Legislative Update - August 2, 2024

The odds that a disturbance just entering the Caribbean will form into a tropical storm are growing and forecasters say its path could include Florida.

Ahead of potential landfall of Invest 97L in Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis issued Executive Order (EO) 24-156 (Emergency Management  – Invest 97L) declaring the following counties under a state of emergency: Alachua, Baker, Bay, Bradford, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Escambia, Flagler, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Gulf, Hamilton, Hernando, Hillsborough, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Monroe, Nassau, Okaloosa, Orange, Osceola, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Johns, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Volusia, Wakulla, Walton, and Washington counties.

To read the full executive order, click here 

Back-To-School Sales Tax Holiday: Florida's back-to-school sales tax holiday began Monday, giving shoppers a break from taxes on clothing and shoes costing up to $100, computer-related items up to $1,500 and school supplies up to $50, among other items. The tax holiday runs for two weeks, including two weekends. WESH / Kiplinger

Florida Olympians: The Florida Chamber of Commerce highlighted the 46 Florida athletes representing the U.S. in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. The athletes are from 32 cities across the state, and are competing in a total of 24 different sports. Florida Chamber Press Release

Governor …

DeSantis supports term limits — but for members of Congress, not Supreme Court justices” via Mitch Perry of the Florida Phoenix — DeSantis says that while he doesn’t think much about the Biden-Harris administration’s proposal to reform the U.S. Supreme Court by imposing term limits of 18 years, he’d gladly accept that if Congress would also mandate term limits for itself. “If they’re willing to support term limits for members of Congress, that would be a trade that I would make,” he told reporters during a news conference in Tampa on Monday. The Phoenix followed up by asking the Governor whether he could support Congress imposing a mandatory age requirement for Supreme Court Justices, as is the law in Florida. “If you’re going to do it, do it for everybody in office,” he said. “If you want to do it to 75, just don’t apply it to justices, apply it to Congress. Apply it to the executive. If you’re going to do it, that would be one thing.”

Business …

Here's how much money you need to earn to join the top 1% in Florida - In Florida, the No. 8 state nationally, if you earn at least $852,206, you're part of the 1%. Meanwhile, the income threshold for the state's top 5% of earners was $276,217. The latter represents a much larger share, with over 500,000 tax returns filed by the versus 101,940 for the 1% set. [Source: Tampa Bay Business Journal]

'Stop Woke' Workplace Training Law Permanently Blocked by Federal Court - A federal judge has permanently blocked Florida from enforcing legislation that sought to ban diversity training in private business workplaces after an appeals court found the law violated the First Amendment of businesses that want to control how they train workers. The law, passed in 2022 as HB 7 and styled as the "Individual Freedom" law by its authors, was part of Gov. Ron DeSantis' "anti-woke" agenda aimed at reducing promotion of diversity and espousal of liberal ideas in various parts of society. Chief Judge Mark Walker of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, an Obama appointee, had ruled in 2022 that the law was unconstitutional and had temporarily blocked its enforcement pending a challenge. His decision was upheld in March by a federal appeals court, leading Walker to make the injunction permanent on Friday. The law listed eight diversity and race-related concepts that it banned businesses from "endorsing" in discussions with their employees, including ideas around inherent racism or sexism or institutional racism or that anyone should receive "adverse treatment" to achieve diversity, equity or inclusion. The law allowed discussion of such concepts if presented neutrally without endorsing them. Honeymoon registry Honeyfund, a Florida Ben & Jerry's franchisee, and workplace-diversity consultant firm Collective Concepts had challenged the law, claiming they were forced to censor themselves "on important societal matters" and "from engaging employees in robust discussion of ideas essential for improving their workplaces." Associated Press / National Review / Politico / News Service Florida / Fox News

Florida may have to pay businesses' legal fees after ‘Stop Woke' ruling - Florida could face paying attorney fees for businesses that successfully challenged part of a 2022 law that Gov. Ron DeSantis dubbed the “Stop Woke Act.” Attorneys for the businesses Tuesday filed an 11-page motion that asks a judge to determine that the plaintiffs are entitled to recover legal fees and costs. The motion came four days after Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker granted a permanent injunction against part of the law. More from the Tampa Bay Times.

