Legislative Update - December 1, 2023

One of the biggest parts of a $1.3 billion tax package passed this spring will take hold today: a cut in Florida’s commercial-lease tax from 5.5 percent to 4.5 percent.

Projected to save businesses $219.3 million this fiscal year, the tax is slated to be further lowered to 2 percent next year as part of a 2021 deal.  Some business organizations are pushing to repeal the tax once and for all as Florida is the only state that taxes commercial leases.

A woman has accused Republican Party of Florida Chair Christian Ziegler of sexual battery. An investigation into the credibility of the accusation is ongoing, according to the Sarasota Police Department, which would not confirm many details.

The report was obtained by the Florida Center for Government Accountability. A story published by The Trident, a news section of the organization’s website, alludes to rumors the accuser has been involved in a long-time tryst with Ziegler and his wife, Sarasota School Board member Bridget Ziegler. But the report does not name the accuser.  Bridget Ziegler is a co-founder of the influential Moms For Liberty organization.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Ziegler should step down even if he's not guilty. "He's innocent till proven guilty, but we can’t have a party chair that is under that type of scrutiny.”  Ziegler is a Trump supporter.

November 30^th is the end of Hurricane season ends - For a second consecutive hurricane season, Florida took a direct hit from a major storm. But while the 2023 season will end this week, restoration efforts from Hurricane Idalia will continue for years in rural North Florida, particularly for people in the agriculture industry. State lawmakers are expected to see requests for more money. And further tweaks are needed to state and local storm-recovery planning. Still, the season could have been much worse for Florida. [Source: News Service of Floria]

Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis launched the 2023 "Holiday Money Hunt" to help residents claim $2.9 billion in unclaimed money and property held by the state. The annual campaign aims to spread awareness among residents and businesses with unclaimed property, ranging from watches and jewelry to credit and bank balances. Until claimed, assets are deposited into the state school fund to help support public education. The Florida Treasure Hunt website allows people to search for unclaimed property by entering their name or the name of their business. There is no statute of limitations for claiming unclaimed property in Florida. Over $2.2 billion in unclaimed property has been returned to Floridians since 2017. The city of Miami currently has the highest amount of unclaimed property in the state at around $1 billion. Patronis Press Release / Florida Politics

Legislative …

Kelly Skidmore publicly announces bid to become the House Democratic Leader in 2026” via Anne Geggis of Florida Politics — Rep. Skidmore has publicly announced her intention to become the next House Democratic Leader for the 2026-28 term and unveiled a slew of endorsements for the job. But the Boca Raton Representative, now the House Democratic Caucus Policy Chair first will have to get by Rep. Christine Hunschofsky who is also making a bid to succeed the current Democratic House Leader Fentrice Driskell. Driskell’s term ends in 2026. Skidmore’s prepared statement highlighted her bona fides as one of the longest-serving members among the House Democrats.

Acceptance of Cash Required by Bill Before Senate Committee Next Week - A measure that would require most brick-and-mortar businesses to accept cash is on the agenda for next week's meeting of the Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee. The bill (SB 106) by Democrat Sen. Shevrin Jones has bipartisan backing, with the House version of the measure (HB 35) being carried by Republican Rep. Joel Rudman. The proposal is part of a national effort to counter a growing trend in which some merchants have started to move toward accepting only electronic forms of payment. The Florida bill would only apply to fixed-location businesses – meaning for example rideshare drivers wouldn't have to take cash – and has certain exemptions, including transactions over $5,000. There is no federal requirement for accepting cash. Jones' bill is on the agenda for the committee's meeting on Monday, Dec. 4.

Freshman GOP Rep Files Bill to Restrict Personal Pronoun Preferences in Workplaces - A measure filed in the House would prevent local governments and the state, and contractors or nonprofits that receive state funding, from requiring that employees call co-workers by the person's preferred pronoun. The bill (HB 599), by freshman Republican Rep. Ryan Chamberlin would also prohibit government or state-funded employers from taking action against workers who don't use someone's preferred pronoun. If a government or contractor were to put such a policy in place, workers who are penalized for refusing to use someone's preferred gender could complain to the Florida Commission on Human Relations. The bill also asserts that the state's policy recognizes "that a person's sex is an immutable biological trait and that it is false to ascribe to a person a pronoun that does not correspond to such person's sex." Another provision in the measure would ban nonprofit organizations and state-funded organizations from requiring as a condition of employment "any training, instruction, or other activity on sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression." Chamberlin won a special election in May to replace former Rep. Joe Harding, who was sentenced to prison for fraud. Harding was the sponsor of another measure that targeted sexual identity, a bill that restricted teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity in schools. Florida Politics / Politico Playbook / Newsweek / The Advocate

Legislation (HB 671) filed Tuesday in the House would require that ballot boxes or ballot transfer containers be transported by a law enforcement officer from the office of a supervisor of elections to a voting precinct and that such boxes be under the supervision of a law enforcement officer at all times during an election. The measure, sponsored by South Florida Republican Rep. David Borrero, is identical to a bill (SB 190) filed in the Senate by Republican Sen. Ileana Garcia that is awaiting a hearing in the Ethics and Elections Committee.

