Florida Senate - 2026                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. CS for SB 290
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì199546OÎ199546                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
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       The Committee on Fiscal Policy (Truenow) recommended the
       following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Between lines 237 and 238
    4  insert:
    5         Section 2. Present subsections (18) through (30) and (31)
    6  through (54) of section 163.3164, Florida Statutes, are
    7  redesignated as subsections (19) through (31) and (33) through
    8  (56), respectively, and new subsections (18) and (32) are added
    9  to that section, to read:
   10         163.3164 Community Planning Act; definitions.—As used in
   11  this act:
   12         (18) “Ecologically significant parcel” means a parcel of
   13  land located within the boundaries of a low-density municipality
   14  which is currently undeveloped and has been designated as either
   15  rural, conservation, agricultural, or greenspace as provided by
   16  a local government comprehensive plan developed pursuant to s.
   17  163.3177.
   18         (32)“Low-density municipality” means a municipality
   19  existing on or before January 1, 2025, which is less than 2,500
   20  acres in total size and contains a population of 5,000 or fewer
   21  legal residents.
   22         Section 3. Present subsection (7) of section 163.3202,
   23  Florida Statutes, is redesignated as subsection (8), and a new
   24  subsection (7) is added to that section, to read:
   25         163.3202 Land development regulations.—
   26         (7)(a)Notwithstanding any ordinance to the contrary, an
   27  application for a development on an ecologically significant
   28  parcel in a low-density municipality may not be administratively
   29  approved without an attestation provided by the developer, under
   30  penalty of perjury, to the low-density municipality which states
   31  that the development will not exceed a maximum density of 1
   32  residential unit per 20 acres.
   33         (b)This subsection does not apply to applications for the
   34  construction of residential units on an ecologically significant
   35  parcel for the express purpose of providing housing for family
   36  members of the applicant. However, the applicant must provide an
   37  attestation, under penalty of perjury, to the low-density
   38  municipality which states that the residential units being
   39  constructed will be used for such express purpose before the
   40  administrative approval of an application for development.
   41         (c)The density requirements provided in this subsection
   42  may be waived upon a resolution approved by a unanimous vote of
   43  the commission or council of the low-density municipality.
   44         Section 4. Paragraph (d) of subsection (2) of section
   45  212.055, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
   46         212.055 Discretionary sales surtaxes; legislative intent;
   47  authorization and use of proceeds.—It is the legislative intent
   48  that any authorization for imposition of a discretionary sales
   49  surtax shall be published in the Florida Statutes as a
   50  subsection of this section, irrespective of the duration of the
   51  levy. Each enactment shall specify the types of counties
   52  authorized to levy; the rate or rates which may be imposed; the
   53  maximum length of time the surtax may be imposed, if any; the
   54  procedure which must be followed to secure voter approval, if
   55  required; the purpose for which the proceeds may be expended;
   56  and such other requirements as the Legislature may provide.
   57  Taxable transactions and administrative procedures shall be as
   58  provided in s. 212.054.
   59         (2) LOCAL GOVERNMENT INFRASTRUCTURE SURTAX.—
   60         (d) The proceeds of the surtax authorized by this
   61  subsection and any accrued interest shall be expended by the
   62  school district, within the county and municipalities within the
   63  county, or, in the case of a negotiated joint county agreement,
   64  within another county, to finance, plan, and construct
   65  infrastructure; to acquire any interest in land for public
   66  recreation, conservation, or protection of natural resources or
   67  to prevent or satisfy private property rights claims resulting
   68  from limitations imposed by the designation of an area of
   69  critical state concern; to provide loans, grants, or rebates to
   70  residential or commercial property owners who make energy
   71  efficiency improvements to their residential or commercial
   72  property, if a local government ordinance authorizing such use
   73  is approved by referendum; or to finance the closure of county
   74  owned or municipally owned solid waste landfills that have been
   75  closed or are required to be closed by order of the Department
   76  of Environmental Protection. Any use of the proceeds or interest
   77  for purposes of landfill closure before July 1, 1993, is
   78  ratified. The proceeds and any interest may not be used for the
   79  operational expenses of infrastructure, except that a county
   80  that has a population of fewer than 75,000 and that is required
   81  to close a landfill may use the proceeds or interest for long
   82  term maintenance costs associated with landfill closure.
   83  Counties, as defined in s. 125.011, and charter counties may, in
   84  addition, use the proceeds or interest to retire or service
   85  indebtedness incurred for bonds issued before July 1, 1987, for
   86  infrastructure purposes, and for bonds subsequently issued to
   87  refund such bonds. Any use of the proceeds or interest for
   88  purposes of retiring or servicing indebtedness incurred for
   89  refunding bonds before July 1, 1999, is ratified.
   90         1. For the purposes of this paragraph, the term
   91  “infrastructure” means:
   92         a. Any fixed capital expenditure or fixed capital outlay
   93  associated with the construction, reconstruction, or improvement
   94  of public facilities that have a life expectancy of 5 or more
   95  years, any related land acquisition, land improvement, design,
   96  and engineering costs, and all other professional and related
   97  costs required to bring the public facilities into service. For
   98  purposes of this sub-subparagraph, the term “public facilities”
   99  has the same meaning means facilities as defined in s.
  100  163.3164(43) s. 163.3164(41), s. 163.3221(13), or s. 189.012(5),
  101  and includes facilities that are necessary to carry out
  102  governmental purposes, including, but not limited to, fire
  103  stations, general governmental office buildings, and animal
  104  shelters, regardless of whether the facilities are owned by the
  105  local taxing authority or another governmental entity.
