Florida Senate - 2026                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. CS for SB 1180
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì182710tÎ182710                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                  Comm: RCS            .                                
                  02/24/2026           .                                
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       The Committee on Fiscal Policy (Arrington) recommended the
       following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Delete everything after the enacting clause
    4  and insert:
    5         Section 1. Subsection (3) of section 125.572, Florida
    6  Statutes, is amended to read:
    7         125.572 Regulation of synthetic turf.—
    8         (3)(a) Upon the Department of Environmental Protection
    9  adopting rules pursuant to subsection (4), a local government
   10  may not:
   11         1.(a) Adopt or enforce any ordinance, resolution, order,
   12  rule, or policy that prohibits, or is enforced to prohibit, a
   13  property owner from installing synthetic turf that complies with
   14  Department of Environmental Protection standards adopted
   15  pursuant to this section which apply to single-family
   16  residential property.
   17         2.(b) Adopt or enforce any ordinance, resolution, order,
   18  rule, or policy that regulates synthetic turf which is
   19  inconsistent with the Department of Environmental Protection
   20  standards adopted pursuant to this section which apply to
   21  single-family residential property.
   22         (b)This subsection does not apply to the adoption or
   23  enforcement of any resolution, order, rule, or policy by a
   24  community development district to enforce deed restrictions.
   25         Section 2. Subsection (7) of section 190.003, Florida
   26  Statutes, is amended to read:
   27         190.003 Definitions.—As used in this chapter, the term:
   28         (7) “Compact, urban, mixed-use district” means a district
   29  consisting of a maximum of 75 acres which is located within a
   30  municipality, and within either a qualified opportunity zone
   31  designated by the United States Department of the Treasury
   32  pursuant to 26 U.S.C. s. 1400Z-1 or a community redevelopment
   33  area created pursuant to s. 163.356, which district that
   34  consists of a maximum of 75 acres, and has development
   35  entitlements of:
   36         (a) At least 400,000 square feet of retail development and
   37  500 residential units; or
   38         (b)At least 250,000 square feet of commercial development
   39  and 500 residential rental units that are affordable for very
   40  low-income, low-income, or moderate-income persons, as defined
   41  in s. 420.0004, s. 420.602, or s. 420.9071.
   42         Section 3. Section 190.0071, Florida Statutes, is created
   43  to read:
   44         190.0071Community development district recall.—
   45         (1)DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term:
   46         (a)“Clerk,” as the context requires, means:
   47         1.If the community development district was established by
   48  ordinance of a local general-purpose government pursuant to s.
   49  190.005(2), the clerk of such local general-purpose government.
   50         2.If the community development district was established by
   51  rule of the Florida Land and Water Adjudicatory Commission
   52  pursuant to s. 190.005(1), the clerk of the circuit court of the
   53  county that contains a majority of the qualified electors of the
   54  district.
   55         (b)“Subdistrict” means the area or region previously
   56  contained in a community development district that has been
   57  merged with one or more other community development districts to
   58  form a surviving merged district pursuant to s. 190.046.
   59         (2)APPLICATION.—Any member of the board of supervisors of
   60  a community development district who is elected to the board by
   61  the qualified electors of the community development district may
   62  be removed from office by the qualified electors of the
   63  district. To be subject to recall, the member must have served
   64  at least one-fourth of his or her term of office at the time a
   65  petition is filed as provided in subsection (4). If the member
   66  represents a subdistrict and is elected only by electors
   67  residing in that subdistrict, only electors residing in that
   68  subdistrict are eligible to sign the petition to recall that
   69  member and are entitled to vote in the recall election. If the
   70  member is elected at large by the electors of the district, all
   71  electors of the district are eligible to sign the petition to
   72  recall that member and are entitled to vote in the recall
   73  election. Members may be removed from office pursuant to the
   74  procedures provided in this section.
   75         (3)GROUNDS FOR RECALL.—The grounds for removal of members
   76  of the board of supervisors of a district elected by qualified
   77  electors are, for the purposes of this act, limited to the
   78  following reasons and must be contained in the recall petition:
   79         (a)Malfeasance;
   80         (b)Misfeasance;
   81         (c)Neglect of duty;
   82         (d)Drunkenness;
   83         (e)Incompetence;
   84         (f)Permanent inability to perform official duties; or
   85         (g)Conviction of a felony involving moral turpitude.