Courts …

Committee Finalizes Report Against Plan to Combine Florida's Judicial Circuits - The Judicial Circuit Assessment Committee, appointed by the state Supreme Court at the behest of House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, completed a report saying Florida's 20 judicial circuits should not be consolidated. The proposal, which proponents say is needed for uniformity, efficiency and financial reasons, was met with overwhelming opposition from state attorneys, public defenders, judges, sheriffs, elected officials, The Florida Bar and the public. The committee unanimously approved the report this week after spending four months reviewing the issue before releasing a 35-page report, plus a lengthy appendix. "The Committee did not identify any justification to support consolidation, and observed significant opposition to consolidation. The majority of commentary suggested that consolidation would harm public trust and confidence," the report states. The report will be submitted to the Florida Supreme Court by Dec. 1. The Florida Constitution grants the Legislature the power to make changes to the circuit and appellate court systems, relying on recommendations from the state's highest court. It is unclear whether lawmakers will still consider consolidating the state's judicial circuit boundaries into larger ones during the upcoming session. Florida Channel (Video)

Business issues …

Fla Voters Say Biggest Worries Are Economic, Far Above Other Issues - The rising cost of living and other economic issues are the top concern for Florida voters according to a new University of North Florida poll. More than half of respondents said an economic concern like housing costs, inflation or jobs was their top concern, according to the poll, before a big drop off to the other "top issues," education and immigration, which are each the biggest concern for just 9% of Florida voters. The cost of buying a home or paying rent was the top individual economic concern, which was the biggest issue for 26% of respondents. Another 25% said a catch-all "economy, jobs and inflation," issue was their top concern, pushing the economic-related worries combined to the top of the minds of 51% of respondents. "In the last year, housing costs, and now property insurance, have emerged as pressing issues to Floridians," said Michael Binder, faculty director and professor of political science at the Public Opinion Research Lab, in a statement. "Insurance companies are most responsible in the minds of these Florida voters, but there seems to be plenty of blame to go around." The survey also found narrow support for a proposed constitutional amendment protecting abortion rights (see item below). Palm Beach Post / WOKV

Despite widely reported concerns about higher costs of living in the state, respondents to the University of Florida's most recent consumer sentiment survey showed increased optimism about their overall economic prospects. The latest version of the survey showed an uptick in consumer confidence here. The Capitolist

Florida ranks No. 1 in U.S. for population migration - Florida had the highest positive net migration of any state for the second year in a row, adding over 249,000 people to its population in 2022. The state's economy boomed during and after the pandemic as more high-income households moved to the region to avoid state income taxes and find better weather. Additionally, the influx of high-income individuals and companies flocking to the region from areas like New York and California has made it the epicenter of this "great wealth migration" trend. [Source: Orlando Business Journal]

In an effort to improve employee recruitment and retention, Winter Park may join a growing number of public and private employers in shortening its work week as it studies moving to four 10-hour shifts per week, the Orlando Sentinel writes

Not everyone happy as Citizens Insurance’s ‘depopulation’ drives decline of policies - Thanks to its depopulation efforts, state-owned Citizens Property Insurance Corp. saw its first month-to-month policy-count decline in years between September and October. While that news is soothing to lawmakers and insurance regulators in Tallahassee who are eager to reduce the company’s size, it’s not exactly welcomed by many of the policyholders who felt they had no choice but accept offers from private-market insurers at costs projected to rise by up to 20% over the projected renewal cost of their Citizens policies. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

New Insurer Enters Fla Market - Florida's insurance market is welcoming a new company, Condo Owners Reciprocal Exchange, approved by the Office of Insurance Regulation to sell commercial residential policies in the state. HCI Group, a holding company operating a domestic insurer in Florida, started the new company. Reciprocal insurers operate uniquely, with individuals and businesses exchanging insurance contracts to spread associated risks. Following the state's approval, HCI Group Inc. revealed that its major subsidiary, Homeowners Choice Property & Casualty Insurance Company, has taken over around 53,750 policies from state-backed Citizens Property Insurance. Notably, 70% of these policies under the takeover arrangement will offer lower rates than consumers would have paid if they stayed with Citizens. OIR views the entry as a positive sign, indicating increased companies, jobs and capital in Florida's insurance market. The approval aligns with recent efforts to transfer policies from Citizens to private carriers, with a rise in insurer participation noted by Insurance Commissioner Michael Yaworsky. The state insurance agency has approved the transfer of over 650,000 Citizens policies to private insurers, which is more than an 800% jump from the previous year, but there is no guarantee that private insurance companies will assume all of those policies. OIR Press Release / Florida Politics

 If you're buying your first home in this Florida county, you can receive up to $100,000[Fox 35 Orlando]
If you're looking to buy your first home, Palm Beach County wants to help by offering an incentive of up to $100,000. The Palm Beach County Department of Housing and Economic Development announced a new program to help eligible applicants buy their first home as part of the State Housing Initiatives Partnership Purchase Assistance Program.

