LobbyTools Policy Briefing 4/28/2023

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Budget

Budget Conferencing

Health Care Budget: House and Senate health care budget conferees deferred unresolved matters, such as financing for a statewide graduate medical education program, to the top budget negotiators. There was also no consensus reached between the chambers regarding pediatric funding for hospitals and doctors. House Appropriations Chair Tom Leek and Senate Appropriations Chair Doug Broxson will work towards resolving discrepancies. Additionally, the future of the Casey DeSantis Cancer Research Program is in their hands as they finalize the state budget for fiscal year 2023-24. Florida Politics

Education Budget: Education budget negotiators from both chambers agreed this week to stash $350 million in reserves in case the new school choice expansion program (HB 1 ) costs more than anticipated. The House initially only budgeted $109.7 million but agreed to the Senate's amount on Tuesday. The fund, however, will be made available for school districts to tap into to ensure they are not penalized if fewer students enroll in traditional public schools following the implementation of the new school choice expansion measure. Both chambers also agreed on Monday to update the Florida Education Financing Program, or FEFP, public school funding formula , a major piece in the state’s education budget. Florida Politics

Higher Ed Budget: Lawmakers have reached an agreement on increasing funds for higher education programs. The House conceded to some of the Senate's budget provisions, including $350 million for performance-based university incentives and $2 million for litigation expenses. The House, however, is seeking an additional $120 million for metric-based performance funding, which is based on various criteria, such as employment rates after graduation and wages. The House has also allocated $100 million for Preeminent State Research Universities, while the Senate sought $75 million. Florida Politics

Economic Development: The Senate and House aligned this week on the fate of the state's public-private economic development agency. The Senate agreed to do away with $12 million in funding for Enterprise Florida and repeal the program from state law by Oct. 1. Gov. Ron DeSantis was on an international trade trip this week organized and funded by the state's economic development agency . Lawmakers tout the state's soaring revenues, increased growth and the low unemployment rate as reasons to eliminate Enterprise Florida. Florida Politics / The Capitolist

Tourism: Lawmakers reached an agreement on funding for the state’s tourism agency on Friday. The House, which initially pitched $0 in its first three offers, matched the Senate’s request of funding Visit Florida at $80 million. Gov. Ron DeSantis requested $100 million for the program in his budget recommendations. Florida Politics

Prosecutor Pay: The Senate agreed to the House’s request of $9.5 million for assistant prosecutors’ salaries in the budget, but the allocation of funds by circuit is yet to be determined. The biggest chunk of the increase, $5.5 million, would go towards offsetting higher local costs in high-rent areas. Last year, prosecutors' salaries at the Broward County State Attorney's Office were raised by 20%, but they still fall below the median salary in the county. Florida Politics

Taxes

Tax Package Receives Bipartisan Support in House

The House gave unanimous approval to a $1.4 billion tax package this week that provides tax exemptions for both consumers and businesses. The proposal (HB 7063 ) includes some of Gov. Ron DeSantis' priorities, such as a permanent sales tax exemption on baby and toddler necessities, including diapers, strollers and other items. It also provides a one-year sales tax cut on ENERGY STAR appliances. The measure includes a business rent tax reduction of 1%, from 5.5% to 4.5% for 13 months, which is expected to save businesses around $394.4 million. Other items in the tax package include a permanent sales tax break on gas stoves and several tax free holidays. This year's proposal provides for a 28-day "back-to-school" sales tax holiday over two separate time periods on clothing, school supplies and personal computers. Another tax holiday would run from Memorial Day to Sept. 4, and cover items such as concert tickets, sporting equipment and camping supplies. The bill also provides a "Tool-Time" sales tax holiday in September for tools and other home improvement items, and includes the annual Disaster Preparedness tax holiday. The governor's recommendations, however, for a $170.2 million one-year sales tax exemption on pet food and for a permanent sales tax exemption for over-the-counter pet medications didn't make it into the bill. The tax relief proposal is expected to be the largest in state history, with $300 million more in exemptions than last year’s tax package. A similar tax cut plan in the Senate (SB 7062 ), worth nearly $1 billion, is awaiting consideration on the floor. Neither version includes DeSantis' suggested one-year tax exemption for basic household goods under $25, such as toilet paper and hand soap. A final tax package will be hammered out during budget conferencing between the House and Senate over the weekend and into early next week. Florida Politics / Orlando Sentinel / House Press Release / Eskamani Press Release

