1000 Friends of Florida – Legislative Update

1000 Friends of Florida
Legislative Update
Media Release
November 13, 2017 6:00 p.m.

“1000 Friends is opposing new legislation . . . which would preempt local government authority to regulate the trimming, removal or harvesting of trees on private property.

Legislators have convened in Tallahassee for their fourth week of committee meetings in preparation for the 2018 Florida Legislative Session. 1000 Friends continues to track critical conservation and planning legislation being discussed this week relating to Florida Forever, land management, Rural and Family Lands, hurricane impacts, linear facilities and more.

Last week also was a committee week with several bills moving forward and a new bill raising home rule concerns being introduced. Below are some of the highlights of the third committee week:

SB 370 (Florida Forever funding) unanimously passes out of its first committee — As we indicated in our alert last week, Senator Bradley’s SB 370 allocates $100 million annually from the Land Acquisition Trust Fund to the Florida Forever land conservation program. It unanimously passed the Senate Environmental Preservation Committee and next goes before the Appropriations Subcommittee on the Environment and Natural Resources, then the Appropriations Committee and finally the full Senate.

SB 574 and HB 521 (Tree trimming) raise home rule concerns and are opposed by 1000 Friends of Florida — 1000 Friends is opposing new legislation, SB 574 by Steube and HB 521 by Edwards, which would preempt local government authority to regulate the trimming, removal or harvesting of trees on private property.

SB 432 (Community Redevelopment Agencies) passes out of its first committee – Senator Lee’s bill passed its first committee stop in the Senate Community Affairs Committee. SB 432 reforms Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) operation by requiring lobbyist registration, ethical training and financial audits. CRAs are important local government tools for improving blighted neighborhoods without increasing tax rates. HB 17 is related to SB 432 but goes beyond suggesting reasonable fiscal and ethical reforms to also curtail local government tools for improving blighted neighborhoods.

1000 Friends of Florida relies heavily on the support of its members.Please donate now so we can continue to advocate on behalf of all Floridians!
1000 Friends of Florida
www.1000friendsofflorida.org
P.O. Box 5948
Tallahassee, FL 32314