2019 Session Update
Week of February 11 – 15
Executive Shuffle
Governor Ron DeSantis appointed Jonathan Satter as Secretary of the Department of Management Services.
Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried named Holly Bell as director of cannabis.
Stats
So far, there have been 1,832 bills filed for the 2019 Session. There are 17 days left until Session starts on March 5th.
Noteworthy this Week
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida lawmakers are seeking to get rid of a commission that meets every 20 years to suggest changes to the state constitution.
The House Civil Justice Subcommittee voted 13-1 on Wednesday to ask voters to repeal the Constitution Revision Commission, which met last year and placed seven items on the 2018 ballot.
Voters approved all seven. They included bans on dog racing, oil drilling in state waters and vaping in workplaces. It also included a measure that extends new rights to crime victims.
Rep. Brad Drake sponsored the bill and said the commission has become a political body proposing major policy changes rather than a body that revises outdated language in the constitution.
Sixty percent of Florida voters would have to approve the proposal in order to repeal the commission.
Permit Fees: SB 142, HB 127
The House bill passed another committee this week, leaving one remaining committee of reference before the proposed legislation moves to the full House for final consideration. The Senate bill is now in the Senate Innovation, Industry, and Technology Committee. The bill requires the governing bodies of counties and municipalities to post permit and inspection fee schedules and building permit and inspection utilization report on their website.
Swimming Pool Definition: HB 757
Representative Ralph Massullo has filed a bill to clarify the definition of a public swimming pool in s. 514.011 F.S. and s. 515.25 F.S. does not include manmade lakes or lagoons with a surface area of 43,000 square feet or more.
Construction Qualifications: HB 351, SB 674
We are concerned these bills would increase unlicensed activity in Florida. Our team met with Sen. Perry, and he agreed this would be a negative outcome and that we do not want to increase unlicensed activity.
Swimming Pool Safety: SB 724, HB 805
As expected, Rep. Webb filed the House companion this week. We met with the Florida Realtors, they will have an internal meeting to discuss strategy, and then update us on their plans as this proceeds.
Floodplain Technical Guidance Document
We are waiting on the Deputy Director to follow up with us on their internal discussions on this matter. We reminded Director Moskowitz that this is time sensitive.
Produced in conjunction with Bruce Kershner, FSPA Regulatory Consultant