Homestead Exemption: The House unanimously voted in favor of a proposal to expand a constitutional amendment passed in 2012, which allows localities to provide homestead exemptions to seniors aged 65 and up who have lived in a home valued under $250,000 for over 25 years. The joint resolution (HJR 159 ) will ask voters if they want to increase the cap to $300,000 starting in 2025. The legislation aims to help low-income seniors keep their homes amid rising property values and tax bills. The measure was sent to the Senate. Florida Politics

Election Law

Senate Passes Resign to Run Change for DeSantis

The Legislature passed a wide-ranging election bill aimed at tweaking some of the details related to voter registration and the process of elections. But those issues were overshadowed somewhat by a provision in the bill that will make clear that Gov. Ron DeSantis can continue to serve as governor while running for president rather than having to resign to run. Democrats said Republicans were trying to allow DeSantis to shirk his responsibilities as governor while running for president – and that politicians shouldn't be able to both serve in a local office while running for a national one that takes them away from their constituents. They noted that DeSantis didn't go to Fort Lauderdale recently after major flooding because he was in Ohio giving speeches. "He shouldn’t be able to be politically married but continue to date," said Democratic Sen. Jason Pizzo . The resign to run provision was only one part of a much broader bill (SB 7050 ) making a number of changes to election law, including the imposition of large fines for voter registration groups that fail to submit registration applications in time, new requirements for additional information to be included on voter registration cards and clarifications of situations in which provisional ballots must be cast. The House passed the bill 76-34 on Friday after it passed earlier in the week in the Senate. The bill now goes to DeSantis. USA Today Network / New York Times / Politico

Federal Appeals Court Upholds Florida Voting Law

A Florida voting law that tightened rules for mail-in ballots and drop boxes shows no evidence that lawmakers deliberately targeted minority voters, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday. A lower federal court judge had struck down the law last year ruling that the law was discriminatory and made it harder for Black voters to cast ballots. But a three judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals said in a 2-1 split decision that evidence did not show that lawmakers deliberately targeted Black voters. The ruling came in a challenge to the law called League of Women Voters of Florida vs. Florida Secretary of State et. al . In addition to changing rules around mailing and dropping off ballots, the law prohibits people from giving snacks and drinks to people in line to vote. The two appeals court judges who were in the majority ruling for Florida were both nominated by Republican presidents, and the dissenting judge was nominated by a Democratic president. Politico / Associated Press / Bloomberg Law

Business Regulation

Disney Sues DeSantis Over 'Anti-business Retaliation'

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts sued Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday, saying the governor is on a "targeted campaign of government retaliation" against the company that is unconstitutional. The entertainment giant also sued the governor's hand-picked oversight board that replaced the former Reedy Creek Improvement District board that had provided services to Disney before the governor and Legislature replaced it. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Tallahassee minutes after the new board named by DeSantis voted to nullify agreements Disney reached with the former board just before it was abolished. The governor sought to take over the local special taxing district after the former Disney CEO criticized legislation pushed by DeSantis that banned classroom instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation in early elementary-school grades. "This government action was patently retaliatory, patently anti-business, and patently unconstitutional,” the complaint reads. "But the Governor and his allies have made clear they do not care and will not stop." Associated Press / Reuters / Orlando Sentinel / Politico /New York Times / NPR / Fox Business

Disney – Political Lawsuit: Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday that a lawsuit filed against him by the Disney company is meritless and political. Associated Press / Orlando Sentinel / ABC News

