On Mach 24-25, 2025, a group of BASF Builders and Staff traveled to Tallahassee, for FHBA’s Spring Legislative conference. During this conference, we met with numerous State Legislators at the Capitol. We discussed issues of concern to South Florida builders and developers, including the Live Local Act and much more. See BASF’s Position Paper on key issues below.
FHBA Legislative Conference March 24-26, 2025
Mitigation Banking: SB 492/HB 1175 (Sen. McClain/Rep Duggan) – BASF supports this proposed legislation would allow mitigation banking credits to be made available to builders in adjacent wetland basins, when nearby credits are depleted. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers currently permits this process with good success for all parties. The bill would include streamlining of DEP approval of permit applications also.
Further BASF is working with Miami-Dade Environmental Department (DERM) to improve the County’s existing but degraded Environmentally Endangered Lands (EEL) and obtain some credits through the existing EEL program.
Affordable Housing/Live Local Act edits SB 1730/HB 943 – (Sen. Calatayud/Rep. Lopez) BASF members support this legislation and prepared a short list of edits, to resolve issues that are specific to urbanized counties, including: clarifying key definitions, resolving issues related to outdated covenants, and removing other unintended obstacles to building more affordably-priced housing, especially in cost-burdened South Florida.
Prohibition of Art Impact fees and refining Extraordinary Circumstances – SB 482/HB 665: (Sen. DiCeglie/ Rep. Steele)- BASF supports the refined definitions which limits “Extraordinary Circumstances” for adoption of Local Government Impact Fees, prohibits local governments from requiring developers to install or fund public art. BASF and FHBA continue support the collection of legally adopted impact fees to mitigate new development impacts to infrastructure. However, local governments, school districts, and special districts have begun to increase fees by an additional 25% in two equal increments, claiming increase is an “extraordinary circumstance.” Last Action:
Safe Waterways Act, SB 156/HB 73 (Sen. Rodriguez/Rep. Gossett-Seidman); BASF supports this legislation, which would transfer bacteriological water testing from the Department of Health (DOH) to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and enhances inter-agency data sharing, among other things. If passed, bill would enable DEP to delegate this function to counties to conduct water testing, which would be done faster and more efficiently than current DOH timeframes.
Abolishing Community Redevelopment Agencies, SB 1242/HB 991 (Sen. McClain/Rep. Giallombardo) – BASF has concerns about existing bill, as a segment of members utilize this important funding source to build affordable housing projects; bill needs refinement to focus on streamlining CRA process, not ban them outright; bill would prohibit creation of any new CRAs as of July 1, 2025; and would terminate most existing CRA’s by a certation date; Prohibits CRAs from initiating new projects or issue new debt on or after October 1, 2025, unless there is existing funding for said project.
Thank you for the opportunity to present BASF’s views! For further information or for questions, please contact Ms. Truly Burton, BASF Executive Vice President, at 786-877-9046 or trulyburton@basfonline.org