Latest news with #HB913
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
A 'strange' session: As Florida budget stalemate dooms bills, here's what appears dead
Florida lawmakers wrapped up the scheduled last day of the regular session May 2 without a budget and with several major policy bills crashing before the finish line. The dispute means lawmakers will need to return to the Capitol to resolve it. Late in the evening, House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, and Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, said they reached a deal on a "framework" for a final 2025-26 spending plan. Perez said the details still need to be worked out in formal talks, but there would be a $1.6 billion cut to the state sales tax. He had pushed for a cut from 6% to 5.25%, which produced a large gap in the budgets of the House and Senate, leading to the deadlock. Lawmakers agreed to extend the session until June 6 to reach a final agreement. The budget and Albritton's signature 'Rural Renaissance' initiative to infuse rural areas with more revenue, health care, education and transportation options are included in the extension. Despite the emergence of a "framework" for a budget deal, lawmakers in both chambers and on both sides of the aisle say the lengthy fight over the budget isn't ideal and not usual. 'It's a strange session. Probably the strangest one I've been involved in,' said Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill, a staunch Gov. Ron DeSantis ally who was first elected to the House in 2014 before winning a Senate seat in 2022. After squabbling with DeSantis for much of the session, lawmakers passed many of his top priority bills in the final days. On May 2, they passed HB 1205, which imposes new restrictions on the process of gathering petitions to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot. DeSantis believes it is needed to stop fraud rampant in petition drives, but Democrats said it was a move to stamp out the citizen initiative process entirely. More: Gov. DeSantis signs bill for tougher citizen amendment process in Florida Bills to give condo owners more leeway to pay assessments for inspections, repairs and maintenance (HB 913) and require law enforcement to have probable cause before inspecting boats and vessels – something DeSantis dubbed the 'Boater Freedom' bill – were passed on May 1. But for much of the session DeSantis' agenda, which typically steamrolled through the Legislature during the first six years of his tenure, faced a rockier ride. Many of his other priorities didn't gain traction, such as rolling back gun control laws. He also saw House leaders probe a charity connected to First Lady Casey DeSantis and the Senate refuse to confirm several of his appointees. More: Hope Florida probe halted as DeSantis allies refuse to testify DeSantis frequently lashed out at the House, saying the GOP majority was 'stabbing voters in the back' by not moving forward with his agenda, especially on property tax cuts. Perez in turn accused DeSantis of throwing 'temper tantrums' and 'lying' about the House budget. Still Perez, while pushing an overall reduction in the sales tax from 6% to 5.25%, this week convened a select committee to review proposals to cut property taxes next year. The budget gridlock also stymied the priorities of the GOP legislative leaders. A set of bills backed by Perez and favored by the trial bar lobby, including one to roll back a 2022 law eliminating one-way attorney fees in property insurance claim disputes, failed to pass. The deadlock over the budget centered on a disagreement over how much to cut taxes. Perez wants a reduction in the sales tax from 6% to 5.25%, while Albritton believes the $5 billion in revenue loss it will mean each year will prevent the state from paying for needed services for a growing state. The House's preferred budget is $113 billion, while the Senate's is $4.4 billion more. Democrats, mired in superminority status in the Legislature, reveled in the GOP dysfunction. Senate Democratic Leader Lori Berman of Boca Raton said she was disappointed the chambers couldn't pass a budget – the one bill the constitution requires lawmakers to pass each year – in 60 days but said the infighting among Republicans was a boon to her party. 'There were a lot fewer bills than we've seen in other sessions. But I'm happy that here in the Senate that we did not see many of the divisive bills,' Berman told the USA TODAY Network-Florida Capital Bureau. 