Legislative Update - October 20, 2023

Lawmakers were back at the Capitol this week for official interim committee weeks ahead of the 2024 regular legislative session, which is set to begin in January. Several committees met, with Senators and Representatives hearing mostly agency presentations and updates on the implementation of new laws. No new legislation was considered.

Senator Ben Albritton was officially designated as the next Senate President during an emotional ceremony.

Governor …

Governor DeSantis Proposes Increased Florida’s Sanctions on Iran in Wake of Attack on Israel - Last week, Governor DeSantis announced a proposal that will increase sanctions against the Iranian regime. Sanctions include broadening the industries on Florida’s scrutinized companies list and strengthening Florida’s position on states that sponsor terror.

“As a state and a nation, we must stand with Israel following the heinous attacks over the weekend,” said Governor DeSantis. “With Iran helping plot the barbaric attack against Israel, I want to make it abundantly clear: Florida supports the State of Israel against the Iranian terror state.”

Governor DeSantis is a strong supporter of Israel. He has lead two trade delegations to Israel, he has enacted historic legislation to combat antisemitism, and he has prohibited Florida from investing in companies that discriminate against Israel. In addition, he has signed legislation to prohibit foreign countries of concern from owning agricultural land or real estate near critical infrastructure, and from operating schools in Florida.

For more information on the proposed sanctions, click here.

Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie said the state spent an estimated $4 million to help transport about 270 Americans over the weekend from Israel, The News Service of Florida reports. 

DeSantis announced that the Florida Division of Emergency Management has deployed two cargo planes, holding 85 pallets of donated supplies, to Israel with  medical supplies, clothing items, hygiene products and children’s toys, the Florida Daily reports.

Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order Friday initiating the "Great Outdoors Initiative," reducing the cost of state park passes and hunting and fishing licenses for Floridians by 50% until Jan. 13, 2024. The order instructs the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to implement the price reductions for annual state park passes and FWC Gold Sportsman hunting and fishing licenses, including annual, five-year and lifetime licenses. The effort follows a proposed constitutional amendment, nearly unanimously passed by the Legislature earlier this year, that would ask Florida voters whether to constitutionally preserve the public right to fish and hunt in the state in the 2024 election. Florida has 175 state parks, including shorelines, trails and historic sites spanning nearly 800,000 acres. Last year, the state park system had a $3.6 billion economic impact and supported over 50,000 jobs. DeSantis Press Release / Executive Order / WFLA / WPTV / Florida's Voice

Larry Keefe, DeSantis’ public safety czar, quietly resigned his post in September, ending a two-year tenure that included the coordination of Florida’s controversial migrant flight program, the Herald/Times Tallahassee Bureau reports. 

Legislative …

Albritton Named Senate President-Designate, Lists Agriculture as a Top Legislative Priority - Wauchula Republican Sen. Ben Albritton was officially named by Republicans as the Senate president-designate for the 2024-26 term in a ceremony Tuesday. He's set to succeed current Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, assuming Republicans keep their majority as expected and Albritton wins reelection. Albritton is expected to serve a two-year term in the leadership role from November 2024 through November 2026, taking the gavel for the two sessions after the November 2024 elections. Albritton, a fourth-generation citrus farmer, emphasized in his speech that agriculture would be a top priority during his tenure as president. "I know, firsthand, what it takes to produce the food that feeds our state, our country and the world," said Albritton. "If you really stand back and think about it, the fact is, the survival of agriculture is the survival of humanity." He said water quality and Florida's foster care system are also high on his list of legislative priorities. Albritton also mentioned that affordable housing and property insurance remain items that the Legislature needs to continue working on. Numerous state officials were present for the designation ceremony, including Gov. Ron DeSantis. Albritton was first elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2010 and subsequently elected to the Senate in 2018. He currently represents Senate District 27, which covers parts of Charlotte, DeSoto, Hardee, Lee and Polk counties. House Republicans earlier this year officially named Rep. Danny Perez as the speaker-designate to take over that chamber after next year's elections. Florida Politics / The Capitolist / News Service Florida / WFSU 

Passidomo, Renner Issue Proclamation Supporting Israel, Back Sanctions Against Iran - House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, and Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, issued a joint resolution supporting Israel and condemning the recent attacks by Hamas. Israel declared war on Hamas after the organization launched a series of attacks nearly two weeks ago. The chamber leaders also said they support the governor's desire for the state to divest all Iranian financial interests, potentially hinting at a special session to increase state sanctions against Iran. "Today, Florida reaffirms our strong relationship with Israel," said Renner in a press release. "If you stand for freedom, if you stand for peace, you should stand with Israel and with Florida's Jewish community," he added. "We are always proud to stand with our Jewish brothers and sisters and to speak out against not only the horrific terror attacks in Israel, but also the all-too-frequent acts of anti-Semitism and hatred we see here in our own country," stated Passidomo. The GOP legislative leaders held a press conference Wednesday announcing the proclamation and were joined by Republicans and Democrats from both chambers. Joint Press Release / Politico / Florida Politics / USA Today Network / News Service Florida / The Center Square / Florida's Voice / Action News Jax

