Page 1
March 10, 2023 | Legislative Reporter The 2023 Legislative Session began on March 7 and is scheduled to end on May 5. Governor Ron DeSantis delivered his State of the State Address on March 7 which can be found here. The Bill Tracking Report, as of March 10, can be viewed here. Please review it to see the bills filed that APA Florida is tracking. Note that these tracking reports contain a new feature; if you click on the bill number, you are linked to more information about the bill. If you would like any bills added to this report or would like more information about a specific bill, please contact Stefanie Svisco at ssvisco@floridaplanning.org. Please note: Not all bills are covered in all legislative reports. If a bill was covered in a previous reporter, and no action has taken place since that reporter, the bill will not be discussed until further action has occurred. Thank you. Since the last update, the following bills of interest have been filed that would do the following: •
Create s.373.027, F.S., that would prohibit counties and municipalities from adopting laws, regulations, rules, or policies relating to water quality or quantity, pollution control, pollutant discharge prevention, or removal of wetlands. Preempts regulation to the state, providing applicability and construction and requiring the Department of Environmental Projection to notify the Chief Financial Officer of certain violations. Also requires the Chief Financial Officer to withhold state funds to which the county or municipality may be entitled. (HB 1197, Rep. Maggard. NOTE: This is identical to SB 1240, previously filed.)
•
Require the Department of Transportation to conduct a study regarding the potential merger or dissolution of the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority and the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority. The department report detailing the study results shall be submitted to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives by Jan. 1, 2024. This act shall take effect on July 1, 2023. (HB 1397, Rep. McClure and SB 1532, Sen. Burgess and Collimo)
March 10, 2023 | Legislative Reporter
APA FLORIDA