November 20, 2023 – The Florida Legislature recently convened in a special session to consider among other things, actions to support Israel.

This four-day session included legislation related to damage caused by Hurricane Idalia in the north central part of our state in late August. That bill, House Bill 1-C, sponsored by Representative Jason Shoaf, R-Port St. Joe, was approved unanimously by the House and Senate.  Governor Ron DeSantis approved the legislation on November 13^th.

The bill will affect a myriad of taxes, regulations, trust funds and more. Nearly 50 counties are eligible for federal assistance and this legislation will impact many of those counties as well as the state’s budget.

Among the major provisions in the bill are:

• Reduced property tax assessments on certain agricultural equipment damaged or destroyed by Idalia;
• Sales tax refunds for material damaged or destroyed by the hurricane, including fencing material and building material for nonresidential farm buildings;
• Refunds of motor fuel taxes for expenses related to debris removal;
• Numerous disbursements from the Florida Department of Emergency Management, including grants or loans for some recovery projects and required matching funds for federal grants;
• Funds from several state agencies that address transportation construction needs, specific grants for rural counties, support for timber landowners and aquaculture businesses, and more; and
• More than $180 million to support storm mitigation projects for residents and businesses through the My Florida Safe Home Program.

This comprehensive legislation received not only unanimous support from the Legislature, but also state Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson and state CFO Jimmy Patronis.

“From targeted relief programs that benefit homeowners and businesses, to investment in no-interest loan and cost sharing programs to help our agriculture and timber industries, to bridge programs that help local governments continue operations and fund recovery projects, we have an outstanding relief package that will impact families, businesses, and entire communities,” said Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples.

Please contact us at info@llw-law.com should you have any questions or further interest in this legislation.