Disney – Development Agreement: The Senate this week passed legislation (SB 1604 ) aimed at the agreement that Disney and its old special district board reached just before the board was replaced, seeking to retroactively nullify the agreement. The measure, which passed 27-13 mostly along party lines all but one Republican in favor, says that if any special district board is changed from elected to appointed – as was the case with the special Disney board under legislation passed last year – any agreement reached during the three months prior to the change-over can be nullified. Debate and the vote came just hours after Disney filed a lawsuit against the DeSantis Administration over the governor's administrative and legislative actions against the company. Democrats complained that the governor was using Republican legislators for his own "personal vendetta" against the company. "This happens in Venezuela, in Cuba ... not in the United States," said Democratic Sen. Jason Pizzo . The vote in the Senate also followed a vote by the new board appointed by the governor, which was renamed the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Board of Supervisors, which agreed to void Disney's final development agreement with the previous Reedy Creek board .

Disney – Gruters: Sen. Joe Gruters of Sarasota was the only Senate Republican to vote against a measure that would undo an agreement worked out between Disney and its former board just before a new Gov. Ron DeSantis-appointed board took over. Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Disney – Monorail: The Senate was expected to take up on Friday a transportation bill (SB 1250 ) that includes a provision giving the state the ability to inspect Walt Disney World's monorail. The requirement is another part of the ongoing feud between Gov. Ron DeSantis and the entertainment company. The roughly 15-mile monorail carries about 50 million people a year.

Bill Would Keep Minor Leaguers Exempt from Minimum Wage

Professional baseball clubs would continue to be able to pay minor leaguers less than the minimum wage in Florida under legislation (SB 892 ) passed unanimously by the Senate. The move matches an exemption in federal law from 2018 when Congress voted to exempt minor league players from federal wage laws in certain cases. Florida has 12 minor league teams affiliated with Major League Baseball, which include about 500 players. Several MLB teams also conduct minor league spring training in the state. The Senate bill is significantly narrower than a House measure containing the minor league minimum wage exemption. The House bill also would preempt new local "living wage" laws , preventing cities, counties and other governments from passing new measures requiring certain higher wages for contractors.

Senate OKs Vacation Rental Regulation Bill

A measure attempting to set out the line between local and state regulation of short-term vacation rental properties is headed to the House after approval on a 28-10 vote in the Senate on Thursday. The bill (SB 714 ) would allow cities and counties to require vacation rentals – like those rented on platforms like Airbnb or VRBO – to register and pay a fee to do business and allow some local regulations, as well as allowing suspension of the local registration for properties with multiple code violations. Opponents, however, including some local governments, said the bill doesn't allow them enough leeway to control rental properties that essentially serve as party houses, especially those tucked into otherwise quiet residential areas. The bill would also require online platforms to collect and remit sales taxes to the state. It goes next to the House. Florida Politics

Senate Passes Tyre Sampson Act

The Senate on Friday unanimously passed a bill (SB 902 ) that would strengthen regulations on rides at theme parks in response to the death of a teen who fell from a drop tower ride last year in Orlando. The “Tyre Sampson Act,” filed by Orlando Democrat Sen. Geraldine Thompson , would require amusement ride operators to log time spent training staff and keep maintenance records. The state would also get more authority to inspect theme rides under the proposal. The measure went to the House, which was expected to take up the proposal later Friday.

Digital Platform Privacy Measure Ready for Floor Votes

Legislation (SB 262 , HB 1547 ) ready for floor votes in both chambers is intended to give consumers the right to opt out of sharing their personal data on some digital commerce platforms. The bills require companies to get permission to collect and sell personal data, and would also put new disclosure requirements on companies and prevent them from selling personal data without the customer's consent. The measure also would specifically prohibit companies from collecting a consumer’s precise geolocation data or personal information through the operation of a voice recognition feature, without the consumer's approval. Republican backers of the measure are pushing it for the third time – a 2021 version was ruled unconstitutional and a similar effort died in the final days of session last year. The version of the legislation filed this year wouldn't allow customers new abilities to file lawsuits against tech companies as it did in the past. Miami Herald

Drone Delivery: Legislation that would prevent local governments from refusing to issue permits or approvals for drone delivery services unanimously passed the full House Thursday, sending the measure to the governor. The bill (SB 1068 ) aims to encourage the growth of the drone delivery industry by promoting the construction of drone ports. It passed in the Senate earlier. Florida Politics