   86         (4)RECALL PETITION.—
   87         (a)Petition content.—A recall petition must contain the
   88  name of the board member sought to be recalled and a statement
   89  of grounds for recall, which are limited solely to those
   90  specified in subsection (3). If more than one member of the
   91  board of supervisors is sought to be recalled, regardless of
   92  whether such member is elected by the electors of a district or
   93  by the electors of a subdistrict, a separate recall petition
   94  must be prepared for each board member sought to be recalled.
   95         (b)Requisite signatures.—The petition must be signed by at
   96  least 10 percent of the total number of registered electors of
   97  the district or of a subdistrict.
   98         (c)Recall committee.—The qualified electors of the
   99  district making charges contained in the statement of grounds
  100  for recall, as well as those signing the recall petition, must
  101  be designated as the recall committee. A specific person must be
  102  designated in the petition as chair of the committee, and such
  103  person shall act on behalf of the committee. The recall
  104  committee and the board member being recalled are subject to
  105  chapter 106.
  106         (d)Signature process.—Only electors of the district or
  107  subdistrict, as applicable, are eligible to sign the recall
  108  petition. Each petition must contain appropriate lines for each
  109  elector’s original signature, which signature must be made in
  110  ink or indelible pencil; printed name; street address; city;
  111  county; voter registration number or date of birth; Florida
  112  driver license number, Florida identification card number issued
  113  pursuant to s. 322.051, or the last four digits of the elector’s
  114  social security number; and the date signed.
  115         (e)Filing of signed petitions.—The recall petition and its
  116  accompanying signature pages must be filed by the chair of the
  117  recall committee no later than 35 days after the date on which
  118  the first signature is obtained on the recall petition. The
  119  petition may not be amended after it is filed with the clerk,
  120  except as provided in subparagraph (h)3.
  121         (f)Notification.—The clerk shall provide written notice,
  122  by certified mail, to both the district’s registered agent and
  123  the board member subject to recall that a recall petition has
  124  been filed, and provide a copy of such petition, within 7 days
  125  of receipt of the recall petition.
  126         (g)Verification of signatures.—
  127         1.No more than 60 days after the date on which the recall
  128  petition is filed, the clerk shall submit the recall petition to
  129  the supervisor of elections, who shall promptly verify the
  130  signatures in accordance with s. 99.097 and determine whether
  131  the requisite number of valid signatures has been obtained. The
  132  recall committee must pay in advance to the supervisor of
  133  elections the actual cost of such signature verification. If the
  134  community development district lies in more than one county, the
  135  clerk must submit the recall petition to the supervisor of
  136  elections in each county in which the district is located. In
  137  such event, the supervisor of elections of each county shall
  138  determine the number of verified and valid signatures that have
  139  been submitted for their respective jurisdictions, and upon
  140  receipt of such determinations, the supervisor of elections of
  141  the county in which the clerk is located shall be responsible
  142  for providing the reporting required by paragraph (h).
  143         2.The petition and its accompanying documents provided to
  144  the clerk must, upon request, be made available in alternative
  145  formats by the recall committee as requested by the clerk.
  146         (h)Reporting.—
  147         1.If the supervisor of elections determines that the
  148  recall petition does not contain the requisite number of
  149  verified and valid signatures, the recall proceedings are
  150  terminated and the clerk must provide written notice of such
  151  insufficiency determination and termination of recall
  152  proceedings to the district’s registered agent, the board member
  153  subject to recall, and the recall committee without taking
  154  further action. Any recall petition deemed insufficient may not
  155  be used in any other proceeding.
  156         2.If the supervisor of elections determines that the
  157  petition has the requisite number of verified and valid
  158  signatures, the clerk must provide written notice, by certified
  159  mail, to the district’s registered agent and the recall
  160  committee of the recall petition sufficiency determination, and
  161  shall serve upon the board member sought to be recalled, by
  162  certified mail, notice of such certification and a request that
  163  the board member submit a rebuttal statement to the clerk within
  164  30 days of receipt of the request.
