Governor DeSantis announces proposals for Florida’s Special Legislative Session at a news conference at the Polk County Sheriff’s Office in Winter Haven, FL on January 15, 2024. Courtesy, Governor’s Office
The Florida House of Representatives and Senate will convene at 10:30am today (January 27) for a special session called by the Governor. The question around the Capitol for the past two weeks has been will they or won’t they take up the Governor’s Legislative Special Session Proposals on combatting illegal immigration and strengthening initiative petition integrity on proposed state constitutional amendments. Immigration bills were filed by Senator Blaise Ingoglia (R-Spring Hill) with other lawmakers filing companion bills in the Senate and the House on immigration and ballot initiatives. They include Senator Jay Collins’ SB 18A on ballot initiative integrity and Senator Jonathan Martin’s SB 20A repealing the tuition fee waiver for undocumented immigrants. What is uncertain is whether these bills will be heard. As of our newsletter going to press, there was no Senate or House agenda published. We will keep you apprised about this interesting dynamic between the legislature and Governor DeSantis.
Senate President Ben Albritton. Courtesy, The Florida Channel
Last week the Governor scaled back his special session call to exclude potential condominium rule changes and funding for the My Safe Florida Home program, both of which the legislature is planning to address in its regular 60-day session that begins in just five weeks on March 4. Senate President Ben Albritton and House Speaker Daniel Perez, in their memorandum to lawmakers calling a special session “premature,” also wrote “Condominium safety and ballot initiatives proposing constitutional amendments are complex subjects and should be considered during the regular session, not a truncated special session. As the people’s elected representatives, the Legislature, not the governor, will decide when and what legislation we consider.”
House Speaker Daniel Perez. Courtesy, The Florida Channel
The condo issues revolve around potentially adjusting previously approved law (Senate Bill 4-D and Senate Bill 154) requiring milestone building inspections and reserve studies in order to ensure proper property maintenance and repair. The tougher rules followed the June 2021 Surfside Condo Collapse that killed 98 people. The high cost of compliance with the new law has some condo owners selling while others say they’re stuck paying huge resulting assessments. There are two schools of thought on this among lawmakers: one is to delay or relax some of those changes and the other is to stay the course, reflecting a feeling that condo boards have kicked this can down the road long enough and now need to take their medicine. Another option being discussed is a low-interest or no-interest loan program for income-limited condo unit owners facing special assessments, similar to a Miami-Dade County program. We’d like to know what you, our readers think.
Last week’s snowstorm prompted legislative leaders to move committee and subcommittee meetings from last week to this week. The House has scheduled two days of those meetings for tomorrow (January 28) and Wednesday (January 29) but as of late last night, the Senate hadn’t posted a calendar of any of its committee meetings. Both President Albritton and Speaker Perez extended the deadline to file legislation for the regular session from this past Friday (January 24) to this Wednesday (January 29).
Here are some of the committee meetings of interest this week, with live television coverage provided by The Florida Channel:
Tuesday, January 28
The House Insurance & Banking Subcommittee will hear a presentation “Understanding Citizens Property Insurance Corporation: its Origins, its Similarities and Differences from Private Market Insurance, How it is Funded, and How its Total Policy Count Grows and Contracts.” 1-3pm in 17 HOB (Morris Hall).
The House Natural Resources & Disasters Subcommittee will hear presentations on emergency management from the Department of Commerce, the Department of Transportation, and the Division of Emergency Management. 3:30-5:30pm in 404 HOB (Sumner Hall).
Wednesday, January 29
The House Transportation & Economic Development Budget Subcommittee will receive a presentation from the Division of Emergency Management about the costs of disasters, regional shelters, and updates on warehouse services and the State Emergency Operations Center. 3:30-5:30pm in 314 HOB (Mashburn Hall)
The legislature will have three weeks of consecutive committee meeting beginning next Monday, February 3-21. That will allow lawmakers a week off before beginning their regular session on March 4 that is scheduled to run through May 2.
LMA Newsletter of 1-27-25