Kratom: The House unanimously passed legislation (HB 179 ) this week that would ban the sale of kratom to people under 21 and define kratom for the first time under Florida law. Kratom's leaves can be smoked, made into a tea and packaged in gel pill caps, and are touted as a medicinal plant. But federal officials say kratom has a risk of addiction, abuse and dependence, and that deaths related to its use have grown. The Senate took up the House measure and amended it before passing it, meaning it must go back to the House for approval. Florida Politics

Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement

DeSantis Signs Bill Combating Anti-Semitism

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law Thursday aimed at fighting anti-semitism while in Israel on an international trade mission. The legislation (HB 269 ) would provide stronger penalties for hate acts against Jewish people. The bill would make it a crime to put leaflets or other materials on private property with the purpose of intimidating or threatening people, with felony charges possible for credible threats. The measure also creates a new crime of displaying or projecting any images onto a building, structure, or other property without written consent from the owner. The move to strengthen penalties against antisemitic displays comes after reports of multiple incidents of vandalism and hateful messaging around Florida. Antisemitic incidents, including assault, harassment and vandalism, reached a new high across the U.S. in 2021, according to the Anti-Defamation League . The proposal passed both chambers unanimously this month, with nearly all House members signing on to cosponsor the legislation. The governor signed the bill and gave a keynote speech at the Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem, emphasizing his support for the US-Israel alliance and policies that benefit Israel and the Jewish people. Jerusalem Post / Florida Politics / Jewish Journal / NBC News / DeSantis Press Release

Prison Reform Bills Pass House, Go to Senate

The full House advanced two criminal justice bills on Thursday, sending both to the Senate. One (HB 779 ) would give judges the ability to defer the incarceration of pregnant women until 12 weeks after they give birth. It would also require officials to inform women they have a right to take a pregnancy test if they have been in custody for at least three days. The measure, called "Ava's Law," followed the death of a baby whose mother was incarcerated in Alachua County. It passed 112-2, but the Senate companion (SB 730 ) never received a committee hearing. Representatives also passed legislation (HB 1045 ) to create a Certified Peer Specialist Gateway Pilot Program within the Department of Corrections. The program would provide participating inmates with a path to becoming certified peer specialists by offering training hours and experience needed for certification while incarcerated and assisting inmates who complete the program with post-incarceration employment. It received unanimous support on the House floor and a similar Senate version (SB 1012 ) is scheduled to be considered by the full Senate next week. Florida Politics / Hart Press Release

Immigration

Senate OKs Immigration Bill – Sponsor Likens Crisis to ‘Invasion’

The Senate on Friday passed a contentious immigration bill after emotional and angry debate, with Democrats accusing Republicans of pushing the measure to make political points and Republican bill sponsor Sen. Blaise Ingoglia likening the current situation at the nation’s Southern border to “an invasion.” The bill (SB 1718 ), a priority for Gov. Ron DeSantis as he prepares for an expected presidential run, passed 27-10 and goes to the House. The measure has several provisions toughening the laws related to undocumented immigrants, including making it a felony to knowingly and willfully transport into Florida someone when known to be in the country illegally if the federal government hasn’t documented them. The measure also would require private businesses to use the federal E-verify system to check immigration status of workers, prohibit undocumented immigrants with driver’s licenses from other states from legally driving in Florida, and reverse a Florida law that currently allows undocumented law school graduates to be admitted to practice law. One particularly controversial provision would require hospitals to collect data on immigration status , which opponents said will prevent undocumented people from seeking health care when they need it. Democrats said the proposal amounts to political posturing, seeking to draw attention to failures of the Biden Administration to reduce immigration at a time when the governor may be running against the president, while they argue the problem has continued through several federal administrations. Republican backers of the bill countered that the measure was intended to draw attention to the problem – but that it needs focus because the current immigration climate, they say, invites crime, drug smuggling and human trafficking. Florida Politics

Health Care

2021 Redux: Senate Passes Ban on COVID Restrictions

Legislation (SB 252 ) passed Thursday in the Senate would keep in place restrictions on face masks and COVID vaccine mandates, while also giving patients the right to have access to alternative treatments for the disease in consultation with a doctor. The remnant of the furious debates over the COVID pandemic rules from a couple of years ago drew considerably less emotion in debate on Thursday, though Democrats did express some concerns about how the alternative medical treatment provision would work. But in a sign of how much the fury over COVID regulations and requirements has faded, the measure passed easily, on a 29-6 vote. The bill now goes to the House.