Florida lawmakers from both parties pledged support for Israel amid widening clashes and a rising death toll in the Middle East, with House Speaker Paul Renner suggesting a potential special session to strengthen state sanctions against Iran, the Tallahassee Democrat reports

With House Speaker Paul Renner and Senate President Kathleen Passidomo signaling they will make health care a priority during the 2024 legislative session, a new House select committee began meeting Monday with what the chairwoman called a “robust” agenda.

“We have authority over issues related to access and affordability of health care,” said Rep. Kaylee Tuck, a Lake Placid who chairs the Select Committee on Health Innovation. “Our jurisdiction includes health-facility regulation, commercial health-insurance coverage, the state employee group health plan and the operation of state Medicaid and children’s health insurance programs for low-income Floridians.” 

The committee received briefings Monday from officials with the Agency for Health Care Administration and Florida Healthy Kids Corp. Renner, R-Palm Coast, created the select committee last month, while Passidomo, R-Naples, said this summer she wants to take steps during the 2024 session to attract more health-care providers. The 60-day session will start in January.

Florida Insurance Commissioner Michael Yaworsky told the House Insurance and Banking Committee on Wednesday that had lawmakers not made recent changes to property insurance law that included restrictions on litigation against insurers it would have been "devastating" for the market in the state, but declined to say when the benefits might accrue to homeowners through lower property insurance premiums. USA Today Network

As property insurance premiums skyrocket, the primary response by Gov. Ron DeSantis and state legislators has been to stamp out lawsuits – but evidence hasn’t materialized that lawsuits are the culprit causing 13 insurers to close, the Tampa Bay Times reports. 

GOP States Pushing EV Taxes to Make Up for Lost Gas Tax - At least eight states, including several controlled by Republicans who don't often support new taxes, are pushing for new annual registration taxes on electric vehicles to make up for the lost gas tax collections expected as electric powered cars replace some gas powered cars on the road. Some backers of electric vehicles say the move is an effort instead to slow sales of EVs rather than an acknowledgment that they may someday replace gas vehicles. The move to boost taxes – or fees as some Republican backers of the idea prefer to call them – will reduce an unfair imbalance, said Florida Republican Sen. Ed Hooper, who is pushing the idea here. "It's what is fair," said Hooper. "By 2035, between 20 to 25 percent of vehicles in Florida are going to be electric. We use gas taxes to build and maintain our roads, and those that are buying EVs are getting a free ride." Hooper has filed SB 28, which would require EV owners to pay a new $200 annual registration fee. A similar bill (HB 107) is filed in the House, sponsored by Republican Rep. Tiffany Esposito.  Washington Post

Dem Proposal: All Renewable Energy by 2050, Ban on Fracking - Legislation filed by Lantana Democrat Sen. Lori Berman and Orlando Democrat Rep. Anna Eskamani aims to shift Florida to 100% renewable energy by 2050 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2051. The bills (SB 144, HB 193) also include a ban on the type of oil drilling known as fracking in the state. The legislation would create a Renewable Energy Workforce Development Advisory Committee, focused on supporting workers in the fossil fuel industry transitioning to the clean energy sector. "Setting goals and building towards energy independence through renewables would be a game changer for our state, and this bill sets a roadmap to make that happen by 2050, leading to a cleaner and more sustainable state for generations to come," said Eskamani in a press release. "This legislation will seize on the tremendous opportunity the clean energy economy presents our workers," wrote Berman. Eskamani-Berman Press Release

“Proposal to rename A1A ‘Jimmy Buffett Highway’ hits sour note with readers” via Brian Burgess of The Capitolist — As the debate over renaming Florida’s iconic State Road A1A heats up, and two competing legislative proposals vying for public and political support, Capitolist readers have already had their say on one of them. In our reader poll, which is still active, 61.2% oppose renaming Florida’s most famous road to “Jimmy Buffett Memorial Highway,” while 38.8% are in favor. The Capitolist first reported on the House Republican proposal to rename the road on Oct. 2, 2023. But part of the reader's resistance may be linked to the sheer scale of the proposal. Newberry Republican Rep. Chuck Clemons had introduced a bill aimed at renaming the entire length of State Road A1A in honor of the late musician Buffett.