By the Numbers: October Housing Prices - The industry group Florida Realtors last week released a report showing the statewide median sales price for single-family existing homes in October was $410,000. Here were median prices in the state’s metropolitan statistical areas:

— Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island: $750,000

— Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach: $601,500

— North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton: $490,000

— Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford: $445,000

— Port St. Lucie: $415,000

— Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater: $407,400

— Cape Coral-Fort Myers: $400,000

— Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin: $395,000

— Sebastian-Vero Beach: $391,150

— Jacksonville: $387,490

— Punta Gorda: $380,000

— The Villages: $379,950

— Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach: $363,800

— Panama City: $360,500

— Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville: $355,000

— Lakeland-Winter Haven: $337,598

— Gainesville: $335,000

— Tallahassee: $319,910

— Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent: $316,810

— Homosassa Springs: $291,000

— Ocala: $290,000

— Sebring: $275,000

Source: Florida Realtors

Campaigns and Elections …

—"Florida GOP Chair Christian Ziegler, husband of Moms For Liberty cofounder, accused of sexual assault by alleged menage a trois lover” via Bob Norman of FLCGA

DeSantis, Newsom Debate Visions for Country - "The next generation" of national political figures – California Gov. Gavin Newsom on the left and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on the right – tried to take some of the spotlight from the two grandfather-aged national leaders of their parties, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, in a nationally televised debate Thursday night. The spectacle gave each a chance to highlight the different views of what living in America should be like and to say their state has it closer to what Americans want than the other. Politico / USA Today / The Hill / Axios / Florida Politics / Palm Beach Post 

Gov. Ron DeSantis faced fresh upheaval on the eve of Thanksgiving as Chris Jankowski, the CEO of the super PAC that has effectively run his presidential campaign, resigned amid infighting over strategy, financing and how to slow Nikki Haley, the New York Times reports.

“Koch political network endorses Nikki Haley in GOP Primary” via Erin Doherty of Axios — The political network backed by billionaire Charles Koch is supporting former United Nations Ambassador Haley in the 2024 Republican Primary.

The endorsement is a boon for Haley as she looks to chip away at former Trump's commanding lead in the race for the GOP nomination with less than two months until the pivotal Iowa caucuses.

DeSantis meets with potential GOP donors to new super PAC” via Amy B. Wang and Hannah Knowles of The Washington Post — DeSantis is meeting Monday with potential donors to Fight Right, a newly formed super PAC that is backing his presidential campaign, amid tensions with another super PAC that culminated last week in the departure of the group’s chief executive. DeSantis campaign manager James Uthmeier said the campaign would welcome the efforts of Fight Right, while also praising the “incredible field operation and ground game” of Never Back Down, which has played an unusually large role in DeSantis’s 2024 White House bid.

Florida GOP Sets Pres Primary List - The Republican Party of Florida announced who is likely to be on the party's presidential primary ballot, listing eight candidates, headlined by Gov. Ron DeSantis and former President Donald Trump, who the party plans to offer as choices for its primary voters. State law gives the parties until Nov. 30 to submit their list of primary candidates to state election officials and candidates are allowed to withdraw their names from the primary ballot up until Dec. 12. Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley had to pay a $100,000 fee to get on Florida's ballot, four times what other candidates had to pay, because she didn't appear at the "Florida Freedom Summit" earlier this month in Kissimmee, which the party required of candidates who didn't want to pay the higher fee. Florida's winner-take-all primary is scheduled for March 19, after the early nominating states and the March 5 Super Tuesday, when 16 states hold their primaries. Politico

* Eight Republicans vying for president could be on the Florida primary ballot in March, including the last-minute surprise candidate Ryan Binkley, a self-funded businessman and pastor, Politico Florida reports.

DeSantis faces a critical decision on cruise ships in Key West, as a campaign donor to the governor wants to expand cruise ship operations there but voters have tried to restrict them on environmental grounds, the New York Times writes. 

Floridians aren’t fans of President Joe Biden, according to a new poll from the University of North Florida.

New survey results from UNF’s Public Opinion Research Lab show fewer than one in three Florida voters approve and 63% disapprove of the incumbent Democrat’s job performance as he closes in on the final year of his first term.

Neither Gov. Ron DeSantis nor former President Donald Trump are above water. But by comparison, Floridians are fawning over them — voters were split 48%-48% on their opinion of DeSantis and Trump was only slightly in the negative at 48%-49%.

* House Speaker Mike Johnson is holding his first fundraiser in the leadership post, and he’s relying on one of the Florida delegation’s top rainmakers – U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan – to make it a success, Florida Politics reports in its Sunburn roundup.