz) and CS/HB 865 (Rodriguez, Anthony) require a municipality or county to report certain emergency incidents to the State Watch Office within the Division of Emergency Management as soon as practicable following the initial response of the local government. The DEM will be required to notify county and municipal emergency mangers, the speaker of the House of Representatives and the president of the Senate when the list of reportable incidents is amended by the division director. (Branch)

SB 272 (Rodriguez) creates an exception to a state preemption preventing local governments from regulating hoisting equipment at local worksites. This preemption would not apply as it relates to precautions specific to hurricane preparedness. (Branch)

SB 502 (Montford) creates the Hurricane Michael Recovery Task Force under the Division of Emergency Management. The purpose of the task force is to make recommendations to the Legislature regarding additional assistance needed from the effects of Hurricane Michael. (Branch)

SB 1258 (Diaz) and CS/HB 915 (Avila) revise several provisions to enhance transparency and accountability for commercial service airports, including large-hub commercial service airports. The bills require that at least once every five years the auditor general conduct operational and financial audits of the state’s large-hub commercial service airports. The bills also require the members of the governing bodies of large-hub commercial service airports to submit the more detailed financial disclosure (Form 6) to the Commission on Ethics. The bills mandate the governing body of each commercial service airport to establish and maintain a website containing specified information including meeting notices, agendas, approved budgets and certain documents submitted to the Federal Aviation Administration. (Branch)

HB 71 (Santiago) and SB 130 (Hutson) – Florida Job Growth Grant Fund

HB 6057 (Avila) and HB 1369 (Pigman) repeal provisions relating to state funding for constructing, reconstructing, renovating or improving facilities primarily used for sporting events. HB 6057 repeals the Sports Development program in current law that provides an avenue for sports facilities to apply for a distribution from the state to fund the construction of or improvements to a professional sports franchise facility. Since the program was enacted in 2014, no application has been approved by the Legislature. The bills also make conforming changes to other statutes, related to Sports Development program distributions and reporting requirements. (Cook)

HB 1429 (Omphroy) and SB 1612 (Powell) deal with Opportunity Zones. The bills create a process whereby cities could apply to the Department of Economic Opportunity for approval for the designated Opportunity Zones to receive state incentives. The bills require local governments to provide specific information relating to the designated Opportunity Zones to be eligible for state incentives. (Cook)

SB 362 (Hooper) and HB 213 (Ponder) revise the scheduled repeal of Visit Florida from July 1, 2020, to October 1, 2028. (Cook)

HB 779 (Roach) and CS/SB 922 (Gruters) amend current law to extend special economic development to qualified businesses located in a county affected by Hurricane Michael. The bills authorize the Department of Economic Opportunity to waive certain wage or financial support eligibility requirements for certain businesses expanding its existing operations or relocating to a county affected by Hurricane Michael and increases the maximum tax refund payment from $6,000 to $10,000 multiplied per job specified in the tax refund agreement. (Cook)

CS/SB 426 (Montford) and HB 1139 (Clemons) revise how the Regional Rural Development Grants Program and the Rural Infrastructure Fund operates. Specifically, the bills:

•require grant recipients to serve or be located within a rural area of opportunity. 

•authorize organizations that serve an entire rural area of opportunity to receive grants of up to $50,000 annually. 

•increase the maximum amount of funds the Department of Economic Opportunity may expend for the program from $750,000 to $1 million annually. 

•reduce the percentage of grant funds that must be matched with non-state funds from 100 percent to 30 percent of the state’s contribution. 

•specify that regional economic development organizations may use grant funds to build their professional capacity and provide technical assistance. 

•add as eligible use of funds: upgrades to or development of public tourism infrastructure and improvements to broadband internet service access in unserved or underserved rural communities.

•require projects that improve service and access to be through a partnership that was publicly noticed and competitively bid.

•establish certain contract and public notice requirements. (Cook)

SB 732 (Gruters) and HB 511 (Fine) – Insulation Products

SB 1380 (Albritton) HB 1441 (Maggard) – Construction Contracts

SB 1666 (Albritton) and HB 619 (Overdorf) authorize that electronic billboards may be placed on lands designated as agricultural lands if:

•the parcel can accommodate the billboard. 

•there are sufficient utilities to support the operation. 

• local government zoning ordinances allow the placement. (Branch)

SB 1594 (Powell) and HB 1263 (Watson, C.) prohibit individuals from influencing fire-safety inspectors by threatening, coercing, persuading or compensating to interfere with an inspection. The bills also provide criminal penalties for these violations. (Branch)