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March 10, 2003
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FAPA BILL TRACKING REPORT
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STATE OF THE STATE DEMOCRATIC
REBUTTAL | |
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GOVERNOR APPOINTS NEW FLORIDA DOT
SECRETARY | |
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OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST
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GOVERNOR'S STATE OF THE STATE
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FAPA LEGISLATIVE WORKSHOP SURVEY
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The Legislature convened
Tuesday, March 4, 2003. In order to have the
required time at the end of each week to assess
the week’s activities and obtain and compile the
information necessary to produce this report, the
FAPA legislative e-bulletin will be issued, at the
very least, every other Monday. However, please
keep in mind that the Bill Tracking Report is
updated every few days. You do not need to wait
for a copy of this legislative e-bulletin to check
on the status of bills that are of interest to
you. You may do so at any time by going to the
FAPA website at www.floridaplanning.org and
selecting the “Legislative Issues” tab or type in
www.floridaplanning.org/legislative/legislative.htm.
You may also check the status of a bill or review
bill text and amendments from the Florida
Legislature’s website at www.leg.state.fl.us.
Please bookmark these sites for easy access.
BUDGET UPDATE
The respective chairs
of the budget sub-committees indicated that they
expect to receive allocations during the week of
March 10th. The budget estimating conference is
scheduled for today, where a reportedly dim
forecast of state revenues will be projected for
the legislature. The appropriation subs expect to
receive allocations after the estimating
conference, where the difficult task of
prioritizing programs and making cuts begin in
earnest.
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
Most of
bills filed to date that directly interest FAPA
remain shell bills (i.e., they express the
Legislature’s intent to revise Florida Statutes).
Senator Geller’s bill, Senate Bill 434, which will
address urban growth boundaries and infill
development, is not yet in bill drafting. However,
broad concepts for the bill are being discussed,
such as a process for designation and approval of
urban growth boundaries, identifying local
government incentives, encouraging infill
development, and discouraging development outside
the urban growth boundary.
Senator Webster
and Representative Zapata are expected to sponsor
the Governor’s proposal to merge the Department of
Community Affairs and the Department of State. The
proposed statutory revisions are in bill drafting
and we will obtain a draft copy from the
Governor’s staff in advance of the March 14, 2003
FAPA Legislative Policy Committee and Executive
Committee meetings. Governor’s Office staff
confirmed today that the draft bill, which focuses
on the shifting and moving of programs, does
include policy intent language that reinforces the
Governor’s commitment to good growth management.
The Governor’s staff also pointed out that the
merger is about communities, not cost savings,
adding that the Governor’s transition team
recognized the value of merging these
community-based programs before cost issues became
a factor. More on this will be forthcoming after
the FAPA meetings on March 14th.
HB 993 by
Representative Atkisson is also worthy of being
closely monitored. This bill proposes repeal of
the Florida Interlocal Cooperation Act (Section
163.01, F.S.), which has been the foundation for
numerous agreements among local governments and
between local governments and other entities
dating back to 1969. It is cited in approximately
30 other statutes, including those statutes that
grant the state land planning agency the authority
to enter into agreements with local governments,
those that authorize the creation of regional
water supply authorities, and those that grant
powers and duties to Regional Planning Councils.
There is no Senate companion bill at this
time.
Among the bills placed on Committee
Agenda for this week are SB 728, Rural Lands
Protection, scheduled in Senate Agriculture
Committee on March 11th; HB 129, General Water and
Wastewater Utility Facility, scheduled in House
Energy Committee on March 11th; SB 1044, General
Consumptive Uses of Water/Permitting, scheduled in
Senate Comprehensive Planning on March 12th; and
SB 1248, General Mandated Property Reform Task
Force, also scheduled in Senate Comprehensive
Planning on March 12th.
There are several
bills filed related to the High Speed Rail, school
growth, phosphate mining, water resources, water
policy, annexation, land acquisition, regional
transportation authorities, metropolitan planning
organizations, and comprehensive planning, some of
which have been referred to committee while others
await referral.
Recently filed bills
include HB 1307 by Mayfield and an identical
companion, SB 1450 by Bennett, which are related
to emergency communications. The bills include
language, which states that a wireless
telecommunications facility located on any state
or local government property or facility is not
subject to local zoning regulation. The proposal
also states that any wireless communications
facility that is collocated on an existing
facility shall also not be subject to local zoning
regulation and that an existing wireless
communications facility’s pole height may be
increased by 10% of the original permitted height
without the increase being subject to local zoning
control. The Florida League of Cities strongly
opposes these provisions and is urging that they
be rejected.
Another newly filed set of
bills are HB 1473 by Representative Benson and SB
2070 by Senator Sebesta, which propose the
creation of a Florida Public Transit Act. If
passed, the bills would require the Florida
Department of Transportation to develop a
statewide plan, which provides for public transit
and intercity bus service, including the
formulation of a specific program of projects and
project financing and development of state
measures concerning system performance. The bill
would also require the use of some of Florida
DOT’s federal dollars to support a statewide
intercity bus network, including public transit
block grant program funds. The Florida DOT and
Florida Transit Association are analyzing the
bills and have yet to take a position on
them.
We will continue to keep you up to
date on the progress of all of these bills and
apprised of developments as they
arise.
--Lester Abberger, FAPA Legislative
Representative
--Sheri Coven, FAPA Executive
Director
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FLORIDA’S ECONOMY IS
TRANSPORTATION BASED from Floridians for Better
Transportation: At the Tuesday, March 4, 2003,
meeting of the Florida Transportation Commission,
a draft report entitled "Estimates of Florida’s
Transportation Needs 2003-2020” was presented by
FDOT staff. This report, which should be finalized
within the next two months, examined two scenarios
-- one that "maintains" existing transportation
conditions in Florida, and the other that
"improves" them. It indicated that to "maintain
today's physical conditions and service levels" an
additional investment of $2.7 billion would be
needed over each of the next 17 years. While
2003-2020 transportation revenue is anticipated to
be about $110 billion, projected needs will exceed
$157 billion. This difference leaves a
transportation funding shortfall of $47 billion --
$28 billion at the state level and $19 billion at
the local level. This report makes plain that to
simply "tread water," significantly more -- not
less -- transportation investments are needed.
Bottom Line: The connection between transportation
investment and economic growth is well documented
and supports the notion that Florida's economy is
"transportation-based." The success of tourism,
agriculture, and virtually everything else is
literally riding on Florida's transportation
system. Simply put, transportation makes
everything else possible!
SENATORS VOICE
SUPPORT FOR EXTRA HIGHWAY SPENDING: During a
February 27 subcommittee hearing of the Senate
Environment and Public Works Committee,
Republicans and Democrats sent a clear message
that additional money will be needed to pass the
next federal highway bill. The current bill,
TEA-21, is set to expire in September 2003.
Chairman Christopher “Kit” Bond (R-MO) told
Federal Highway Administrator Mary Peters that a
bill funded at the president’s request of $29.3
billion would have difficulty clearing the
subcommittee. He also indicated 64 senators signed
a letter this week calling the Bush administration
proposal inadequate. In the House, the
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee went
on record this week as supporting at least $48
billion next year for highway and transit programs
combined. This compares to $38 billion for these
programs in FY2003 and $36.5 billion under the
president’s FY2004 plan. The House panel also
supports $27.5 million each year for the Small
Community Air Service program. Source: National
Association of Development
Organizations
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