HARDING’S HARD TIME: A federal judge sentenced former state Rep. Joe Harding to four months in prison after he pleaded guilty to fraudulently applying for business loans during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Courts …

More than a year after her appointment, Florida Supreme Court Justice Renatha Francis is set to have her ceremonial investiture at the Supreme Court building, 3:30 p.m. Wednesday. 

“An investiture is the formal ceremony during which the governor presents a new justice’s credentials to the court,” The Florida Bar News has explained. “It usually is scheduled several months after the justice actually takes office.” (Judges and justices who were appointed during the pandemic had their investitures delayed even longer, it added.)

DeSantis tapped Francis for a vacancy at the Supreme Court in 2020 but her appointment was embroiled in a legal and political battle. Democratic lawmaker Geraldine Thompson successfully blocked Francis because she did not at the time meet a 10-year Florida Bar membership requirement for justices. The governor again appointed Francis after the 10-year requirement had been satisfied.

She’s now one of DeSantis’ five appointments on the seven-member panel, which he has single-handedly recast as a conservative body, starting after the 2019 retirements of a trio of liberal-leaning justices. As Francis said at her 2022 appointment announcement: “The Florida Supreme Court protects the people’s liberty, and … the way that we do that is by respecting and observing the limited role that judges play in our constitutional system of government.”

Florida Officials Oppose Plan to Combine Florida's Judicial Circuits - Judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys attended a meeting in Tampa on Friday to speak out against a plan to consolidate Florida's 20 judicial circuit boundaries into larger ones at the behest of House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast. Before the meeting, The Florida Bar announced it opposed the consolidation proposal, saying there are other alternatives to improve efficiency in the court system that should be considered instead. The Judicial Circuit Assessment Committee, formed by the state Supreme Court, is tasked with exploring the idea, which proponents say is needed for uniformity and financial reasons. Dozens attended the panel's meeting to testify in opposition, arguing that it would disrupt the judicial process and reduce local representation for constituents. Some speakers said consolidation may be warranted if it benefits crime victims, while others believed it would be inefficient and lead to larger caseloads, potentially hindering the delivery of justice. The president of the Prosecuting Attorneys Association said all 20 state attorneys and public defenders are against making a change, with several sheriffs also speaking in opposition to the proposal. Speakers from the Florida Keys also expressed opposition, citing that they fear Monroe County – the state's smallest judicial circuit – would be folded in with Miami-Dade County. While some private practice lawyers were in favor of the move for continuity and efficiency reasons and its potential to expedite hearings, others suggested that increasing the number of judges might be a more effective solution. The panel has to make a recommendation to the state's highest court by Dec. 1. Tampa Bay Times / Tallahassee Democrat / Courthouse News Service / Florida Phoenix / Law360 / Florida Bar News

Business …

AAA: Florida Gas Prices Drop But Foreign Conflicts Could Cause Rise Again - Gas prices in Florida have reached their lowest point in three months, with an average of $3.33 per gallon as of Sunday, down from the previous state average of $3.69 per gallon. The decrease of 15 cents over the past week has been mainly due to declining oil prices. But there is a possibility that the downward trend may slow down as ongoing geopolitical tensions have caused oil prices to rebound slightly. Despite the recent increase in oil prices, the price of crude oil in the U.S. remains below levels reported three weeks ago. The rise in oil prices was influenced by actions such as the G7's plan to support Ukraine through sanctions against Russia and concerns related to the Israel-Gaza conflict. Oil prices were also showing a downward trend in overnight trading as of Sunday night. Currently, the most expensive markets for gas in Florida include the West Palm-Boca Raton area, Naples and Tallahassee, while the least expensive areas in the state are Pensacola, Orlando and the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach region. AAA Press Release / News Service Florida 

The average annual cost of employer-sponsored family health insurance jumped 7% nationwide last year, according to the latest employer health benefits survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation. The average premium last year was nearly $24,000. The increase in costs followed a 1% increase the year before. Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal 

Tampa-based Slide Insurance said it will take over about 86,000 homeowner policies from Farmers Insurance upon the policies' renewal dates. Insurance Journal

Current job market favors employees in Florida. Is your resume ready? - People looking for jobs in Florida still have an advantage over employers according to Anca Voicu, Professor of economics and head of Rollins College’s Women in Finance Program. She says, "I would say that we are in an employee market in Florida, which occurs when there are more jobs available than there are people seeking employment. So in this scenario, employers might need to offer higher wages, better benefits, or any other incentives to attract and retain talent because workers have now more options to choose from." More from WMFE.

