Florida bills to watch: Condo insurance, election changes and guns
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Florida lawmakers reconvene tomorrow to kick off this year's legislative session, with bills filed to enshrine "Gulf of America" in state statutes and to allow guns but not undocumented immigrants on college campuses.
Why it matters: There are more than 1,300 bills for the Legislature to wade through, each with the potential to reshape our daily lives.
Here are a few we're monitoring:
Condo insurance: Miami Republican Rep. Vicki Lopez filed a bill (HB 913) that would revoke state-run Citizens Property Insurance coverage for condominium associations that have failed to conduct building safety inspections or structural integrity reserve studies.
- Most of the over 11,000 Florida condo buildings required to conduct the studies under a Dec. 31 2024 deadline haven't done so.
Waste management: Amid the debate over how Miami-Dade County will replace the burned-down Doral waste-to-energy facility, state Sen. Bryan Ávila (R-Hialeah Gardens) filed SB 1008, which would prohibit building trash incinerators or waste-to-energy facilities within a half-mile of any residential property, commercial property or school.
- State Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez (R-Doral) filed SB 946 to prohibit a local government from building a waste management facility within two miles of the Everglades Protection Area.
Gun regulation rollback: State Sen. Randy Fine (R-Melbourne Beach) filed bills to lower the state's gun-buying age limit to 18 years old and allow concealed firearm carry on college campuses.
- State Sen. Blaise Ingoglia (R-Spring Hill), meanwhile, introduced legislation to ban the use of artificial intelligence to detect firearms in public areas; it would be a first-degree misdemeanor to do so.
Election changes: Ingoglia also proposed a sweeping elections bill (SB 1414) that includes changes experts say would likely eliminate citizen-led ballot campaigns to amend the state constitution.
- It would also prohibit the use of student ID cards when voting, among other provisions.
Another immigration crackdown: Fine's bill (SB 244) would prohibit state universities with acceptance rates below 85% from accepting applications from or admitting undocumented students.
- State Sen. Joe Gruters (R-Sarasota) filed legislation to revoke the law licenses of undocumented immigrants on Nov. 1, 2028, unless proof of U.S. citizenship is provided on or before that date.
- State Sen. Jason Pizzo (D-Hollywood) filed a bill to expand E-Verify – a system that verifies employees' immigration status – to all employers, with penalties of up to $10,000 in fines. State Rep. Berny Jacques (R-Seminole) filed a similar bill without the penalties.
Gulf of America: State Sen. Nick DiCeglie (R-Indian Rocks Beach) wants to change all references to the Gulf of Mexico in state statutes to the Gulf of America after President Trump renamed the body of water.
Insurer of first resort: A bipartisan bill (HB 13) aims to require Citizens Property Insurance Corp. to make windstorm coverage available to all homeowners statewide.
How to watch: You can watch the House, Senate and committee hearings online at the Florida Channel.
- Plus, you can visit www.flsenate.gov to track bills and receive email alerts.