Legislative Reporter We see a Florida where our communities, economies, and environments all thrive.
The legislature completed Week 4 of the nine-week legislative session, moving closer to completing the substantive committee meeting process and, perhaps, beginning to shift focus toward each chamber’s respective budget. As the session approaches the halfway point, pressure is mounting for lawmakers to advance their bills through “the process.” Committee chairs signaled the likelihood of their final committee meetings occurring very soon, meaning many bills that have not been heard by an initial committee may not make it to the finish line. Week 4 was also rumored to be the week initial budget proposals were released, but that was not the case. Instead, some light bickering between the House and Senate led to a delay, drawing speculation that it won’t be a seamless budget negotiation process in the final half of the session. New this year at the Florida Planning Summit, APA Florida launched a Legislative Day at the Capitol, giving members the opportunity to directly engage in the legislative process. On Jan. 29, following a legislative session update and interactive training on effective communication with elected officials, members headed to the Capitol to put those skills into action. Nearly 30 members participated in the legislative track, meeting with 22 legislators from across the state. A smaller group also met with staff from the Governor’s Office and representatives from the Department of Environmental Protection and Florida Commerce. During their meetings, members highlighted APA Florida’s role as a trusted planning resource and shared APA Florida’s legislative priorities. Discussions included support for SB 840, the SB 180 fix bill, as well as concerns with SB 354/HB 299 (Blue Ribbon Projects) and SB 948/HB 1143 (the “Florida Starter Homes Act”). Conversations emphasized the need for additional planning input and guardrails in both proposals. Overall, the Legislative Day was a productive and successful effort, strengthening APA Florida’s relationships within both the legislative and executive branches and elevating the voice of planning at the Capitol. Below is an update on the bills APA Florida is tracking this session. The full tracking list is here. Priority bills here.
Priority Bill Action (Alphabetically) Affordable Housing – HB 1389 by Rep. Mike Redondo (R-Miami) and SB 1548 by Sen. Alexis Calatayud (R-Miami) make a variety of changes regarding the Live Local Act, passed during the 2023 Regular Session The bills provide that the preemptions of the Live Local Act permitting the development of affordable housing apply on any property owned by a county, municipality, or school district, provide that a local government may not utilize other dimensional means such as setbacks to constructively restrict the height of an authorized project, provide that farming and farm operations are excluded from the definitions of commercial, industrial, or mixed-use zoning, permit the utilization of the Live Local Act in the vicinity of airports when approved by the airport’s governing body, and clarify language around the prohibition against discriminating against affordable housing development in land use decisions by a local government, and waives sovereign immunity in cases based on such discrimination. The proposed effective date is July 1, 2026. (Senate Staff Analysis) SB 1548 passed the Senate Community Affairs Committee on Feb. 3 by a vote of 8-0. Agricultural Enclaves – CS/SB 686 by Sen. Stan McClain (R-Ocala) and HB 691 by Rep. Adam Botana (R-Bonita Springs) revise the definition of “agricultural enclave” and create an expedited public hearing process requiring local governments to certify a parcel as an agricultural enclave as defined in s.163.3164, if one or more adjacent parcels or an adjacent development permits the same density as, or higher density than, the proposed development If the local government