  165         3.A qualified elector may have his or her name removed
  166  from the recall petition by submitting a signed request in
  167  writing to the clerk stating such intention. Such request must
  168  be made no later than 30 days after the date the elector signed
  169  the petition. Within 7 days of a qualified elector notifying the
  170  clerk to remove his or her name from the recall petition, the
  171  clerk shall recalculate the current percentage of verified and
  172  valid signatures. If the clerk determines that the number of
  173  current verified and valid signatures falls below the threshold
  174  required by paragraph (b), the clerk must send written notice of
  175  such insufficiency determination and termination of recall
  176  proceedings to the district’s registered agent, the board member
  177  subject to recall, and the recall committee without taking
  178  further action.
  179         (5)RECORD OF RECALL PROCEEDINGS.—If the supervisor of
  180  elections determines that a recall petition has the requisite
  181  number of verified and valid signatures, and within 30 days
  182  after the date of receipt of the rebuttal statement or after the
  183  last date a rebuttal statement could have been filed, the clerk
  184  must prepare a document entitled “Record of Recall Proceedings.”
  185  The Record of Recall Proceedings must include the recall
  186  petition, the determination of the supervisor of elections
  187  regarding the amount of verified and valid signatures, and the
  188  rebuttal statement, if provided, or, if no rebuttal statement
  189  was received, an indication that none was received. The Record
  190  of Recall Proceedings must be sent by certified mail to the
  191  district’s registered agent, the board member subject to recall,
  192  and the chair of the recall committee. The district shall post
  193  the Record of Recall Proceedings on its website within 14 days
  194  after receipt.
  195         (6)RECALL REFERENDUM PETITION.—
  196         (a)Petition content.—Upon the receipt of the Record of
  197  Recall Proceedings, the recall committee may circulate a
  198  petition on whether a referendum to recall the board member
  199  should be held. A recall referendum petition must contain the
  200  name of the person sought to be recalled and a copy of the
  201  Record of Recall Proceedings.
  202         (b)Requisite signatures.—The signed recall referendum must
  203  be signed by at least 15 percent of the electors.
  204         (c)Signature process.—All qualified electors of the
  205  district are eligible to sign the recall referendum petition.
  206  Each recall referendum petition must contain appropriate lines
  207  for each qualified elector’s original signature, which signature
  208  shall be made in ink or indelible pencil; printed name; street
  209  address; city; county; voter registration number or date of
  210  birth; Florida driver license number, Florida identification
  211  card number issued pursuant to s. 322.051, or the last four
  212  digits of the qualified elector’s social security number; and
  213  the date signed.
  214         (d)Filing of signed petitions.—The signed recall
  215  referendum petition and its accompanying signature pages must be
  216  filed with the clerk no later than 60 days after the chair of
  217  the recall committee’s receipt of the Record of Recall
  218  Proceedings.
  219         (e)Notification.—The clerk shall provide written notice,
  220  by certified mail, to both the district’s registered agent and
  221  the board member subject to recall that a recall referendum
  222  petition has been filed, and provide a copy of such petition,
  223  within 7 days of receipt of the recall referendum petition.
  224         (f)Verification of signatures.—
  225         1.No more than 30 days after the date on which the recall
  226  referendum petition is filed, the clerk shall submit the recall
  227  referendum petition to the supervisor of elections, who shall
  228  promptly verify the signatures in accordance with s. 99.097 and
  229  determine whether the requisite number of valid signatures has
  230  been obtained. The recall committee must pay in advance to the
  231  supervisor of elections the actual cost of such signature
  232  verification. If the community development district lies in more
  233  than one county, the clerk must submit the recall referendum
  234  petition to the supervisor of elections in each county in which
  235  the district is located. In such event, the supervisor of
  236  elections of each county shall determine the number of verified
  237  and valid signatures that have been submitted for his or her
  238  respective jurisdiction, and upon receipt of such
  239  determinations, the supervisor of elections of the county in
  240  which the clerk is located shall be responsible for providing
  241  the reporting required by paragraph (g).
  242         2.The recall referendum petition and its accompanying
  243  documents provided to the clerk must, upon request, be made
  244  available in alternative formats by the recall committee as
  245  requested by the clerk.
  246         (g)Reporting.—
  247         1.If the supervisor of elections determines that the
  248  recall referendum petition does not contain the requisite number
  249  of verified and valid signatures, the recall vote proceedings
  250  are terminated and the clerk must provide written notice of such
  251  insufficiency determination and termination of recall vote
  252  proceedings to the registered agent of the district, the board
  253  member subject to recall, and the recall committee without
  254  taking further action. Any recall referendum petition deemed
  255  insufficient may not be used in any other proceeding.