Economist: Florida has ‘teflon economy' for next recession - While the timing of a national economic slowdown seems to keep moving, Florida’s economy should weather it well — and even grow — says economist Sean Snaith. In his latest quarterly Florida forecast, Snaith says the impact of a slowdown won’t stick to Florida as it has in past recessions. “Florida’s economy today is more like Teflon. A lot of the effects of a national slowdown will just slide right off,” Snaith says. More from UCF News.

Florida ranked sixth in the nation in a ranking of states most impacted by household debt, according to a 2023 study by NationalBusinessCapital.com. National Business Capital Press Release

Florida housing increases leave state with most cost-burdened renters in the country - Florida had three of the top six metro areas with the largest share of cost-burdened renters and five of the top 15, tying with California for the most markets with the highest share of cost-burdened renters. The Miami metropolitan area topped the list for places where people paid the highest portion of their household budgets for housing, followed by the Orlando area (No. 3), Cape Coral-Fort Myers (No. 6) and Daytona (No. 9), with Sarasota-Bradenton-North Port just outside the top 10 at No. 12. More from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Prices for homes in Miami-Dade County fell for a third straight month as the South Florida real estate market continued a cool down. Single family home sales in Broward County, however, bucked the trend, showing an increase. Miami Herald

Jobless Claims Remain Steady - First-time unemployment claims in Florida continued last week to come in at a pace little changed since the start of the year. Meanwhile, national claims last week were the lowest since January. The U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday estimated 5,815 first-time claims were filed in Florida, during the week that ended Oct. 14, down from 6,790 during the week that ended Oct. 7. The state has averaged 5,859 claims during the past four weeks and 5,821 claims since the start of the year. The Department of Labor also estimated 198,000 claims were filed nationally last week, down from 13,000 in the previous week. The national unemployment rate in September was 3.8 percent. Florida had a 2.7 percent unemployment rate in August. The Florida Department of Commerce on Friday will release a September state rate.

Violent Crime Rate Dropped Last Year, Thefts Still Up - Rates of violent crime dropped significantly across the United States in 2022, new data from the FBI show. The murder rate nationwide fell 6%, the largest drop since 1999. Aggravated assaults were down, as well. Property crimes increased, however, led by a third year in a row with a double-digit increase in auto thefts, which were up 11% year-over-year. Robberies also were up more than 1%, the report said. FBI Press Release / USA Today / New York Times / AFP / Axios / Pluribus 

COVID …

Florida's COVID-19 death toll has risen to 91,590 since the pandemic's onset in 2020, up from 91,178 reported two weeks earlier, though exact timing remains uncertain due to reporting delays. Although COVID-related fatalities have increased, there has been a significant drop in new COVID cases, with 6,380 reported at the beginning of October, down from 23,980 reported in late August. The state Department of Health releases data biweekly on Fridays. News Service Florida

Elections …

Top officials from the campaigns of Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis and Tim Scott made their case Friday to major Republican donors, as they compete to position themselves as the most viable alternative to former President Donald Trump, CNN reports. 

Former President Trump entered October with nearly triple as much cash on hand as any of his Republican rivals, according to his public filing with the Federal Election Commission, Axios reports. 

The Republican National Committee announced that NBC News will broadcast the next GOP presidential debate, scheduled to take place on Nov. 8 in Miami, though Trump is not likely to participate, Florida Phoenix reports. 

Pizzo Embarking on 'Campus Conversations' College Tour to Engage Young Voters - Senate Democratic Leader-designate Jason Pizzo, D-Hollywood, announced a college and university tour called "Campus Conversations," which aims to engage young voters. Pizzo plans to visit 12 of Florida's higher education institutions, beginning with a town hall event at Florida State University, followed by a visit to Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. The effort is in response to data indicating a significant portion of voters aged 18 to 29 forgo participating in the democratic process, with a recent report by the Pew Research Center showing that this age group accounts for 10% of the population but comprises 27% of nonvoters. Additionally, an exit poll conducted by the Edison Research National Election Pool found that those same young voters leaned more toward the left, preferring the Democratic congressional candidate to the Republican one 63%-35% in 2022, according to NPR. The Public Religion Research Institute also found that younger voters tend to choose Democratic candidates and policies for subjects such as abortion and climate change due to the age groups diversity, lower religious affiliation and higher likelihood of identifying as LGBTQ. The tour comes at a time when young voters are likely to feel the impact of the Republican supermajority in Florida's Legislature, which has enacted significant changes in higher education and other policy areas. Pizzo Press Release / Florida Politics