Preserve Your Community! Amy’s Sandbox
PC Users
All Other Users
We are asking you to send an email to Governor DeSantis urging him to VETO Senate Bill 620: Local Business Protection Act.
If passed, this will be the first-of-its-kind law in the country prioritizing business profits over the needs and best interests of communities.
It will cost you money, hinder local governing bodies, and overall be detrimental to communities by:
- Allowing businesses to threaten local governments with lawsuits paid for by YOU, the taxpayer;
- Leading to a number of financially motivated and malicious lawsuits, costing local governments millions annually, forcing those local governments to increase taxes and/or reduce services to cover legal fees; and
- Providing national companies the ability to exploit the bill for their financial advantage against local ordinances.
Don't forget to include your name and city of residence!
We are asking you to send an opposition email to the State Senate regarding SB 280 - Local Ordinances. If passed, this bill will cost local governments more time and money in the process of enacting ordinances while also increasing liability in order to comply with the mandates of the bill: https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2022/280/BillText/Filed/PDF If this bill passes, the process of setting common-sense ordinances to protect stakeholders, including business owners, and preserve the community standard will be drawn out by the requirement of the municipality to perform and publish a business impact statement. Please click the links above (depending on what device you're using) to send an email to each Senate Committee member. You may change the subject line and/or text supplied within the email as you see fit. For PC USERS: For ALL OTHER USERS: Dear Senator, Please vote AGAINST SB 280: LOCAL ORDINANCES. If allowed to become law, SB 280 will cost local governments more time and money in the process of enacting ordinances while also increasing liability. When local government officials consider proposed ordinances, they focus on the impact to the entire community. This bill asks those officials to give more weight to impact on businesses – even those outside of the community. This bill sends a clear message that business benefit trumps that of the entire community. I am not anti-business and appreciate the benefit businesses bring to my community, but I am opposed to more consideration being given to how something meant to serve the entire community will impact businesses. For these reasons, I request you vote AGAINST SB 280. Thank you for your leadership and thoughtful consideration of how this matter impacts your constituents. Respectfully,PC Users
All Other Users
This bill will be discussed on the Senate floor Thursday, January 27, 2022.
NOW is the time to take action and email State Senators to urge them to OPPOSE SB280!
Be sure to add your name and city of residence at the bottom of your email.
**If the above email buttons do not work for you, below are the email addresses of the senators. Clicking on the list will open a new email and you can cut and paste the subject line and body of the email from below.**
We are asking you to send an opposition email to the members of the Senate Community Affairs Committee considering SB 280 - Local Ordinances. If passed, this bill would force local governments to raise your ad valorem taxes in order to comply with the mandates of the bill: https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2022/280/BillText/Filed/PDF If this bill passes, local governments won't be able to set common-sense ordinances to protect stakeholders, including business owners, and preserve the community standard without first spending money to perform a business impact statement for ANY proposed ordinance. As restrictive as the bill is to local governments, it allows for a lot of leeway for businesses in that a business owner who doesn't like the potential impact an ordinance would have on their operations could file a lawsuit to stop the ordinance. So not only has your local government spent money to perform a business impact statement, but it would also then have to pay attorney fees and court costs to defend against the lawsuit. Senate Bill 280 will be heard Wednesday, January 12, 2022, by the Community Affairs Committee! Please click the links below (depending on what device you're using) to send an email to each Senate Committee member. You may change the subject line and/or text supplied within the email as you see fit. Be sure to add your name and city of residence at the bottom.Stop SB280 – Local Governments
PC Users
All Other Users
PC Users
All Other Users
We are asking you to send an opposition email to the members of the House Regulatory Reform Subcommittee considering HB 325 Vacation Rentals. If passed, this bill would not only limit vacation rental regulations a local municipality could place on vacation rentals, but also the registration fee. HB 325 (2022) - Vacation Rentals | Florida House of Representatives (myfloridahouse.gov)
If this bill passes, a municipality would be limited to set a vacation rental registration fee of no more than $50!
- A property safety inspection costs more than $50, and that is just one of many components and associated costs necessary in the vacation rental registration process.
- The vacation rental registration fees charged by a municipality are NOT profit, but simply cover the costs associated with ensuring the safety and compliance with local laws of a vacation rental property. Issues that directly impact you as a resident, business owner, or visitor.
- If municipalities are limited to charging no more than $50 for vacation rental registration, the funds to cover the other associated costs will come out of your pocket in the form of tax increases.
House Bill 325 will be heard Thursday, January 27, 2022, by the House Regulatory Reform Subcommittee.
Now is the time to act and send an email opposing this bill!
Please click both links above (depending what device you're using) to send an email to each Senate Committee member. You may change the subject line and/or the text supplied within the email as you see fit.
Be sure to add your name and city of residence at the bottom of your email.
**If the above email buttons do not work for you, below are the email addresses of the Representatives. Clicking on the list will open a new email and you can cut and paste the subject line and body of the email from below.**
OPPOSE HB325
Dear Representative,
Please vote against further consideration of HB 325: VACATION RENTALS. If allowed to become law, HB 325 will force local governments to increase my taxes and/or cut staff. Neither option is acceptable.
The fees collected by my local government for vacation rental registrations is not profit, but covers the costs associated with ensuring the health and safety of not only the visitors renting the vacation property but also the surrounding community.