  256         2.If the supervisor of elections determines that the
  257  recall referendum petition has the requisite number of verified
  258  and valid signatures, the clerk must provide written notice, by
  259  certified mail, to the district’s registered agent, the board
  260  member sought to be recalled, and the recall committee of the
  261  recall referendum petition sufficiency determination and the
  262  date, time, and location of the recall referendum.
  263         3.A qualified elector may have his or her name removed
  264  from the recall referendum petition by submitting a signed
  265  written request to the clerk stating such intention. Such
  266  request must be made no later than 30 days after the date the
  267  elector signed the petition. Within 7 days of a qualified
  268  elector notifying the clerk to remove his or her name from the
  269  recall referendum petition, the clerk shall recalculate the
  270  current percentage of verified and valid signatures. If the
  271  number of current verified and valid signatures falls below the
  272  threshold required by paragraph (b), the clerk must send written
  273  notice of such insufficiency determination and termination of
  274  recall proceedings to the district’s registered agent, the board
  275  member subject to recall, and the recall committee without
  276  taking further action.
  277         (7)RECALL REFERENDUM.—
  278         (a)Upon its confirmation that the recall referendum
  279  petition has the requisite number of verified and valid
  280  signatures, the supervisor of elections shall fix a day for
  281  holding the recall referendum. The supervisor of elections shall
  282  administer such referendum in accordance with s. 190.006(3)(d).
  283  The recall committee must pay in advance to the supervisor of
  284  elections the actual cost of holding the recall referendum.
  285         (b)Any recall election must be held not less than 30 days
  286  or more than 90 days after the certification, and at the same
  287  time as any other general or special election held within such
  288  period; but if no such election is to be held within that
  289  period, the referendum must be conducted at a special election
  290  to be held within the period aforesaid.
  291         (c)Notice of the recall referendum shall be published by
  292  the district in a newspaper of general circulation in the area
  293  of the district at least 14 days in advance of such referendum.
  294  Notice of the recall referendum shall also be mailed to each
  295  qualified elector at his or her last known address at least 14
  296  days in advance of such referendum. The board shall use and rely
  297  upon the official records maintained by the supervisor of
  298  elections and property appraiser or tax collector in each county
  299  in determining such addresses. The notices shall contain the
  300  date, time, and location of the referendum and shall include a
  301  statement that the Record of Recall Proceedings is available for
  302  review on the district’s website. The recall committee must pay
  303  in advance to the district the actual cost of the recall
  304  referendum notices.
  305         (d)The ballots at the recall referendum must conform to
  306  the following: With respect to each person whose removal is
  307  sought, the question must be submitted: “Shall (name of person)
  308  be removed as a member of the board of supervisors of (name of
  309  community development district) by recall?” Immediately
  310  following each question there must be printed on the ballots the
  311  two propositions in the following order:
  312         ...(name of person)... should be removed from office.”
  313         ...(name of person)... should not be removed from office.”
  314         (e)A recall referendum authorized by this section must be
  315  canceled by the supervisor of elections if the board member
  316  subject to the recall submits his or her resignation, which is
  317  irrevocable, within 20 days after notice is sent via certified
  318  mail pursuant to paragraph (6)(e). The district shall promptly
  319  provide the clerk and the supervisor of elections a copy of any
  320  such resignation, but no more than 7 days after receipt of such
  321  resignation.
  322         (8)FILLING OF VACANCIES CREATED BY RECALL.—
  323         (a)If a majority of the qualified electors of the district
  324  or subdistrict voting in the recall referendum approves the
  325  recall of the board member in the recall referendum, as
  326  determined by the supervisor of elections, the board member
  327  subject to the recall immediately ceases to hold office. The
  328  vacancy created by the recall must be filled by the board of
  329  supervisors pursuant to s. 190.006(4), except that, if three or
  330  more board members are recalled at the same referendum, the
  331  Governor must fill the vacancy pursuant to s. 114.04.
  332         (b)If a majority of the qualified electors of the district
  333  or subdistrict voting in the recall referendum do not approve
  334  the recall, the recall proceedings are terminated.