Column: Florida’s workplace laws have changed. Here’s what you need to know - Retired schoolteachers and other public retirees in Florida no longer need to wait a year before they can return to work and start drawing pension benefits along with their new paycheck. Only the state and federal government can impose rules on businesses to try to curb heat-related illnesses among outdoor workers. Those are a few of the new state laws that took effect July 1 with significant implications for Florida’s business community and workforce. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

Fed Signals Interest Rate Cut Coming in Sept. as Inflation Lowers: The Federal Reserve kept interest rates steady for a 12th straight month at its meeting on Wednesday, but Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said it could be the last month, signaling a likely cut in rates at the Fed's September meeting. Powell said the country is nearing the time when rates will have to go down, citing lower inflation and a desire to head off a potential rise in unemployment as prices come down. Ahead of the decision to keep the key rate at a 20-year high of 5.3% in an ongoing bid to stanch inflation, economists said for weeks that they expect the Fed to finally start to cut rates this coming fall. Wall Street Journal / Bloomberg / Politico / USA Today / CNBC / CNN / Reuters / Associated Press

Decreased inflation boosts Floridians’ economic outlook - Consumer sentiment among Floridians increased for the second consecutive month in July, rising to 74.4 points, up 1.2 points from a revised figure of 73.2 in June. In contrast, national consumer sentiment declined for the fourth consecutive month, dipping 1.8 points. More from UF News and Florida Politics.

AAA: Fla Gas Prices Fall Following Significant Oil Price Drop: Florida gas prices yo-yoed over the past week, according to AAA – the auto club group. Gas prices surged by 11 cents to reach $3.55 per gallon early in the week, only to decline by seven cents over the following four days. By Sunday, the state average settled at $3.40 per gallon, up three cents from the previous week. The fluctuation mirrors the recent trends in the crude oil market. In early July, U.S. crude traded at approximately $83 per barrel. Over the past three weeks, oil prices have dropped by 8%, with the most significant weekly decrease occurring last week. Oil prices plunged nearly $3 per barrel, a 4% drop, closing at $77.16 on Friday. This marked the lowest trading price since the first week of June, when the average gas price in Florida hovered around $3.30 per gallon. "Gas prices could move even lower, after a big drop in oil prices last week," said AAA spokesperson Mark Jenkins. "Recent fuel reports show China's crude oil imports are declining. This has driven prices lower, on concerns that global fuel demand is softening." The West Palm Beach area remains the most expensive for refueling at $3.58 per gallon, while the Crestview-Fort Walton Beach region offers the current cheapest gas prices in the state at $3.13 a gallon. AAA Press Release / WPEC

New Study Shows Undocumented Immigrants Contribute to Fla Taxes: The Florida Policy Institute highlighted a recent national study by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, which showed that undocumented immigrants in Florida paid over $1.8 billion in state and local taxes in 2022, a figure that could increase to approximately $2 billion if they were granted work authorization. The report also found that these immigrants pay higher state and local tax rates than the top 1% of households. "In Florida, 57.5 percent of the taxes paid by undocumented immigrants are through sales and excise taxes, 39.3 percent are through property taxes, roughly 2 percent are through business income taxes, and 1.2 percent are through other taxes," the Florida Policy Institute said in a news release. FPI Press Release

ROI Up: Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis said Friday that the Florida Department of Financial Services' Division of Treasury achieved a record $1.95 billion in interest earnings for fiscal year 2023-24. The earnings come from state funds invested by the Division of Treasury, with the interest helping fund essential government projects like roads, schools, and hospitals. This year's earnings nearly double last year's record of $1.1 billion, according to Patronis. "It must be said that we are delivering despite political games played by federal politicians and manipulative financial institutions, like BlackRock, who lost sight of the importance of returns through their focus on ESG," said Patronis in a press release. Since 2017, the Division of Treasury has generated about $6 billion in earnings. Patronis Press Release

State Upholds AAA Credit Rating: Florida maintained a AAA credit rating, according to Fitch Ratings. The new report, released late last week, means Florida has maintained a AAA credit rating for six consecutive years. The report underscores the state's financial flexibility even during economic downturns and highlights the state's effort to pay off a significant portion of outstanding debt in recent years. Other factors mentioned by Fitch include Florida's high state revenue, good spending habits, and recent population growth. "During my time as governor, we have paid off more than a third of all the debt Florida has accumulated since becoming a state in 1845," said Gov. Ron Desantis in a post on X. "Florida now has the lowest per capita state debt in the entire country." Fitch Ratings Report / WKMG / X

St. Johns County preparing for population to double by 2050” via Drew Dixon of Florida Politics — One of the fastest growing counties in Florida and in the United States is going to be nearly doubling in population in the next quarter century. All Florida counties are required by the state to develop Comprehensive Plans to help guide development within the municipalities. But St. Johns has been experiencing massive growth and development this century, and county planners now project that the population in St. Johns could easily exceed 600,000 people by 2050. Workshops and public reviews of the Comprehensive Plan were organized by the St. Johns County Commission this month, allowing residents to get a grip on the possibility of a population explosion from the current number of about 361,000 to about 665,000 in 2050.