House, Senate Clash on Gender Care Ban for Minors

The House and Senate are at odds with a bill (SB 254 ) banning gender-related care for minors in Florida. Senate President Kathleen Passidomo told reporters on Wednesday that she doesn't support a provision that prevents private health insurers and HMOs from covering certain treatments, including puberty blockers, hormone therapy and sex reassignment surgery, regardless of age. The Senate passed a proposal banning such treatments for children earlier this month. The House passed the same legislation but amended it to include language that bans private insurance companies from providing coverage for the care. The House also amended the bill to require minors to stop using puberty blockers or other hormones by Dec. 31, 2023. The Senate instead wants the Florida Boards of Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine to determine if children already receiving treatment such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy, could stay on them. A version of the ban is expected to pass in the remaining days of session with the initiative a priority of Gov. Ron DeSantis. Florida Politics

Senate OKs Medical Conscience Objection Bill

The Senate voted on party lines Friday in favor of a bill (SB 1580 ) allowing doctors and health insurers to opt out of performing or paying for procedures that violate their conscience. The bill doesn't spell out what procedures might be able to be avoided under the conscience provision but says that emergency procedures aren't covered. The bill also makes clear that it doesn't allow health care providers to violate federal discrimination laws. Democrats said they still worried the bill would allow a doctor to refuse care to someone based on gender identity or sexual orientation, or on "lifestyle," such as whether the patient is a drug user. Bill sponsor Sen. Jay Trumbull said the bill covered objections to procedures – not patients – and said the Supreme Court has found that discrimination protections based on sex cover sexual orientation. ?The bill passed 28-11 with Republicans in favor. It still needs House approval.

Since End of CON Hospital Building Booms in Some Places

Since Florida nearly four years ago ended the requirement that health care companies get government approval to open new hospitals, there's been a hospital building boom in some parts of the state. The former practice, in widespread national use until the 1980s, allowed new hospital construction only if a state issued a "Certificate of Need," or CON approval for the new facility. Regulators determined whether to grant a certificate based on criteria such as population growth and existing hospital capacity. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law ending Florida’s approval process in 2019. From 2020 through 2022, companies announced plans to build at least 65 hospitals in Florida – but many of them are crowded into the same already-served areas, not necessarily in underserved parts of the state. KFF Health News

K-12 Education

Alternatives to AP Courses, SAT on Legislative Agenda

Lawmakers working out competing House and Senate budget proposals this week have agreed to spend a combined $2.8 million to develop a Florida program to rival the nationally-offered AP, or advanced placement, courses that students can take for college credit. The AP courses are developed by The College Board, which Gov. Ron DeSantis feuded with this year over the organization's development of an African-American studies program that the governor said overreached in its teaching about Black history. Lawmakers are also pushing a plan to have students take a "classical" exam in lieu of the SAT or ACT tests as a requirement for graduation. Politico / Washington Post

9-11 Heroes: The Senate on Thursday unanimously passed a bill (SB 348 ) requiring middle and high schools to teach students about the Sept. 11, ?2001 terrorist attacks and the response to them as part of "9/11 Heroes Day" every year on Sept. 11. The bill would also require the State Board of Education to revise social studies standards to reflect the requirement. The bill now goes to the House.