  335         (9)RESTRICTIONS ON BOARD APPOINTMENT.—A person who is
  336  removed by a recall pursuant to this section, or who resigns
  337  after a petition has been filed against him or her, is not
  338  eligible to be appointed to the district’s board of supervisors
  339  within a period of 2 years after the date of such recall or
  340  resignation.
  341         (10)RETENTION OF PETITION.—The clerk shall preserve all
  342  papers comprising of or connected with a petition for recall for
  343  a period of 2 years after such papers are filed.
  344         (11)OFFENSES RELATING TO RECALL PETITIONS AND RECALL
  345  REFERENDUM PETITIONS.—A person may not impersonate another,
  346  purposely write his or her name or residence falsely in the
  347  signing of any recall petition or recall referendum petition or
  348  forge any name thereto, or sign any paper with knowledge that he
  349  or she is not a qualified elector of the district. A person may
  350  not employ or pay another to accept employment or payment for
  351  circulating or witnessing a recall petition or recall referendum
  352  petition. A person who violates this section commits a
  353  misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s.
  354  775.082 or s. 775.083.
  355         Section 4. Paragraph (e) is added to subsection (3) of
  356  section 190.006, Florida Statutes, to read:
  357         190.006 Board of supervisors; members and meetings.—
  358         (3)
  359         (e)Any board member elected to the board of supervisors by
  360  the qualified electors of the district pursuant to this
  361  subsection is subject to the recall procedures provided for in
  362  s. 190.0071.
  363         Section 5. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.
  364  
  365  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
  366  And the title is amended as follows:
  367         Delete everything before the enacting clause
  368  and insert:
  369                        A bill to be entitled                      
  370         An act relating to community development districts;
  371         amending s. 125.572, F.S.; providing that specified
  372         provisions regarding synthetic turf do not apply to
  373         community development districts enforcing deed
  374         restrictions; amending s. 190.003, F.S.; revising the
  375         definition of the term “compact, urban, mixed-use
  376         district”; creating s. 190.0071, F.S.; defining terms;
  377         authorizing the removal of certain members of the
  378         board of supervisors of a community development
  379         district by recall; specifying requirements for the
  380         recall procedure; specifying the grounds for recall of
  381         elected members; providing for the designation of a
  382         recall committee and committee chair; specifying
  383         requirements for a recall petition; providing that the
  384         recall committee and the member sought to be recalled
  385         are subject to specified campaign financing
  386         requirements; specifying requirements for certain
  387         petitions and signatures; specifying requirements for
  388         filing signed petitions; prohibiting the petition from
  389         being amended after it is filed; providing an
  390         exception; requiring the clerk to make certain
  391         notifications within a specified timeframe; specifying
  392         requirements for the verification of signatures on a
  393         certain petition; requiring the committee to pay in
  394         advance to the supervisor of elections the actual cost
  395         of such verification; providing requirements for
  396         supervisors of elections when verifying signatures;
  397         requiring the clerk to take specified actions if the
  398         supervisor makes certain determinations regarding the
  399         number of signatures; providing that a recall petition
  400         deemed insufficient may not be used in another
  401         proceeding; authorizing an elector to request that his
  402         or her name be removed from certain petitions in a
  403         specified manner; requiring the clerk to take certain
  404         actions in response to such request for removal;
  405         specifying requirements for a Record of Recall
  406         Proceedings; specifying requirements for a recall
  407         referendum; requiring that ballots at such referendum
  408         meet certain specifications; requiring that a recall
  409         referendum be canceled in certain circumstances;
  410         specifying that certain resignations are irrevocable;
  411         requiring that the district promptly provide a certain
  412         copy to the clerk and the supervisor within a
  413         specified timeframe; providing that a board member
  414         subject to recall immediately ceases to hold office if
  415         a majority of qualified electors approves the recall;
  416         requiring that vacancies created by recall be filled
  417         in a specified manner; providing that recall
  418         proceedings are terminated if a majority of qualified
  419         electors do not approve the recall; prohibiting
  420         certain persons from being eligible for appointment to
  421         the board of supervisors for a specified timeframe;
  422         requiring the clerk to preserve certain papers for a
  423         specified timeframe; prohibiting certain actions
  424         related to the specified petitions; providing
  425         penalties; amending s. 190.006, F.S.; providing that
  426         certain board members of community development
  427         districts are subject to specified election recall
  428         provisions; providing an effective date.