Every year, the Republicans, backed by private corporate interests, are gaining power. In 2022, they became a powerful supermajority in the state legislature. This means they were able to pass indiscreet and hateful legislation affecting our economy, quality of life, and natural resources. Here are some of the policies passed or denied, which could have terrible repercussions for the state’s residents.
Harmful policies from the 2022-23 legislative Session
HB 7067/SB 7050: Elections Omnibus
- The bill creates barriers for organizations that conduct voter registration drives by dramatically increasing fines, implementing shorter deadlines on voter registration forms, and restricting who can assist with voter registration drives.
- SB 7050 threatens organizations with extreme fines and bans permanent legal residents from conducting voter registration, violating their First Amendment rights and requiring volunteer organizations to conduct complete background checks on every volunteer or risk a fine of $50,000 per person.
- Requires organizations to re-register for every single election cycle
- Prohibits prefilled information on registration applications,
- It shortens the amount of time organizations have to return registration applications from 14 days to 10 and increases the fine associated with late delivery,
- Bans noncitizens and individuals with certain felony convictions from handling voter registration applications and imposes fines for each violation of this requirement.
HB 7057/SB 250: No Liability for Utilities after Hurricanes
Says a lot about emergency shelters, allows them to be on private property, creates revolving loans for gov projects.
BUT it was amended at the last minute. Removes liability for utility companies after a hurricane if they don’t restore power, AND removes the requirement for them to do disaster resilience prep.
Florida Politics:
The House passed a bill (HB 250) that would budget billions toward communities impacted by Hurricanes Ian and Nicole. But an amendment by Rep. Mike Giallombardo, a Cape Coral Republican, adds several restrictions on local government. Those include limits on comprehensive amendments and land development regulations retroactive to Sept. 28, the day Hurricane Ian landed in Lee County. There is also a prohibition on development moratoriums until October 2024, which is also retroactive to the storm strike. But among the most controversial changes is language that states public utilities will not be liable for damages based in whole or in part on changes in the reliability and quality of service directly resulting from an emergency or disaster.
HB 125/SB 194: Allows Public Service Commission to set utility rates
Utility System Rate Base Values: Expands the power of the PSC in some areas and makes it easier for utilities to increase rates.
Utility System Rate Base Values:
- Establishes an alternative procedure by which PSC may establish rate base value for specific acquired utility systems.
- Requires that approved rate base value be reflected in acquiring utility’s next general rate case for ratemaking purposes.
- Establishes a procedure for appraisal of acquired utility system.
- Provides contents required for petition to PSC for approval of rate base value of acquired utility system; provides duties of PSC regarding petitions; authorizes PSC to set rates for & classify specific acquired utility systems.
- Requires PSC to consider certain factors for certain rate-base value petitions.
- Requires PSC to adopt rules.
HB 919/SB 1128: Preemption over restricting Utility Services (2021)
Preemption Over Restriction of Utility Services; Prohibiting municipalities, counties, special districts, or other political subdivisions from restricting or prohibiting the types or fuel sources of energy production used, delivered, converted, or supplied by certain entities to serve customers; voiding existing specified documents and policies that are preempted by the act, etc.
HB 1217/SB 1238: Energy Regulation Bill
Energy Regulation: Requiring determinations on building new energy-generating facilities to consider certain factors; prohibiting local governmental entities from requiring or prohibiting certain building materials, vehicles, or home heating elements under certain circumstances; providing an exception; prohibiting the adoption or enforcement of certain state and regional programs to regulate greenhouse gas emissions without specific legislative authorization, etc.
SB 28: Fee’s for Electric Vehicles (2023-4)
Florida electric vehicle owners would pay a registration fee aimed at helping make up for lost gas-tax dollars under a bill proposed Tuesday by Senate Transportation, Tourism and Economic Development Appropriations Chairman Ed Hooper, R-Clearwater.
The proposal (SB 28), filed for consideration during the 2024 legislative session, seeks to impose a yearly registration fee of $200 on electric vehicles that would be in addition to regular registration fees.
The cost would go up to $250 starting in 2029. An annual fee of $50 a year would be imposed on plug-in hybrids. The legislative session will begin Jan. 9.
