At this month’s Central Hillsborough County Chamber of Commerce (CHCC) luncheon sponsored by TECO, RSA Consulting President Ron Pierce gave the crowd of over 100 attendees his update on some topics Tallahassee is focused on for the upcoming year. He also reminded everyone of the importance of local businesses and chambers to stay engaged in the legislative process, mentioning that the “Tampa Bay region is well represented in Tallahassee and those that represent you do care about you and your businesses concerns.”
During Pierce’s speech, he highlighted several important issues being discussed in both the Senate and House, as well as answered several questions from those in attendance.
Pierce first mentioned the Senate’s focus on the Improving Outcomes for Youth from Foster Care bill, passed in 2024 (Senate Bill 564), which provides youth in Florida’s foster care system with more support as they become adults. This legislation makes an existing independent living support called Aftercare Services available to a population of youth in foster care in group homes to assist with kids aging out of the program.
Second, he said that “water quality and infrastructure improvements using alternative water supplies” is another topic high on the governor’s list. He recently awarded $60 million in alternative water supply funding for 12 projects that will make available more than 28 million gallons of potable water each day. These alternative water supply grants fund projects such as reclaimed water, aquifer recharge and water conservation. This is in addition to the $1.5 billion pledged for Everglades restoration and water quality.
Finally, ‘Rural Renaissance’ was another top priority of the Senate. The Rural Communities bill (Senate Bill 110) is a comprehensive package of legislative proposals designed to create a modern-day renaissance in rural communities across Florida. The bill is aimed at creating opportunities for rural communities to expand education offerings, increase health care services and modernize commerce, in addition to an investment in farm-to-market roads to support the agriculture supply chain that feeds communities across the state additional resources into rural and agricultural communities.
On the House floor, Growth Management, including revisions to the Live Local Act; funding for people with unique abilities; a review of Florida’s health care budget, which makes up 40 percent of the state’s budget; and hurricane recovery efforts are four of the higher-prioritized topics being discussed.
Regarding hurricanes, concerns about misinterpretations of FEMA’s 50/50 rule by both local government and insurance companies are being addressed. Additionally, small communities are in need of expedited processes for issuing permits to rebuild structures in a timely manner. Furthermore, consideration is being given toward a statewide debris haulers contract in the event of natural disasters in order to minimize cleanup costs.
Transportation topics that Pierce mentioned included consideration to merge the region’s metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) of Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties into a single Tampa Bay MPO. This alliance would open the doors to federal funding, including major roads, rapid transit, greenway trails and other transportation improvements. Federal funds need to be matched, but individual counties do not have the necessary funds. The three-county partnership would facilitate that match.
Pierce still expects Brightline’s railway service from Tampa to Orlando to happen, perhaps five to six years away, but told the crowd it opted to explore a Los Angeles to Las Vegas line at this time, so that’s off the table for now. He also expects to see more toll lanes added to interstates throughout the state.
On the insurance topic, Tallahassee thinks homeownes’ rates have plateaued, so do not expect to see a big change in insurance costs this year. Eleven new carriers have been added by the state, and the legislature wants to give these new companies time to absorb policies, believing rates will level off. Auto insurance talks included possibly rolling back personal injury protection insurance (again), and ensuring claims approved but not paid get paid in a timelier manner.
On the repeal of property taxes topic, Pierce reminded the crowd that any change to the state constitution would require a 60 percent supermajority vote to be adopted. He also said this is the third time the topic has been tabled. A big question remains as to how local government will fund budgets without property taxes.
Jeff Campbell is president of the Central Hillsborough County Chamber of Commerce and can be reached at www.centralhillsboroughchamber.com. Pierce can be reached at RSA Consulting’s website, www.rsaconsultingllc.com.
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