Legislative Update - May 10, 2024

The Governor has been traveling the state signing legislation. One of the bills was the tax breaks package that provides a saving of approximately $1 billion for Floridians.

Democrats held their "Leadership Blue" fundraising event in Orlando over last weekend, focused on trying to deliver the state for the Biden reelection campaign in the fall. Democrats put a heavy emphasis on abortion rights, and while mainly focused on presidential politics dedicated significant time to criticizing Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. Politico Playbook / FDP Press Release

A “celebration of life” service honoring Bob Graham will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday in Miami Lakes.

The hour-and-a-half celebration is open to the public and will be livestreamed on the WPLG Local 10 website and YouTube channel for those who cannot make the trek to Miami Lakes United Church of Christ, located at 6701 Miami Lakeway South.

Following the celebration, Graham’s family will hold a two-hour public reception at the Miami Lakes Hotel, located at 6842 Main St., starting at 3 p.m.

Governor ...

DeSantis Signs Bill With Tax Holidays, Insurance Assessment Break - Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a package of tax breaks on Tuesday providing a total savings of nearly $1 billion for Florida consumers, homeowners and businesses over the next two years. "When you're running big budget surpluses you've got to be able to return some of that back to the taxpayers," said the governor at the bill-signing event. Combined with a $450 million toll rebate program for drivers with more than 35 toll transactions per month (HB 5003), the wide-ranging tax proposal (HB 7073) signed Tuesday could save taxpayers over $1.4 billion. Among the tax cuts is a one-year exemption on insurance premium taxes for homeowner and flood policies, with insurers required to reduce premiums on these policies by 1.75%, equivalent to the insurance premium tax, and then receive a corresponding tax rebate. The provision, applicable to policies started or renewed between Oct. 1 and Sept. 30, 2025, is projected to save homeowners an estimated $502 million. The legislation, which received unanimous support from lawmakers during the 2024 legislative session, also provides for four sales tax holidays, including a two-week back-to-school sales tax holiday, a 30-day "Freedom Month" sales tax holiday, a one-week "Tool Time" sales tax holiday and two separate Disaster Preparedness tax holidays. The plan also expands existing tax breaks for businesses that hire disabled employees and introduces a new tax cut for companies supporting child care opportunities for their workers, collectively saving businesses an estimated $20 million over three years. The tax package, which is scheduled to take effect on July 1, also includes a remedy for a voter-approved 1% sales surtax in Hillsborough County from 2019 to 2021 that was later deemed unconstitutional by the Florida Supreme Court. The new law also includes an expansion of the Strong Families Tax Credit from $20 million to $40 million, which grants businesses that donate to charities supporting children's welfare a break on corporate income and other taxes. DeSantis Press Release / Tax Relief One Pager / Florida Politics / Sun Sentinel / Florida Today / News Service Florida / Florida Phoenix / WPTV / News4Jax

DeSantis Lukewarm on Special Session Idea - Gov. Ron DeSantis said he has no plans to call a special legislative session, but that he wasn't necessarily opposed to the idea. "I am for some of the things that people have been talking about, but we don't have a plan necessarily to do a special session," DeSantis said Tuesday. "If there are things that we need to do, then I'm sure that the Legislature will want to do it. But as of now we're moving forward with the budget," he added. DeSantis is currently reviewing the budget that funds the upcoming fiscal year and was passed by lawmakers earlier this spring. He has line item veto power. Rumors of a summer special session focus on potentially adding more constitutional amendments to the ballot in November when voters will already consider abortion access and recreational marijuana. Legislators have also mentioned the continual need to deal with property insurance concerns as something that legislators could address before next year and possible immigration legislation, similar to legislation like Texas' SB 4. Florida Politics / News Service Florida

