Clock's ticking: city mulls proposed bills

With only six weeks remaining in the State Legislative session, the Fernandina Beach city commission is trying to decide whether it should take a proactive role in supporting or opposing proposed bills that impact the city.

In the past, the city commission has only been proactive in supporting legislative bills regarding funding for city projects.

A majority of commissioners favored the city taking measures to make their position clear with legislators, but several needed more time to review the proposed bills on Campbell's list.

Vice Mayor Darron Ayscue, who is also the chairman of the local Republican Party, opposed the city becoming directly involved. "I don't see the need for us to jump into the fray," he said.

Among the bills Ayscue doesn't want to become involved with is Senate Bill 1118, which contains a definition of ethanol as fermentation and not chemical manufacturing. If passed, that would undermine the city's denial of Rayonier Advanced Materials (RYAM) application for a building permit for a bioethanol plant at its Gum Street complex. That bill is among those identified by Campbell and provided to commissioners. She favors the city opposing the bill.

The city contracts yearly with local attorney Buddy Jacobs as its legislative lobbyist in the capacity of garnering support for bills that include funding for city projects.

"Some of them may be dead by then, some of them may be amended by then. I'll give you an updated list," she said.

• HB 503 (Botana) and SB 1196 (Truenow) seeks to cap the rates and revenue of local governments generated by LBT. These revenues play a vital role in funding essential services for businesses, including public safety, zoning, permitting, and code enforcement. Additionally, these revenues contribute to economic development programs that directly benefit businesses. Recommend OPPOSE

• CS/HB 991 (Giallombardo) and SB 1242 (McClain) require all community redevelopment agencies (CRAs) in existence as of July 1, 2025, to terminate by the earliest charter expiration date or by September 30, 2045. The bills prohibit CRAs from initiating new projects or issuing new debt after October 1, 2025, and prohibit the creation of any new CRAs after July 1, 2025. Recommend OPPOSE

• House Economic Infrastructure Subcommittee heard CS/HB 1523 (Busatta) and passed the bill on a 14-4 vote. CS/HB 1523 and SB 1704 (Calatayud) cap municipal utility enterprise fund transfers and eliminate authority to impose a 25% surcharge for extraterritorial water and wastewater service. CS/HB 1523 is now in the House Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee and SB1704 is still waiting to be heard in its first committee. Recommend OPPOSE

• HB703 (Robinson, W.) and SB818 (McClain) revise utility owners' duties after they are notified that their utility is unreasonably interfering with the use or maintenance of a public road or rail corridor. HB703 was heard Wednesday in the House Economic Infrastructure Subcommittee and passed with an 18-0 vote. SB818 has yet to be placed on the agenda for its first committee of reference. Recommend OPPOSE

• HB 1035 (Esposito) and CS/SB1128 (Ingoglia) prevent single-family home building permits from expiring before the next update of the Florida Building Code and provide that permit applications in areas affected by a state of emergency within the past 24 months if certified by a licensed architect or engineer are deemed approved. CS/SB 1128 was heard in the Senate Community Affairs Committee and passed with a 7-0 vote. The House companion has yet to be heard in or placed on the agenda for its first committee of reference. Recommend OPPOSE

• CS/CS/SB 184 (Gaetz) and CS/HB247 (Conerly) require local governments to allow accessory dwelling units by-right in any area zoned for single-family residential use, except for areas designated as planned unit developments or master planned communities. Both bills were heard Tuesday -the Senate bill in the Senate Appropriation Committee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development and the House bill in the House Housing, Agriculture, and Tourism Subcommittee. CS/CS/SB 184 passed on a 15-0 vote and CS/HB 247 passed on a 15-2 vote. Recommend OPPOSE

• SB 1118 (McClain) and HB 1209 (Steele) are broad growth management bills that reduce local government authority over land use and development regulations, favoring developers. A key concern for municipalities is the requirement for administrative approval of certain developments within agricultural enclaves, overriding any local prohibitions in the future land use map or comprehensive plan. This bill was amended to include language that defines ethanol processing. SB passed in Community Affairs 5-3. HB 1209 is still waiting to be heard in its first committee.  Recommend OPPOSE

• HB 1125 (Owen) and SB1 264 (Collins) propose removing Regional Planning Councils from Florida Statutes. This is waiting to be heard by multiple committees in each house. The Northeast Florida Regional Planning Council opposes this legislation. Recommend OPPOSE

• SB 110 (Simon) and HB 1427 (Griffitts) invest $119 million in economic development, infrastructure, and housing to boost rural communities, which would include municipalities located within fiscally constrained counties. SB 110 was heard Thursday in the Senate Fiscal Policy Committee and passed on a 19-0 vote. The House companion is still waiting to be heard or placed on its first committee. Recommend SUPPORT

• SB466 (Leek) and HB659 (Michael) finalizes the location of the State's Black History Museum in St. Augustine. The Northeast Florida Regional Council supports this legislative priority. Recommend SUPPORT