  106         b. A fire department vehicle, an emergency medical service
  107  vehicle, a sheriff’s office vehicle, a police department
  108  vehicle, or any other vehicle, and the equipment necessary to
  109  outfit the vehicle for its official use or equipment that has a
  110  life expectancy of at least 5 years.
  111         c. Any expenditure for the construction, lease, or
  112  maintenance of, or provision of utilities or security for,
  113  facilities, as defined in s. 29.008.
  114         d. Any fixed capital expenditure or fixed capital outlay
  115  associated with the improvement of private facilities that have
  116  a life expectancy of 5 or more years and that the owner agrees
  117  to make available for use on a temporary basis as needed by a
  118  local government as a public emergency shelter or a staging area
  119  for emergency response equipment during an emergency officially
  120  declared by the state or by the local government under s.
  121  252.38. Such improvements are limited to those necessary to
  122  comply with current standards for public emergency evacuation
  123  shelters. The owner must enter into a written contract with the
  124  local government providing the improvement funding to make the
  125  private facility available to the public for purposes of
  126  emergency shelter at no cost to the local government for a
  127  minimum of 10 years after completion of the improvement, with
  128  the provision that the obligation will transfer to any
  129  subsequent owner until the end of the minimum period.
  130         e. Any land acquisition expenditure for a residential
  131  housing project in which at least 30 percent of the units are
  132  affordable to individuals or families whose total annual
  133  household income does not exceed 120 percent of the area median
  134  income adjusted for household size, if the land is owned by a
  135  local government or by a special district that enters into a
  136  written agreement with the local government to provide such
  137  housing. The local government or special district may enter into
  138  a ground lease with a public or private person or entity for
  139  nominal or other consideration for the construction of the
  140  residential housing project on land acquired pursuant to this
  141  sub-subparagraph.
  142         f. Instructional technology used solely in a school
  143  district’s classrooms. As used in this sub-subparagraph, the
  144  term “instructional technology” means an interactive device that
  145  assists a teacher in instructing a class or a group of students
  146  and includes the necessary hardware and software to operate the
  147  interactive device. The term also includes support systems in
  148  which an interactive device may mount and is not required to be
  149  affixed to the facilities.
  150         2. For the purposes of this paragraph, the term “energy
  151  efficiency improvement” means any energy conservation and
  152  efficiency improvement that reduces consumption through
  153  conservation or a more efficient use of electricity, natural
  154  gas, propane, or other forms of energy on the property,
  155  including, but not limited to, air sealing; installation of
  156  insulation; installation of energy-efficient heating, cooling,
  157  or ventilation systems; installation of solar panels; building
  158  modifications to increase the use of daylight or shade;
  159  replacement of windows; installation of energy controls or
  160  energy recovery systems; installation of electric vehicle
  161  charging equipment; installation of systems for natural gas fuel
  162  as defined in s. 206.9951; and installation of efficient
  163  lighting equipment.
  164         3. Notwithstanding any other provision of this subsection,
  165  a local government infrastructure surtax imposed or extended
  166  after July 1, 1998, may allocate up to 15 percent of the surtax
  167  proceeds for deposit into a trust fund within the county’s
  168  accounts created for the purpose of funding economic development
  169  projects having a general public purpose of improving local
  170  economies, including the funding of operational costs and
  171  incentives related to economic development. The ballot statement
  172  must indicate the intention to make an allocation under the
  173  authority of this subparagraph.
  174         4. Surtax revenues that are shared with eligible charter
  175  schools pursuant to paragraph (c) shall be allocated among such
  176  schools based on each school’s proportionate share of total
  177  school district capital outlay full-time equivalent enrollment
  178  as adopted by the education estimating conference established in
  179  s. 216.136. Surtax revenues must be expended by the charter
  180  school in a manner consistent with the allowable uses provided
  181  in s. 1013.62(4). All revenues and expenditures shall be
  182  accounted for in a charter school’s monthly or quarterly
  183  financial statement pursuant to s. 1002.33(9). If a school’s
  184  charter is not renewed or is terminated and the school is
  185  dissolved under the provisions of law under which the school was
  186  organized, any unencumbered funds received under this paragraph
  187  shall revert to the sponsor.
  188  
  189  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
  190  And the title is amended as follows:
  191         Delete lines 3 - 6
  192  and insert:
  193         Consumer Services; creating s. 125.489, F.S.; defining
  194         the terms “gasoline-powered farm equipment” and
  195         “gasoline-powered landscape equipment”; prohibiting
  196         counties from enacting or enforcing any law that
  197         restricts or prohibits the use of gasoline-powered
  198         farm equipment or gasoline-powered landscape equipment
  199         or that distinguishes such equipment from any other
  200         equipment under certain circumstances; providing
  201         construction; amending s. 163.3164, F.S.; defining
  202         terms; amending s. 163.3202, F.S.; requiring that
  203         applications for development on certain parcels
  204         include a certain attestation for approval; providing
  205         applicability; providing requirements for the
  206         attestation included in certain applications;
  207         providing a waiver; amending s. 212.055, F.S.;
  208         conforming a cross-reference; creating s. 166.063,
  209         F.S.; defining the terms “gasoline-powered farm
  210         equipment” and “gasoline-powered landscape equipment”;
  211         prohibiting municipalities