Fertilizer Ordinance Preemption
The provision would prohibit cities and counties from enacting new summer bans on applying fertilizer. The ban has been promoted to reduce nutrients that cause algae blooms and red tide from flowing into waterways.
- Backers of a move to regulate summertime lawn fertilizer bills included it in the legislature’s appropriations bill at the end of the session. Critics say it was passed without any public discussion – and are now pressing Gov. Ron DeSantis to veto the measure.
- It would preempt local governments from adopting new bans or changing any existing ones. And it authorizes $250,000 on a study from the University of Florida on whether existing bans are effective.
HB 1197/SB 1240: Water pollution preemption – Land & Water Management
Land and Water Management: Prohibits counties & municipalities from adopting laws, regulations, rules, or policies relating to water quality or quantity, pollution control, discharge prevention or removal, or wetlands & preempts such regulation to the state; requires DEP to notify CFO of certain violations; requires CFO to withhold certain funds; repeals provisions relating to land management review teams.
Last Action: 5/5/2023 House – Died in Water Quality, Supply & Treatment Subcommittee
HB 887/SB 732: Heat Illness Prevention Bill
Heat Illness Prevention: Providing responsibilities for certain employers and employees; providing an exception; requiring employers to provide annual training for employees and supervisors; requiring the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, in conjunction with the Department of Health, to adopt specified rules, etc.
Last Event: 03/14/22 S Died in Health Policy on Monday, March 14, 2022 1:02 PM
HB 1617/SB 1718: Immigration Bill
- Makes funding community IDs illegal.
- Requires hospitals to collect immigration status from patients (patients can refuse)
- Requires employers of >25 to use E-verify.
- Restricts undocumented immigrants who are attorneys from practicing law.
- Felonizes anyone who transports undocumented people into the state of Florida.
HB 1191/SB 1258: Use of Radioactive Phosphogypsum in our roads
Phosphogypsum, a waste product from manufacturing fertilizer, emits radon, a radioactive gas. It also contains the radioactive elements uranium, thorium and radium.
The Florida Senate has approved the bill that would authorize the state’s Department of Transportation to use phosphogypsum in “road construction aggregate material.” Phosphogypsum is the waste left behind from mining phosphate rock, commonly used for producing fertilizer, and is known for containing “radioactive material,” according to the EPA.
BILL: Use of Phosphogypsum; Authorizes DOT to undertake demonstration projects using phosphogypsum in road construction aggregate material; requires DOT to conduct study on phosphogypsum as construction aggregate material; provides that phosphogypsum used under specified circumstances is not solid waste & is allowed use in state; authorizes placement of phosphogypsum in specified stack systems.
HB 359/SB 540: Sprawl Bill- “Protect developers from lawsuits bill”
Limiting Comprehensive Plans: Local Government Comprehensive Plans; Providing that the prevailing party in a challenge to a plan or plan amendment is entitled to recover attorney fees and costs; providing that the prevailing party in a challenge to the compliance of a small-scale development order is entitled to recover attorney fees and costs, etc.
HB 1515/SB 170: Preemption Bill – Putting Profit over People
👎HB 1515/SB 170 (Sponsors Brackett/Trumbull)👎
– If corporations think an ordinance has negatively impacted their profits, they can SUE the city or county at the taxpayer’s expense. The ordinance can be reverted if a judge deems it “arbitrary or unnecessary.”
– Handcuffs local governments and prevents them from passing legislation that is good for their communities.
– Takes power away from the people and gives it to multi-million dollar corporations with teams of lawyers.
Local Policies at the County and Municipal Level
Vision 2050
Support: Orange County’s Comprehensive Planning Process
The Vision 2050 will be implemented by adopting a new Land Development Code — the Orange Code — focusing on placemaking standards and context-based regulations. This type of Form-Based Code relies on desired development characteristics rather than what communities seek to avoid.
We are one of the fastest-growing regions in the United States. In fact, by 2050, the County’s population is estimated to increase by 700,000, exceeding 2 million residents. Therefore, we need to prepare for this growth in a smart and responsible way.
Smart Growth and Sustainability are two of Orange County’s key planning goals. Together, we must rethink how we envision our communities by managing infrastructure growth while preserving our priceless cultural, historic, and natural resources.
Orange County Democratic Environmental Caucus 