By Mark Ryan, City Manager, City of Indian Harbour Beach
Here is a synopsis of some of the bills that have been filed that you may wish to monitor. This is by no means an all-inclusive list. Note: any bill filed in the legislature has the ability to be tracked by you and receive updates for hearings or amendments, and I encourage you to do so
- HB 195 – Public Records
Public Records: Prohibits agency that receives request to inspect or copy record from responding to such request by filing civil action against individual or entity making request.
- SB 196 – Electronic Payment of Governmental Fees
Electronic Payment of Governmental Fees: Requiring clerks of the circuit court to provide an electronic option for payment of court-related fines and other fees; requiring an agency subject to ch. 119, F.S., to provide an electronic option for payment of fees associated with a public records request, etc.
- HB 203/SB 410 – Growth Management
Growth Management: Requires comprehensive plan to include property rights element by a specified date; provides statement of rights that local government may use; provides local government’s property rights element may not conflict with statutorily provided statement rights; requires local land development regulations to incorporate certain existing development orders.
- HB 215 – Firefighters’ Bill of Rights
Firefighters’ Bill of Rights: Requires witnesses be interviewed & information be provided to firefighter before interrogation is conducted; authorizes firefighter to provide voluntary statement at any time after being informed of certain right; prohibits firefighter from being threatened during interrogation; requires copy of interrogation be provided to firefighter within specified timeframe, upon request; requires that firefighter be notified & provided certain information before certain disciplinary actions are taken & given opportunity to address certain findings.
- HB 225 – Clean Energy Programs
Clean Energy Programs: Creates Property Assessed Clean Energy Act; authorizes property owner to apply to approved PACE administrator for loan; authorizes local governments to enter into agreements with PACE administrators; provides requirements for PACE loan contracts; provides certain prohibitions; provides remedies.
- HB 249 – Use of Wireless Communications Devices While Driving
Use of Wireless Communications Devices While Driving: Revises short title & legislative intent; prohibits operation of motor vehicle while holding or touching wireless communications device; provides exceptions; revises circumstances under which certain information may be admissible as evidence in proceeding to determine whether violation has been committed; revises procedures for collection & reporting by DHSMV of information recorded on citation; conforms provisions relating to use of wireless communications devices in school & work zones.
- HB 257 – Acquisition of Certain Professional Services
Acquisition of Certain Professional Services: Provides that Consultants’ Competitive Negotiation Act may not be construed to prevent cooperative purchasing between governmental agencies if certain criteria are met.
- HB 259 – Compensation for Wrongful Incarceration
Compensation for Wrongful Incarceration: Removes eligibility requirements relating to person’s conduct before person’s wrongful conviction & incarceration.
- HB 273 – Carrying of Firearms
Carrying of Firearms: Removes requirement that license to carry concealed firearm is required in order to carry such firearm; limits areas in which concealed carrying of firearm is prohibited; revises criminal penalties; revises provisions relating to carrying of concealed weapons by nonresidents; provides for issuance of concealed carry licenses for reciprocity purposes; specifies that person not otherwise prohibited by law from possessing firearm may own, possess, & lawfully use firearms & other weapons, ammunition, & supplies for lawful purposes.
- HB 279 – Local Government Public Construction Works
Local Government Public Construction Works: Requires local governing board to consider estimated costs of certain projects when making specified determination; requires local government that performs project using its own services, employees, & equipment to disclose costs of project after completion to Auditor General; requires Auditor General to review such disclosures as part of routine audits of local governments.
- HB 281 – First Responder Property Tax Exemption
First Responder Property Tax Exemption: Revises definition of term “first responder,” for purposes of property tax exemption, to include specified law enforcement officers & firefighters; defines “law enforcement officer” for certain purposes; provides applicability.
- SB 288 – Private Property Rights
Private Property Rights: Exempting from the definition of “public utility” property owners who own and operate a renewable energy source device, produce renewable energy from that device, and provide or sell the renewable energy to users on that property, under certain circumstances, etc.
- SB 304 – School Safety Funding
School Safety Funding: Specifying distribution requirements for certain safe schools allocation funds for the 2020-2021 fiscal year; requiring each district school superintendent to remit specified unused funds from the 2019-2020 fiscal year to the Department of Education; authorizing the department, upon request, to redistribute such funds to certain school districts for a specified purpose, etc.