DeSantis Gets 20 More Bills from Legislature - Lawmakers on Tuesday formally sent the governor 20 bills for his consideration, with several being local bills. Among the legislation now on Gov. Ron DeSantis' desk is a measure (HB 267) that would require local governments to speed up the process for issuing residential building permits in a bid to help spur housing construction, and a proposal (HB 415) that would allocate over $465,000 to create a state-supported online hub of resources for pregnant women and families by Jan. 1, 2025. Also awaiting DeSantis' signature or veto is legislation (HB 275) that would make it a second-degree felony to intentionally tamper with or damage critical infrastructure, such as utility grids, broadband systems and water treatment facilities, and a bill (SB 994) that would fix the amount of money vendors of school bus camera systems can get and allocate civil penalties from the resulting fines to the school district where the infraction happened. DeSantis also now has a measure (SB 328) that makes changes to last year's affordable housing law called the Live Local Act. The new proposed law provides clarity and transparency regarding zoning regulations, density restrictions, property tax exemptions and airport zoning provisions. It also allocates an additional $100 million for the Hometown Heroes Program, an initiative providing first-time, income-qualified homebuyers with down payment and closing cost assistance. The governor has until May 22 to act on the bills. DeSantis Press Release  

“Goodbye, ‘Knock on wood’? Governor urges hurricane prep” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics — “Florida Preparedness Week is the perfect time to sit down with your family and ensure you have a customized plan for your household,” DeSantis urged in a release from the Division of Emergency Management (DEM). “It only takes one storm to impact an entire community, so I encourage all residents to know their risks, make an evacuation plan and have all essential supplies needed to stay safe before June 1.” DEM head Kevin Guthrie echoed the central message, urging Floridians to “take this hurricane preparedness week as your call to action and finalize your preparations for the season ahead.” “After the devastating impacts from the past two hurricane seasons, I implore all residents to prepare for not only hurricanes but the various hazards that come with them such as tornadoes, storm surge, damaging winds, rip currents and flooding,” Guthrie said.

Fla Supreme Court May Be DeSantis' Legacy - Gov. Ron DeSantis has remade the Florida Supreme Court during his term, appointing five of the seven justices who stand on the court. The Supreme Court has already been a major factor in Florida, giving the OK to the state's new six-week abortion restriction, but also allowing an abortion access ballot initiative to go before voters later this year. The court has two major and potentially highly influential cases still under consideration. It will decide whether to allow the congressional district map that lawmakers passed at DeSantis' behest to remain in place amid dueling questions about its legality under the Florida and U.S. constitutions. It also will decide a pending case on the suspension of former Orlando-area prosecutor Monique Worrell, who was suspended from office by DeSantis over his assertion that she was too lenient in choosing cases to prosecute. The outcome of the case could have major implications for whether the governor or local voters should get to decide who serves as prosecutor in each Florida community. Politico Playbook

“Ron DeSantis clears some ethics cases after two years, but others still languish” via Skyler Swisher of the Orlando Sentinel — DeSantis quietly signed 17 orders in October and November imposing fines and penalties for violations of the state’s ethics code, shortly after an Orlando Sentinel report highlighted dozens of cases awaiting his signature. The orders were only recently posted on the Governor’s website.

How DeSantis plans to fight marijuana and abortion on the ballot” via Alexandra Glorioso of the Miami Herald — DeSantis is planning to raise money for a ‘counter message’ to recreational marijuana and abortion-rights ballot amendments and then funnel that money through the Republican Party of Florida to campaign against the initiatives, according to sources. He’s also planning to use his personal network to fund contentious races for federal candidates, including Trump, and Republican U.S. Rep. Laurel Lee. DeSantis, who shattered Florida fundraising records while easily winning re-election in 2022, will be in Miami Beach on May 13 to help the Tampa-area Congresswoman raise money. He also has a fundraiser for Trump tentatively scheduled for the second half of May.

Attorney General ...

Florida sues over new Biden rule on guns: Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody on Wednesday filed a federal lawsuit challenging a new Biden administration rule that will require more gun sellers to be licensed and run background checks on buyers. Moody’s office filed the lawsuit in Tampa, alleging that the Biden administration overstepped its legal authority. Moody said in a prepared statement that the rule would “force thousands of law-abiding gun owners to register as federal firearms dealers and navigate a federal bureaucracy.”

Florida Joins Republican State Challenge to EPA Carbon Emissions Rules - Florida joined two dozen other states on Thursday in a challenge to a new federal rule aimed at reducing power plant emissions, arguing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency overstepped its authority in issuing the mandate. Republican attorneys general from 27 states and industry trade groups filed a petition at the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia arguing that the new regulations seeking to reduce emissions from existing coal-fired power plants and new natural gas plants overstep the agency's legal authority and are arbitrary. The Biden Administration rule, aimed at reducing the effects of carbon emissions on the climate, is the subject of several legal challenges. The rule requires that many new gas and existing coal plants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by 2032. Power industry officials say the requirements will force them to install billions of dollars' worth of emissions control technologies and may force them to shut down older coal-fired plants. Reuters / News Service Florida

Legislature ...