Leon Superintendent: State education officials are considering revoking the teaching license of Leon County Schools Superintendent Rocky Hanna, accusing him of violating state laws and rules and allowing "personal political views" to guide his leadership of the school system. If Hanna's license were revoked, it could allow Gov. Ron DeSantis to remove him from his office, to which he was elected. Hanna has publicly criticized a law pushed by DeSantis that bans teaching about sexual orientation in lower grades and another new statute, signed into law this year, that will dramatically expand the state's school voucher system. Hanna also earlier defied a state directive against requiring masks in schools during the height of the COVID pandemic. Associated Press / Politico

Higher Ed

Senate OKs Bill Restricting Teaching About Institutional Racism

A Republican bill aimed at halting what some in the GOP see as revisionist indoctrination about the embedded “institutional racism” in American institutions passed Friday in the Senate over objections from Democrats that the measure is “whitewashing” history and present-day realities. The bill (SB 266 ) restricts what can be taught in introductory college general education courses, barring instruction that claims that American society and government are designed to continue inequities, and other “critical” theories about the way race plays out in society. Democrats said in debate Friday that they feared the bill would prevent college courses from dealing with racism at all, including the teaching of racist acts and beliefs in history involving government, such as slavery, the removal of Native Americans to reservations or the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, or involving American leaders, such as early American slave-holding presidents. But the bill’s sponsor, Republican Sen. Erin Grall , said opponents were ascribing things to the bill that weren’t part of the legislation. “The words on the page don’t match the conversation around the bill,” said Grall. She said nothing in the measure would preclude discussion of historical facts, and as far as introduction to controversial theories of the nature of race in the country, it only requires delaying those discussions until higher level courses. Senate Republicans had earlier in the session targeted “diversity, equity and inclusion efforts,” at universities as part of the bill, but changed the language to say that general education core courses “may not distort significant historical events or include a curriculum that teaches identity politics, … or is based on theories that systemic racism, sexism, oppression, and privilege are inherent in the institutions of the United States and were created to maintain social, political, and economic inequities.” The bill passed the Senate 27-12, mostly along party lines, but with Republican Sen. Jennifer Bradley joining 11 Democrats in opposition.

Public Safety

Breath Interlocks: Drivers who refuse to take a breathalyzer test during a Florida traffic stop would be subject to using an interlock device under a proposal that passed the full House on Thursday. An interlock device requires drivers to blow into it to prove they have not consumed too much alcohol. If a driver fails, the car won't start. Currently, drivers in the state who refuse a breathalyzer test have their licenses automatically suspended. The legislation (HB 197 ) would allow drivers who refuse a breathalyzer test to apply for a hardship license in order to commute to work or school but would require the driver to use an interlock device. It passed 99-15 and goes to the Senate.

Transportation

Bill Readies Roads for Driverless Cars

The Senate Fiscal Policy Committee on Tuesday approved a bill (SB 64 ) that requires the Department of Transportation to establish road grading standards to make roads compatible with the operation of autonomous vehicles, among several other changes to the law governing the agency. State highways are not currently categorized or graded according to their compatibility with autonomous vehicles . The bill requires FDOT to coordinate with federal, regional, and local agencies and industry representatives to set up standards for grading roads according to their compatibility with fully autonomous vehicles. The language is also included in a similar bill (HB 425 ) that unanimously passed the full House on Wednesday. The broader Senate bill also expands the "move-over" law, which requires drivers to move over a lane when there's an emergency vehicle or service vehicle on the side of the highway. The amended bill would add a requirement that drivers move over any time a disabled motor vehicle is stopped and is displaying hazard lights or using flares, or if one or more people are visibly present.

Workplace Law

Public Sector Union Bill Going to Gov

Some public employee union members could find it more difficult to pay their dues, banned from having automatic payroll deductions, under legislation passed by the House Wednesday. The bill (SB 256 ) would also require the union to maintain a membership of 60% or risk losing certification to bargain for employees. Currently, unions are only required to have a membership of at least 50%. Additionally, the bill allows members to leave the union at any time. The measure would affect teachers and health care workers, among other public sector union members, but not law enforcement workers or firefighters. It passed on a 72-44 vote, with some Republicans joining Democrats in opposition. The proposal now heads to the governor's desk. Florida Politics / USA Today Network