'The dysfunction worked in the Democrats' favor in that a lot of the really awful bills" didn't pass. Bills backed by DeSantis to remove child labor protections failed to pass, as did other bills to erase programs in state law perceived as diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs and ban governments from displaying gay pride, Palestinian and other flags on its properties. Here's a look at a few of the major bills that failed to pass this session: Bills dealing with property insurance failed to move this year, even as homeowners continue to grapple with large premiums. And a bill (HB 1551) to restore Florida's one-way attorney fee statute for property insurance claim disputes advanced in the House but wasn't heard in the Senate. DeSantis slammed the bill as going backwards on the 2022 changes to the law he says have helped stabilize the market. A bill to allow guns on college campuses (SB 814) was voted down in a Senate committee on March 25. The bill was likely doomed anyway because it was sponsored by then-Sen. Randy Fine, R-Melbourne Beach, who left the Legislature on March 31 to win a U.S. House seat. Another measure to lower the age to buy a rifle from 21 to 18 (HB 759) passed the House on March 26, but the Senate version was never heard in that chamber. The votes on the gun bills came before Phoenix Ikner, 20, killed two people and wounded five more on the Florida State University campus on April 17. More: On YouTube, Phoenix Ikner backed racist conspiracy theory that inspired other mass shootings Two bills backed by big business lobbies to undercut Florida's minimum wage law and remove restrictions on child labor also failed to pass this year. The bill (HB 1225) to allow employers to schedule 16- and 17-year-olds for unlimited hours in a week and for 14- and 15-year-olds who are homeschooled, attend virtual school or who have already graduated to be scheduled to work more hours in a week. The bill passed the House but only advanced through one committee in the Senate. Other legislation (SB 676/HB 541) to give workers in work training, pre-apprenticeship programs or internships the ability to opt to be paid below the minimum wage – which currently sits at $14 per hour in Florida – advanced in both chambers but never made it to the floor in either. The revelation that $10 million from a Medicaid settlement with the state, made as a 'donation' from a Medicaid vendor to the Hope Florida Foundation, a charity supporting the program championed by Casey DeSantis, put intense scrutiny on the program. That money was then funneled to nonprofits that then gave more than $8 million to Keep Florida Clean, a political committee run by James Uthmeier, DeSantis' chief of staff at the time who has since been named attorney general. The committee was used to oppose Amendment 3 on the ballot last November, which would have legalized recreational marijuana. The scrutiny on the program helped kill bills backed by DeSantis that would have codified the Hope Florida program into law and permanently set up a Hope Florida office within DeSantis' office. Gray Rohrer is a reporter with the USA TODAY Network-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at grohrer@ Follow him on X: @GrayRohrer. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: 'Strangest session': Infighting forces Florida Legislature into OT
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
May begins with signature shrimp festival in Fernandina Beach
Welcome to May 1, and the first of many festivals gets underway in Fernandina Beach with the opening parade at the Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival at 6:00 pm. First Alert Chief Meteorologist Mike Buresh is tracking a warm afternoon in the mid to upper 80s well inland and upper 70s along the coast. We stay warm and mainly dry through the weekend with only a chance of a shower or storm developing by late in the Saturday and into Sunday. We ended the month of April with a rainfall deficit of -1.83″ for Jacksonville (at JIA). Three Big Things to Know: Condo owners may benefit from a bill described as fair and workable. Fleming Island State Senator Jennifer Bradley was talking yesterday about a new condo safety bill. HB 913 gives condo associations another year to pass a structural integrity study, and it gives the associations more ways to comply with the state's financial requirements. Fleming says condos are becoming safer due to the bill but the financial impacts are reverberating. The bill now goes to the governor's desk for his signature. Neighbors are coming together to pray for a St. Johns County boy. A vigil was held last night in Julington Creek at Plantation Park for 12-year-old Parker Anderson. He was hurt Monday night in an e-bike crash on Race Track Road. Parker regained consciousness yesterday, but there's no word on his long-term prognosis. A school crossing guard tells First Coast News she misses Parker's smile every morning. Urging you to keep your pets indoors - the city of Atlantic Beach is working with FWC to locate an aggressive coyote. Over two days, the coyote bit at least two people and injured a dog in the Begonia Street area. FWC says if you see a coyote - immediately shout or make a lot of noise and wave your arms. You could also throw stones or turn a hose on it. Students across the state could benefit from a new partnership. Governor Ron DeSantis announced yesterday the Florida Department of Education and Hope Florida are launching a pilot program. It involves placing a Hope Florida Liaison at each school in select districts. The liaisons will act as points of contact to provide Hope Florida resources for students, parents and staff. Those resources include nonprofits and faith-based organizations. DeSantis says he hopes districts throughout Florida will take advantage of the program to help students and families overcome obstacles.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Legislature finally settles its differences on condo bill
