By Mark Ryan, City Manager, City of Indian Harbour Beach
The 2020 Legislative Session is racing toward the conclusion on Friday, March 13, 2020.
As local government practitioners our membership is actively involved in the legislative process. I want to thank the members who work tirelessly to actively engage legislators on issues important to their communities.
Here are just some of the bills we continue to be actively involved in the 2020 Legislative Session.
- Proposed Committee Bill SAC 20-05 – Establishes a six-member task force (two each from governor, speaker and senate). To convene no later than November 2020 and report to Legislature by 2022. Purpose of task force is to “review the governance structure of local governments and whether any changes are necessary to make such governments more efficient.”
- Proposed Committee Bill SAC 20-06 – A permit application required by a county or municipality having jurisdiction and control of the right-of-way of any public road must be processed and acted upon in accordance within a time certain.
- SB 1128/CS HB 1011 – Preempting Local Government Regulations of Vacation Rentals – Preempts regulation of vacation rentals to state; prohibits local law, ordinance, or regulation from allowing or requiring inspections or licensing of vacation rentals; requires licenses issued by Division of Hotels & Restaurants of DBPR to be displayed conspicuously inside licensed establishment; preempts regulation of advertising platforms for vacation rentals to state; provides requirements for advertising platforms; provides appropriations & authorizes positions.
- SB 603 – Allowing Cities and Counties to Establish Smoke-free or Designated Smoking Areas in Public Parks
- SB 1302 – Increasing the Statutory Liability Limits for the State and Local Government – Designating the “Florida Fair Claims Act”; increasing the statutory limits on liability for tort claims against the state and its agencies and subdivisions; revising when a state and its agencies and subdivisions may agree to settle a claim or judgment without further action from the Legislature; requiring that the limitations on tort liability be adjusted every year after a specified date; prohibiting an insurance policy from conditioning the payment of benefits on the enactment of claim bills, etc.
- SB 1174 Communications Services Tax – Revising legislative intent regarding local communications services tax rates; revising downward the tax rate on the retail sale of communications services; deleting a provision that specifies where proceeds of a communications services tax must be deposited and disbursed; requiring dealers to collect and remit local communications services taxes under certain conditions; authorizing the Legislature to appropriate moneys to offset specified direct reductions of the local communications services tax by certain counties and municipalities, etc.
- CS/SB 1270 – Fiduciary Duty of Care for Appointed Public Officials and Executive Officers – Establishing standards for the fiduciary duty of care for appointed public officials and executive officers of specified governmental entities; requiring training on board governance beginning on a specified date; requiring the Department of Business and Professional Regulation to contract for or approve such training programs or publish a list of approved training providers; specifying requirements for the appointment of executive officers and general counsels of governmental entities, etc.
- CS/SB 1066 – Impact Fees – Revising requirements for counties and municipalities that adopt, collect, or administer an impact fee by ordinance and for special districts that adopt, collect, or administer an impact fee by resolution; requiring local governments to provide impact fee credits or other forms of compensation under certain conditions; requiring certain counties and municipalities to establish impact fee review committees, etc. I will be traveling to Tallahassee to testify before the committees.
- SJR 1502 – Information About Counties and Municipalities – Proposing an amendment to the state constitution to require the chief financial officer, as prescribed by general law, to annually provide information about counties and municipalities to residents in a manner that allows residents to compare economic and non-economic factors of each local government, etc.
- CS/SB 1000 – Traffic and Pedestrian Safety – Requiring a pedestrian crosswalk on a public highway, street, or road which is located at any point other than at an intersection with another public highway, street, or road to be controlled by traffic control signal devices and pedestrian control signals that conform to specified requirements; requiring, by a specified date, the entity with jurisdiction over a public highway, street, or road with a certain pedestrian crosswalk to ensure that the crosswalk is controlled by coordinated traffic control signal devices and pedestrian control signals, etc.
- CS/HB 519/CS/SB 1766 Private Property Rights – This proposed legislation CS/HB 519 revises notice of claim requirements for property owners; revises procedures for determination of compensation; authorizes property owners to bring claims against governmental entities in certain circumstances; authorizes property owners to bring actions to declare prohibited exactions invalid; provides for resolution of disputes concerning comprehensive plan amendments under Florida Land Use & Environmental Dispute Resolution Act; requires DOT to afford right of first refusal to previous property owner before disposing of property in certain circumstances.
