Tallahassee Doing Tallahassee Things:🚨Urgent Alert for Rural Lands and Impact Fees

Rural Florida is under grave threat from the actions of the Florida Legislature. Photo by Brice Claypoole

Below is an illuminating article by Manatee County Commission Chairman George Kruse, reproduced with permission, discussing the grave threats to democracy and home rule currently playing out in Tallahassee. I encourage everyone to share this article and reach out to their State Senator in defense of our community. If we don't act now, we will lose the right to choose our future. –Brice

By George Kruse:

I've previously alerted everyone about #SB1118 going through Tallahassee. It would essentially end the FDAB for rural lands.

Fortunately, that bill looks to be dying (as it should) after its own sponsor could only get a 5-3 pass out of the committee he Chairs. Unfortunately, Tallahassee doesn't like to play fair. So... two days ago, on April 15, the same sponsor moved all the Agricultural Enclave language over to #SB1080 at its final committee stop to sneak it through yesterday (it passed 18-4). I do want to thank Senators Brodeur, Davis, Gruters, and Ingoglia for their bi-partisan opposition to this terrible bill.

Additionally, they decided to add new garbage like requiring “extraordinary” impact fee increases to be approved UNANIMOUSLY by a BOCC, so you only need to own one commissioner to stop fee increases. They’ve also included language that even extraordinary increases must be phased in and that counties that haven’t increased fees in the recent past can’t catch up.

This is such an incredibly destructive bill that I’m shocked any Senator voted for it, much less 18! It’s essentially mandating sprawl while simultaneously removing the local mechanism to fund it. Senate Bill 1080 will remove all local control of growth and force you, the current residents of your counties and municipalities, to pay for it.

All of its committee stops are complete so the next stop for the terrible bill is the Senate floor. No calendar is set at this time but the next session is this coming Wednesday (April 23) so it may be heard, and potentially approved, as early as next week!

The language wasn’t moved in the House bill (#HB1209), and that one hasn’t been heard in a single committee, so it’s essentially dead unless they play the same games. Therefore, a denial of this Senate bill would stop this in its tracks.

Reach out to your Senator and tell them to VOTE NO ON SB1080!

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