Condominiums in front of Bayfront Park in downtown Miami. (Photo by Jackie Llanos/Florida Phoenix) Lawmakers in both chambers of the Florida Legislature voted unanimously Wednesday to pass a bill addressing rising fees for condominium owners, which is one of the items that has sprouted criticism from Gov. Ron DeSantis. With the scheduled end of the session looming mere days away, the Legislature approved a bill, HB 913, that allows condominium associations to secure credit lines and invest funds to pay for building repairs instead of immediately raising large amounts of cash from owners. But lawmakers sponsoring the legislation acknowledged that they will likely have to continue making changes in the future in light of escalating fees following last year's deadline for condominiums to complete studies detailing how much each needs to save to pay for roof and structural maintenance. 'This incredible bill addressing the condominium crisis we have all heard about for the last year gives a lot of financial relief,' Miami Republican Rep. Vicki Lopez said. She's the bill's main sponsor in the House. Fleming Island Republican Sen. Jennifer Bradley filed the Senate's proposal. Lawmakers passed legislation requiring those studies and milestone inspections 30 years after a building's construction, following the 2021 collapse in Surfside of a 12-story condo that killed 98 people. The passage comes amid DeSantis' continued bashing of the Legislature, with emphasis on the House, over their inaction on condos. He called lawmakers to Tallahassee at the beginning of the year for a special session on immigration, condos, hurricane relief, and citizen-led constitutional amendments. The Legislature ended up only addressing immigration ahead of their scheduled session opening in March. 'We have this condo issue, that legislation that caused these crushing assessments,' DeSantis said during a Wednesday press conference about Hope Florida in Fruitland Park. 'We know people need relief from that. We've gotta do it. The Senate's got a great product that can do it.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Senators waited a week to take up the House's proposal, with changes requiring both chambers to make concessions. For example, Bradley's idea to allow condo associations to invest money meant for repairs is still in the bill, but the compromise limits those investments to certificates of deposit. The House's push to allow associations to pay for repairs with credits will also require support from the majority of owners of condo units. The legislation provides some flexibility for associations, carving out condos with only three residential stories from the building inspection requirements and letting associations pause contributions to reserve funds for repairs for up to two years after a milestone inspection, required 30 years after the buildings' construction. With the bill headed to the governor's desk, DeSantis could still harbor objections to it, particularly regarding electronic voting. A quarter of condo owners could petition their association to hold an electronic vote under the bill, which DeSantis has said would incite fraud. Still, one provision that intensified disagreement between the sponsors early made its way to the Senate floor's discussion despite the House abandoning the idea earlier in the process. Lopez originally wanted to prohibit Citizens Property Insurance Corp., the state's property insurer of last resort, from issuing or renewing policies for condominium buildings that haven't completed their building inspections. 'Obviously, ensuring compliance is important, but such a provision would devastate owners in an already weak condo market,' Bradley said, adding that she brought up the removed provision because other senators still raised concerns about it. Both Lopez and Bradley received compliments from their colleagues. Senators made multiple references to constituents yelling at them over the heightened fees. 'Condo meetings are not where you wanna go with a thin skin. I assure you of that,' Bradley said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
CBS News
23-04-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Florida House approves plan allowing credit lines, reserve contribution pauses for condo associations