- SB 306 – State Funds
State Funds: Exempting the State Housing Trust Fund and the Local Government Housing Trust Fund from a provision authorizing the Legislature, in the General Appropriations Act, to transfer unappropriated cash balances from specified trust funds to the Budget Stabilization Fund and the General Revenue Fund, etc.
- SB 308 – Traffic Offenses
Traffic Offenses: Citing this act as the “Vulnerable Road User Act”; providing criminal penalties for a person who commits a moving violation that causes serious bodily injury to, or causes the death of, a vulnerable road user; requiring that the person who commits the moving violation pay a specified fine, serve a minimum period of house arrest, and attend a driver improvement course; requiring that the court revoke the person’s driver license for a minimum specified period, etc.
- SB 318 – Sale of Sunscreen
Sale of Sunscreen: Prohibiting the sale, offer for sale, or distribution of certain sunscreen products to a consumer who does not have a prescription for such product, etc.
- SB 326 – Environmental Regulation
Environmental Regulation: Specifying requirements for contracts between residential recycling collectors or recovered materials processing facilities and counties or municipalities for the collection or processing of residential recycling material; prohibiting local governments from requiring further verification from the Department of Environmental Protection for certain projects; revising the types of dock and pier replacements and repairs that are exempt from such verification and certain permitting requirements, etc.
- SB 370 – Safe-school Officers
Safe-school Officers: Requiring district school boards to provide their approval before certain charter schools employ school resource officers and school safety officers; authorizing district school boards to oversee and manage the employment of school resource officers and school safety officers by charter schools within the district; authorizing district school boards to establish best practices for the employment of school resource officers and school safety officers by charter schools within the district, etc.
- SB 398/HB 245- Concealed Weapons and Firearms
Concealed Weapons and Firearms: Prohibiting a concealed weapon or firearm licensee from openly carrying a handgun or carrying a concealed weapon or firearm into any child care facility, etc.
- SB 402 – Assisted Living Facilities
Assisted Living Facilities: Clarifying that an assisted living facility licensed to provide extended congregate care services or limited nursing services must maintain a written progress report on each person receiving services from the facility’s staff; prohibiting a county or municipality from issuing a business tax receipt, rather than an occupational license, to a facility under certain circumstances; requiring a facility to initiate an investigation of an adverse incident within 24 hours and provide a report of such investigation to the Agency for Health Care Administration within 15 days, etc.
- SB 428 – Prohibited Places for Weapons and Firearms
Prohibited Places for Weapons and Firearms: Revising the locations where a concealed weapons or concealed firearms licensee is prohibited from openly carrying a handgun or carrying a concealed weapon or firearm, etc.
- SB 476 – Law Enforcement Vehicles
Law Enforcement Vehicles: Providing that community associations may not prohibit a law enforcement officer from parking his or her law enforcement vehicle in certain areas, etc.
- SB 492 – Public Notification of Pollution
Public Notification of Pollution: Redefining the term “reportable pollution release”; requiring the Department of Environmental Protection to publish certain notices received from the Department of Health or a local governmental entity on a website accessible to the public; requiring the Department of Environmental Protection to provide a written notice to certain homeowners via the United States Postal Service, etc.
- HB 6003 – Firearms
Firearms: Removes provisions authorizing seizure of firearms from persons in certain circumstances, prohibition on firearms ownership or possession until removal of firearm possession & firearm ownership disability, prohibition on persons younger than 21 years of age from purchasing firearms, certain exemptions from firearms purchase waiting period, ban on bump-fire stock, & statute authorizing risk protection orders.
- HB 6009 – Preemption of Firearms and Ammunition
Preemption of Firearms and Ammunition: Repeals provisions preempting the field of regulation of firearms & ammunition to Legislature, to exclusion of local jurisdictions.
The following are key dates for the upcoming 2020 Legislative Session.
November 4-8, 2019 Legislative Interim Committee Week
November 12-15, 2019 Legislative Interim Committee Week
December 9-13, 2019 Legislative Interim Committee Week
January 14, 2020 2020 Legislative Session Begins
March 13, 2020 2020 Legislative Session Ends