Central Florida Democrat Sen. Victor Torres collapsed during U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost's campaign launch on Friday but is now recovering at home after a cardiac-related episode. His daughter, Orange County Property Appraiser Amy Mercado, confirmed his status online. Torres fainted at the event in Orlando and was taken to the hospital. Torres, 76, has served in the Legislature for over a decade. Although he is not seeking re-election due to term limits, his wife Carmen is running for his state Senate seat. Florida Politics 

New Law Aimed at Protecting People With Certain Disorders in Police Encounters - A new law recently signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis is intended to help police deal with people with autism or other disorders that may make it hard for the person to understand what police want them to do and for police to understand what the person is trying to communicate. People diagnosed with autism, ADHD, down syndrome, Alzheimer's disease, traumatic brain injury, deafness, blindness, PTSD, diabetes autoimmune disorders, or other "mentally or physically limiting" disorders will be able to voluntarily get a driver's license that alerts others to the diagnosis under the legislation (HB 341), which was signed into law Monday. The "Safeguarding American Families Everywhere (SAFE) Act" will allow those who qualify to get a driver's license marked "SAFE."  It takes effect Oct. 1. WFSU

Business Issues ...

Florida Jobless Claims Dip - Florida last week saw a drop in first-time unemployment claims, though company notices filed with the state show some workers face layoffs. The U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday released a report that estimated 5,680 unemployment applications were filed in Florida during the week that ended May 4, down from a revised count of 5,989 during the week that ended April 27 and the lowest for a week since the end of March. The state has averaged 5,923 weekly claims since the start of the year. Florida had a 3.2 percent unemployment rate in March, and the state Department of Commerce will release an April rate on May 17. The state agency received notification letters during the past week from two companies about planned layoffs of nearly 400 workers. Coral Gables-based retail branding and consulting agency T-Roc said in a May 3 notice that 302 workers across the state will be let go at the end of the month because of an “unexpected” non-renewal of the company’s service agreement with the Walmart Wireless Sales Program. Also, according to a notice, GSP Companies will close a facility in Clearwater on June 30, affecting 94 employees. Since the start of March, the Department of Commerce has received layoff notices that affect a total of 2,918 workers.

Campaigns and Elections ...

 “Who's behind attack ads targeting Tom Leek in SD 7?” a deep-dive via Jacob Ogles.

New voting map of Miami announced: The city of Miami has reached an agreement with advocacy groups on a new voting map after a federal judge tossed out the city’s current map last month, having ruled that commissioners in 2022 approved unconstitutional and racially gerrymandered district boundaries that sorted city residents by race and ethnicity. Here’s the proposed new map.''

Miami Commissioners punt vote on new city map, citing incomplete information” via Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics — A legal ordeal over Miami’s district boundaries remains unresolved after Commissioners delayed approving a settlement agreement to replace the city’s existing map and cover hefty court costs of community groups that sued the city. Commissioners Joe Carollo, Miguel Gabela, Christine King and Manolo Reyes voted 4-0 to defer a vote on the agreement until April 23 and request a stay on the unresolved court case in the interim. Commissioner Damián Pardo, who sponsored a unanimously approved measure in January to settle a lawsuit over the map, was absent. The deferral Thursday marked the latest turn in a lengthy court battle to reconfigure Miami’s district lines to ones devoid of racial consideration.

No more mockingbird? Florida official wants new state bird - Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Chairperson Rodney Barreto wants the agency to renew efforts to designate a state bird that is unique to Florida. “The state bird of Florida is the (northern) mockingbird. However, five other states have the mockingbird as the state bird,” Barreto said Thursday during a commission meeting in Daytona Beach. “I’ve got to believe we can find a bird that is different than five other states.” Barreto recalled the agency holding a contest with fourth and fifth grade students about designating a new state bird. “I want to kind of dust that off” with a new process “and come up with something,” Barreto said. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]