The Florida House on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved a plan that aims, in part, to ease financial strains on condominium owners, setting up negotiations with the Senate before next week's scheduled end of the 2025 legislative session. Bill hopes to strengthen laws established after the Surfside tragedy The House and Senate bills address condo-safety laws passed after the 2021 collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium building in Surfside that killed 98 people. The laws, passed in 2022 and tweaked in 2023, included requiring "milestone inspections" of older buildings and "structural integrity reserve studies" to determine how much money should be set aside for future major repairs. Milestone inspections were supposed to be completed by Dec. 31 for certain older buildings that are three stories or higher. Some condo associations hit owners with large assessments in the race to comply with the deadline. Assessments are in addition to homeowners' regular association fees. Bills hope to clear up confusion and establish credit lines House bill sponsor Vicki Lopez, R-Miami, said Wednesday her proposal (HB 913) seeks to clear up confusion over current requirements and provide "financial relief" for condo associations by allowing them to use lines of credit in lieu of reserves. Rep. Vicki Lopez, R-Miami, is spearheading efforts to change condominium laws Colin Hackley/News Service of Florida A similar Senate proposal (SB 1742) would allow condo associations to use lines of credit or obtain loans to fund repairs. The Senate bill, sponsored by Fleming Island Republican Jennifer Bradley, also would allow condo associations to "temporarily pause" reserve-fund contributions for up to two years. Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, said the line-of-credit part of Lopez's bill would "be very helpful" to condo owners in her district. "A lot of our condo owners are on a fixed income, and their ability to meet the costs that we established a few years ago is just not realistic. So I do hope this makes it easier to ensure the safety of these buildings will not force the individuals to leave their homes," Eskamani said before the House voted 113-2 to pass the bill, with Rep. Mike Caruso, R-Delray Beach, and Rep. Kiyan Michael, R-Jacksonville, dissenting. Lopez said her bill also clarifies that only buildings with three habitable stories will have to comply with the milestone inspections, an issue she said has caused confusion. The House bill also includes changes that would allow condo owners to cast votes electronically in condo-association elections. Lopez said that many condo owners who do not live in their units "have been disenfranchised" under current law, which requires in-person voting. The proposal would allow electronic voting if at least 25 percent of owners request it. The bill also would prohibit companies or people that perform structural reserve studies from conducting repairs, to avoid what Lopez called "a clear conflict of interest." The Senate version of the bill would require any contractor or "design professional" who bids to perform a structural reserve study to disclose in writing that they intend to bid on the repairs. Both the House and Senate plans would require the state Department of Business and Professional Regulation, which oversees condo boards, to create a standard form for structural integrity reserve studies. Under current law, the studies target features that affect buildings' structural integrity or safety, including roofs, plumbing, structures such as load-bearing walls, electrical systems, waterproofing and exterior painting, and windows and exterior doors. The studies also include other items that have deferred-maintenance expenses of more than $10,000, which the House and Senate proposals would raise to $25,000. Lopez said Wednesday the proposed change would "provide flexibility to exclude certain low-cost repairs or replacements from the studies." Approval came after pressure from DeSantis Approval of the House bill came amid a clash between Republican House leaders and Gov. Ron DeSantis. The governor wanted lawmakers to revise the condo requirements during a special legislative session early this year. The regular session started March 4 and is scheduled to end May 2. Appearing at an event Wednesday in Fort Pierce, DeSantis swiped at the House over myriad issues, including the condo legislation. "You know, you have people that are getting hit with these crushing assessments. They're on a fixed income. A lot of them own their condos outright. They can't afford to fork over $100,000, and this is being put forward basically because of policies that were implemented by the Florida Legislature, so you have a responsibility to … recognize those unintended consequences and help people stay in their homes," DeSantis, who signed the 2022 and 2023 laws, said. "That's what you should be doing, but they haven't been willing to do that yet, either."
