Florida's Latest News

Ileana Garcia’s revamped bill to support using natural buffers in coastal resiliency gets first Senate OK

An updated version of legislation aimed at expanding the use of green-gray infrastructure that nearly passed last Session is advancing again in the Senate.

Members of the Senate Environmental and Natural Resources Committee voted unanimously for the measure (SB 302), which “promotes the use of nature-based solutions to strengthen Florida’s coastal resiliency,” according to Miami Republican Sen. Ileana Garcia, the bill’s sponsor.

“Florida’s coastlines face growing threats from sea level rise and severe weather, and this bill supports long-term, cost-effective solutions,” she said. “SB 302 positions Florida as a national leader in coastal resilience by combining science, sustainability and smart planning.”

The bill, if approved, would require the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to adopt statewide guidelines for nature-based solutions to coastal resiliency issues and streamline incentivized permitting for green and hybrid infrastructure systems where natural barriers positively supplement or augment manmade shore protections.

It would also encourage local governments to identify vulnerable coastal areas and implement local restoration programs using Resilient Florida grants, support workforce training and flood modeling in nature-based construction, and establish a framework for projects like mangrove restorations, dune reinforcements and living seawalls like those in Miami Beach and Longboat Key.

Flamingo bill gets new wings as House panel backs state bird swap

A fresh attempt to ground the mockingbird and elevate the American flamingo gained new wings as a House committee advanced legislation after a playful debate filled with regional pride and a few pointed questions.

Islamorada Republican Rep. Jim Mooney presented the bill (HB 11) to the House Natural Resources & Disasters Subcommittee, telling members the flamingo has earned its place after years of restoration work in the Everglades and Indian River Lagoon. He argued the bird is iconic, marketable and increasingly visible as populations rebound.

“It’s time for the flamingo to be the state bird,” Mooney said, noting that the mockingbird is also used by five other states. He added that the flamingo “represents a milestone in restoration” and is now found in the Indian River Lagoon, Merritt Island, Bonita Springs, Tampa Bay and St. Marks areas and throughout South Florida.

Mooney also defended the second piece of the bill, which would designate the Florida scrub-jay as the official state songbird. He reminded members it is the only bird found exclusively in Florida.

“Along with the state bird comes the songbird of Florida, which is the only true songbird in the State of Florida, (the) scrub-jay,” Mooney said. “It is actually the only bird that never leaves the State of Florida, it is endemic to the state, so it is here to stay unless we bulldoze it to extinction.” 

4 property tax bills advance to last House committee despite sustained worry over local shortfalls

Four proposed constitutional amendments to overhaul Florida’s property tax framework are now one stop from the House floor after clearing another committee hearing, where Democrats, local officials and policy advocates again warned of adverse impacts.

After three hours of discussion, Republican lawmakers in the State Affairs Committee pushed through the quartet of proposals, which varied in scope. One measure (HJR 201) would eliminate all non-school property taxes for residents with homestead exemptions. Another (HJR 211) would allow homeowners to transfer their accumulated Save Our Homes benefits to a new primary residence, without portability caps or restrictions on home values.

The former, if cleared by both chambers of the Legislature and approved by voters, would result in savings for homeowners — and shortfalls for local governments — of more than $14 billion in 2027 and more than $18 billion per year after.

The latter, far more focused resolution, would lead to a negative yearly impact on local coffers statewide of close to $337 million, according to state economists.

Another proposal (HJR 205) would exempt Florida residents 65 and older from paying non-school homestead property taxes. In its current form, the measure has no long-term residency requirements for beneficiaries and no income threshold.

Meta is fighting Florida's lawsuit targeting Facebook and Instagram

Meta Platforms, Inc., has gone to an appeals court after a circuit judge refused to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the Florida Attorney General's Office alleging that features of Facebook and Instagram are harmful to children and that the company engaged in misrepresentation.

Meta, which operates the social-media platforms, filed a petition last week at the state's 2nd District Court of Appeal after Pasco County Circuit Judge Alicia Polk in October rejected the company's motion to dismiss the case.

The lawsuit, filed in 2024, alleges that the company has violated a law known as the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. But attorneys for Meta argued in last week's petition that the case should be tossed out because of a federal law — widely known as "Section 230" — that helps shield social-media companies from liability and because of the First Amendment.

"The decision below (in circuit court) deprives Meta of its statutory and constitutional rights — rights that preclude this litigation in the first place," attorneys for the company wrote.

"As Florida courts have already determined, Section 230 of the federal Communications Decency Act provides an immunity from suit that prevents interactive computer service providers such as Meta from facing liability based on their role as publishers of third-party content. Separately, rights to freedom of expression in the United States and Florida constitutions protect the editorial decisions Meta makes when publishing that content, as well as other forms of expressive activity."