Local Government

Bills Requiring Financial Transparency Going to Gov

Municipal elected officials would have to share more financial information with the Commission on Ethics under legislation (SB 774 ) that passed the full House Wednesday. The bill would require city and local government elected officials to disclose their total net worth and all assets and liabilities worth more than $1,000. The governor and Cabinet, legislators, constitutional officers and county commissioners are already subject to revealing that information. The proposal also includes provisions allowing the Ethics Commission to toss complaints stemming from random audits of lobbying reports and raises the maximum civil penalty from $10,000 to $20,000. It passed and now heads to the governor's desk. Another bill (HB 199 ) the House passed on Wednesday would impose increased ethics training requirements on elected special district officials starting in 2024. That one heads to the Senate. Florida Politics

Environment and Climate

Bay, Barrier Island Measures Pass

Lawmakers this week approved two bills aimed at safeguarding the state's natural resources. One proposal (HB 407 ) would allocate up to $5 million a year over five years to the Apalachicola Bay area for projects aimed at enhancing water quality. That measure passed the House and now heads to the Senate for consideration. The other bill (HB 1489 ) would provide greater protection to the Brevard barrier island by designating it as a critical area of state concern. The Brevard barrier island area, which used to be a major sea trout fishing location, has seen its sea trout population decrease by 90% in recent years. That legislation cleared both chambers and is on its way to the governor's desk. Florida Politics

Land Conservation Measure Clears House

The full House unanimously agreed Wednesday to pass a bill (HB 7047 ) requiring the Department of Environmental Protection to set aside $100 million in funds on a yearly basis for the Florida Forever Program for conservation efforts. It would also raise the price limit for contracts from $1 million to $5 million, which require approval from the Internal Improvement Trust Fund Board, and prioritize projects in the Florida Wildlife Corridor or areas at risk of development. It now goes to the Senate. Florida Politics

Septic Tanks: The House unanimously approved legislation (HB 1379 ) that prohibits new septic tanks in places overseen by basin management action plans, or BMAPs, and requires existing developments to switch to centralized sewer systems or enhanced nutrient-reducing septic tanks by 2030. The bill also requires BMAPs to organize water facility upgrades and prioritize advanced waste treatments. Next stop: the Senate. A similar measure (SB 1632 ) there awaits consideration on the floor. Florida Politics

Gas Stoves: The city that started the move in Florida to prohibit local governments from banning natural gas appliances no longer has its ban. A federal court has invalidated Berkeley, California's ban on running gas lines into new construction. It was the nation's first natural gas ban for new buildings, and has led lawmakers elsewhere, including in Florida, to prohibit similar local government regulations. In Florida, recently passed legislation (HB 1281 ) would bar local governments, with some exceptions, from enacting or enforcing any rule, code, policy or even resolution that restricts the use of certain appliances. The measure now heads to Gov. Ron DeSanits’ desk. E&E EnergyWire / Heat Map

Utilities

Gainesville Utility: The full House advanced a bill Thursday that would give the state control over Gainesville Regional Utilities , or GRU. A 2022 auditor general's report cited problems with the local entity's rising debt, high electric rates and other issues. HB 1645 would allow the governor to appoint a new board to run the citizen-owned electric company. Supporters argued the takeover is needed due to the city continuously inflating the utilities’ profits. It now heads to the Senate, which does not have a similar proposal of its own. Gainesville Sun / Alachua Chronicle / Politico / WCJB

Culture

Rush Limbaugh Way: The Senate this week passed a bill (HB 21 ) that includes new names for sections of several roads around the state, including one that drew some opposition. That section – just one of several honorary road namings in the measure – would rename part of Cortez Boulevard in Hernando County as "Rush Limbaugh Way" for the late host of a long-running conservative talk radio show. Democratic Sen. Geraldine Thompson introduced an amendment to instead rename the Hernando County road as "Harry Belafonte Blvd.," but withdrew it. The bill passed 36-2. It had passed the House already, but the Senate added a couple of other road designations to the bill in an amendment, so the measure does need to return to the House.

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