Miami Herald
23-04-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Florida House approves condo bill. Can a deal be reached with the Senate?
The Florida House on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved a plan that aims, in part, to ease financial strains on condominium owners, setting up negotiations with the Senate before next week's scheduled end of the 2025 legislative session. The House and Senate bills address condo-safety laws passed after the 2021 collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium building in Surfside that killed 98 people. The laws, passed in 2022 and tweaked in 2023, included requiring 'milestone inspections' of older buildings and 'structural integrity reserve studies' to determine how much money should be set aside for future major repairs. Milestone inspections were supposed to be completed by Dec. 31 for certain older buildings that are three stories or higher. Some condo associations hit owners with large assessments in the race to comply with the deadline. Assessments are in addition to homeowners' regular association fees. House bill sponsor Vicki Lopez, R-Miami, said Wednesday her proposal (HB 913) seeks to clear up confusion over current requirements and provide 'financial relief' for condo associations by allowing them to use lines of credit in lieu of reserves. A similar Senate proposal (SB 1742) would allow condo associations to use lines of credit or obtain loans to fund repairs. The Senate bill, sponsored by Fleming Island Republican Jennifer Bradley, also would allow condo associations to 'temporarily pause' reserve-fund contributions for up to two years. READ MORE: Florida's Surfside law helps developers as condo owners face spiking fees and foreclosures Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, said the line-of-credit part of Lopez's bill would 'be very helpful' to condo owners in her district. 'A lot of our condo owners are on a fixed income, and their ability to meet the costs that we established a few years ago is just not realistic. So I do hope this makes it easier to ensure the safety of these buildings will not force the individuals to leave their homes,' Eskamani said before the House voted 113-2 to pass the bill, with Rep. Mike Caruso, R-Delray Beach, and Rep. Kiyan Michael, R-Jacksonville, dissenting. Lopez said her bill also clarifies that only buildings with three habitable stories will have to comply with the milestone inspections, an issue she said has caused confusion. The House bill also includes changes that would allow condo owners to cast votes electronically in condo-association elections. Lopez said that many condo owners who do not live in their units 'have been disenfranchised' under current law, which requires in-person voting. The proposal would allow electronic voting if at least 25 percent of owners request it. The bill also would prohibit companies or people that perform structural reserve studies from conducting repairs, to avoid what Lopez called 'a clear conflict of interest.' The Senate version of the bill would require any contractor or 'design professional' who bids to perform a structural reserve study to disclose in writing that they intend to bid on the repairs. Both the House and Senate plans would require the state Department of Business and Professional Regulation, which oversees condo boards, to create a standard form for structural integrity reserve studies. Under current law, the studies target features that affect buildings' structural integrity or safety, including roofs; plumbing; structures such as load-bearing walls; electrical systems; waterproofing and exterior painting; and windows and exterior doors. The studies also include other items that have deferred-maintenance expenses of more than $10,000, which the House and Senate proposals would raise to $25,000. Lopez said Wednesday the proposed change would 'provide flexibility to exclude certain low-cost repairs or replacements from the studies.' Approval of the House bill came amid a clash between Republican House leaders and Gov. Ron DeSantis. The governor wanted lawmakers to revise the condo requirements during a special legislative session early this year. The regular session started March 4 and is scheduled to end May 2. Appearing at an event Wednesday in Fort Pierce, DeSantis swiped at the House over myriad issues, including the condo legislation. 'You know, you have people that are getting hit with these crushing assessments. They're on a fixed income. A lot of them own their condos outright. They can't afford to fork over $100,000, and this is being put forward basically because of policies that were implemented by the Florida Legislature, so you have a responsibility to … recognize those unintended consequences and help people stay in their homes,' DeSantis, who signed the 2022 and 2023 laws, said. 'That's what you should be doing, but they haven't been willing to do that yet, either.'