COVID …

COVID Cases Up in Florida: COVID-19 cases are rising this summer in Florida, with the state Department of Health reporting 21,531 cases in the first week of July, an 11% increase from April's lowest weekly total of 2,390 cases. County data for July shows high weekly case numbers, with Miami-Dade reporting 4,119 cases in the first week and 3,568 in the second. Broward had 2,225 cases the first week and 1,718 the second. Palm Beach, Hillsborough, and Orange counties each recorded over 1,000 cases both weeks. These numbers surpass the winter spike in January and align with a recent nationwide trend of rising COVID-19 cases. Viral activity in wastewater has been high, but hospitalizations, severity, and deaths have been low, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Central Florida Public Media

Campaigns & Elections …

Poll shows both abortion and cannabis constitutional amendments are leading - A public opinion survey released Tuesday suggests that the proposed constitutional amendment to restore abortion rights to the point of viability is winning, as is the measure that would legalize recreational cannabis for adults. The poll of 774 Floridians who said that they were either definitely or probably voting in the coming election was conducted by the University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Research Lab between July 24 and July 27. [Source: Florida Phoenix]

Gruters Backs Marijuana Amendment - Republican Sen. Joe Gruters said Wednesday that he supports a proposed ballot initiative that will ask voters to allow non-medical use of marijuana in Florida. The announcement puts Gruters, a former chairman of the state Republican Party, at odds with GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis, who opposes the amendment. Gruters, a longtime legislator from Sarasota, said in a statement Wednesday that backing the proposal was common sense and a reflection of putting a priority on "individual freedom," as well as economic growth. "By legalizing recreational marijuana for adults, we can give Floridians access to safe products, generate significant revenue for critical public services and create new job opportunities for Floridians," Gruters said in the statement. Smart and Safe Florida-Gruters Statement / USA Today Network / The Capitolist / Florida Phoenix / Politico Playbook

Police Chiefs, Sheriffs Oppose Marijuana Amendment - Police chiefs and sheriffs in Florida said Tuesday that legalizing non-medical marijuana will increase crime, traffic deaths, homelessness and medical problems. A ballot initiative that Florida voters will consider in November would make possession on marijuana legal without a documented medical need. "We believe that passage of Constitutional Amendment 3 "Adult Use of Marijuana" – otherwise known as recreational marijuana – will hurt public safety and ultimately cost Floridians tax dollars and lives," Florida Police Chiefs Association president Chief Charles Vazquez said in a Tuesday statement. The Florida Sheriffs Association also announced Tuesday that its members voted last week to oppose the amendment. Backers of the proposal say enforcing current marijuana laws are a strain on police time and resources. "Florida's overburdened police deserve more resources and the ability to focus on violent crime," Morgan Hill, a spokesperson for Smart & Safe Florida said earlier this week. Florida Police Chiefs / Florida Sheriffs Association / USA Today Network / Florida Politics

First Poll with Harris in Presidential Race Shows Trump with Florida Lead - A newly released poll from the University of North Florida's Public Opinion Research Lab shows former President Donald Trump, now the GOP nominee for president in this year's election, still holds a seven-point lead over presumptive Democratic nominee Kamala Harris despite a recent boost in Democratic excitement from President Biden deciding not to seek re-election. Trump leads Harris 49% to 42% in Florida, according to the poll, with a 4.6 percentage point margin of error. Another 6% remain undecided or declined to answer. The polling also shows support for the Democrat-backed amendment that voters will see in November that would expand abortion access in the state, and backing for a measure to legalize non-medical marijuana use. Palm Beach Post / Sun Sentinel / Florida Politics

“Poll: About 8 in 10 Democrats are satisfied with Harris in stark shift after Joe Biden drops out” via The Associated Press – Harris appears to have energized Democrats in the early days of her candidacy, with the surge in warm feelings extending across multiple groups, including some key Democratic constituencies that had been especially tepid about Biden. About 8 in 10 Democrats say they would be somewhat or very satisfied if Harris became the Democratic nominee. In a separate poll, taken before Biden dropped out but after his debate against Trump, only about 4 in 10 Democrats said they were somewhat or very satisfied that he was the Democratic Party’s likely nominee for President.

Will voting be harder in Florida for 2024 elections? Drop box changes, what else to know - Florida's Primary Election is coming up in less than three weeks, and the general election is about three months away. Will you be able to cast your vote without hassle? It won't be as easy as it may have been a few years ago. Florida adopted a package of election measures, including requiring drop boxes to be monitored, to strengthen security. But voting rights advocates worry the changes will discourage turnout. More from the Florida Times-Union and USA Today.