Property inspections alone cost more than the meager $50 this bill proposes registration fees be limited to, which means my tax dollars will have to go toward paying for the inspection of someone else’s income-generating property. And what about the ongoing efforts of my local government’s staff to ensure laws and ordinances are enforced? Will my taxes have to be raised to cover the costs associated with enforcement of someone else’s income-generating property?
For these reasons, I request you vote AGAINST HB 325. Thank you for your leadership and thoughtful consideration of how this matter impacts your constituents.
Respectfully,
Preserve Your Community! Amy’s Sandbox
PC Users
All Other Users
We are asking you to send an opposition email to the members of the Senate Committee on Community Affairs considering SB 512 Vacation Rentals. If passed, this bill would not only limit vacation rental regulations a local municipality could place on vacation rentals, but also the registration fee. https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2022/512/BillText/Filed/PDF
If this bill passes, a municipality would be limited to set a vacation rental registration fee of no more than $50!
- A property safety inspection costs more than $50, and that is just one of many components and associated costs necessary in the vacation rental registration process.
- The vacation rental registration fees charged by a municipality are NOT profit, but simply cover the costs associated with ensuring the safety and compliance with local laws of a vacation rental property. Issues that directly impact you as a resident, business owner, or visitor.
- If municipalities are limited to charging no more than $50 for vacation rental registration, the funds to cover the other associated costs will come out of your pocket in the form of tax increases.
Senate Bill 512 will be heard at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, February 2, 2022, by the Senate Committee on Community Affairs. Now is the time to act and send an email opposing this bill!
Please click the links above (depending on what device you're using) to send an email to each Senate Committee on Community Affairs member. You may change the subject line and/or the text supplied within the email as you see fit.
Be sure to add your name and city of residence at the bottom.
**If the above email buttons do not work for you, below are the email addresses of the Representatives. Clicking on the list will open a new email and you can cut and paste the subject line and body of the email from below.**
For PC Users:
For ALL OTHER Users:
OPPOSE SB512
Dear Senator,
Please preserve Home Rule and vote against further consideration of Senate Bill 512: Vacation Rentals. If allowed to become law, SB 512 will force local governments to increase my taxes and/or cut staff. Neither option is acceptable.
The fees collected by my local government for vacation rental registrations is not profit, but revenue to cover the costs associated with ensuring the health and safety of not only the visitors renting the vacation property but also the surrounding community.
Property inspections alone cost more than the meager $50 this bill proposes registration fees be limited to, which means my tax dollars will have to go toward paying for the inspection of someone else’s income-generating property. And what about the ongoing efforts of my local government’s staff to ensure laws and ordinances are enforced? Will my taxes have to be raised to cover the costs associated with enforcement of someone else’s income-generating property?
For these reasons, I request you vote AGAINST SB 512. Thank you for your leadership and thoughtful consideration of how this matter impacts your constituents.
Respectfully,
PC Users
All Other Users
If passed, this bill would not only limit vacation rental regulations a local municipality could place on vacation rentals, but also the registration fee. HB 325 (2022) - Vacation Rentals | Florida House of Representatives (myfloridahouse.gov)
If this bill passes, a municipality would be limited to set a vacation rental registration fee of no more than $50!
- A property safety inspection costs more than $50, and that is just one of many components and associated costs necessary in the vacation rental registration process.
- The vacation rental registration fees charged by a municipality are NOT profit, but simply cover the costs associated with ensuring the safety and compliance with local laws of a vacation rental property. Issues that directly impact you as a resident, business owner, or visitor.
- If municipalities are limited to charging no more than $50 for vacation rental registration, the funds to cover the other associated costs will come out of your pocket in the form of tax increases.
Now is the time to act and send an email asking Chair Payne to decline scheduling this bill for committee hearing!
Please click the links above (depending what device you're using) to send an email to House Ways and Means Committee Chair Payne. You may change the subject line and/or the text supplied within the email as you see fit.
Be sure to add your name and city of residence at the bottom of your email.
**If the above email buttons do not work for you, below is Chair Payne's email address. Clicking on it will open a new email, and you can cut and paste the subject line and body of the email from below.**
For PC USERS: bobby.payne@myfloridahouse.gov
Do NOT Hear HB325
Dear Chair Payne,
I urge you NOT to schedule a House Ways and Means Committee hearing for House Bill 325:Vacation Rentals.
This bill is a one-size-fits-all approach to addressing the issue of vacation rentals. Florida is so diverse that this approach will be devastating to a majority of the communities most desirable to visitors.
By preempting the ability of local governments to regulate vacation rental policy – such as occupancy limitations – the state would be directly impacting the ability of those local governing bodies to protect and preserve the quality of life within their communities for ALL stakeholders.
Some of the state’s most desirable beaches are in areas with limited infrastructures – like sewer systems and roadways – and/or delicate ecosystems. Without occupancy limitations, sewer systems become overburdened and the resulting overcrowding is destructive to the natural resources and animal habitats.
Local government officials best know their communities and set common-sense ordinances not to keep out visitors, but rather to preserve what makes their community so desirable to visitors.
Another devastating blow to local governments would be to prohibit vacation rental registration fees, or to cap those fees at $50. A property safety inspection costs more than $50. Then there are the associated costs for code enforcement. If those costs aren’t covered by vacation rental registration fees, my tax dollars will be spent to ensure the safety and compliance of someone else’s income-generating property.
Representative Payne, please be a Home Rule Hero: Allow local decisions to be locally made and deny a hearing of HB 325 before the Ways and Means Committee.
Thank you for your leadership and thoughtful consideration of how this matter impacts all Floridians.
Respectfully,