2024 FAA IMPACT Legislative Conference

Florida Apartment Association Legislative Conference 2024 Recap

Advocacy is a cornerstone of SEFAA's mission. On February 12-14th of 2024, a few of our members lobbied at the Florida Apartment Association Legislative Conference, powered by IMPACT. This event provided a valuable opportunity to engage with Florida senators and representatives. Here are some of the distinguished officials we had the privilege to meet:

Senator Alexis Calatayud, Senator Bryan Avila, Senator Jason Pizzo, Senator Lauren Book, Senator Tina Polsky

Representative Alina Garcia, Representative Ashley Gantt, Representative Chip LaMarca, Representative David Borrero, Representative Kevin Chambliss, Representative Lisa Dunkley, Representative Marie Woodson, Representative Robin Bartleman

Below are some bills to be on the lookout for as the senate progresses.

Legislative Priorities

1. Enhancement of the Live Local Act: The Live Local Act of 2023 introduced valuable tools to address Florida's housing supply needs, including a property tax discount program for affordable housing. However, the current requirement of 50 residential units can be prohibitive for smaller-scale adaptive reuse projects. SB 328/HB 1239 aims to enhance the Live Local Act by reducing parking requirements and preventing restrictions on the floor area ratio for qualifying developments. SEFAA supports this bill and encourages lawmakers to amend it to allow property tax discounts for adaptive reuse projects with 20% affordable units, regardless of the total number of units.

2. Clarification of "Florida banking institution" definition: To address issues related to security deposit lawsuits, SB 1466/HB 1305 seeks to clarify the definition of "Florida banking institution" in Chapter 83 of Florida State Statute. SEFAA supports this clarification to prevent frivolous lawsuits.

3. Preservation of the "local option" property tax discount: The Live Local Act introduced the "local option" property tax discount for affordable housing, requiring local governments to renew the ordinance every four years. SB 1440/HB 1299 aims to preserve this discount's longevity. Despite current legislative challenges, SEFAA remains hopeful for its inclusion in other related bills during the session.

For more information on SEFAA's legislative initiatives and bills, please log in to your member profile to access FAA's linked dashboard.