National Audubon Society

Florida Legislative Session and Policy Update

This week’s policy highlights:

- Updated budget numbers show Florida House and Senate differ on key environmental appropriations.

- Bill to stop incompatible development in Florida State Parks passes House, advances in Senate.

- Flood disclosure legislation to protect renters from flooding takes step forward.

- Amendments that could drive urban sprawl multiply in several committees.

- Senate version of wetland mitigation bill improved via amendment.

- Audubon reflects on the 15^th anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon disaster.

- As beach-nesting bird season 2025 kicks off, read our 2024 Coastal wrap-up.

Least Tern parent and chick on the beach

House and Senate Continue to Work on Final Budget

The Senate budget proposal, SB 2500, totals $117.36 billion. The House proposal, HB 5001, has a bottom line of $112.95 billion and includes a $5.4 billion tax package (HB 7031) that reduces the overall state sales-tax rate from 6 percent to 5.25 percent.

While the House and Senate agree on some issues, they differ in areas that could have a large impact on wildlife and quality of life in the Sunshine State: Everglades restoration, land management, and water. These appropriations will safeguard our water and wildlife habitat and are among the best investments we can make for Florida’s economy.

On Tuesday, the House Agriculture & Natural Resources Budget Subcommittee (Chair, Rep. Tiffany Esposito, (R-Fort Myers)) held a budget workshop to compare and discuss House and Senate budget proposals and proviso. The Chair noted that conversations with the Senate have been going well despite the differences in their proposals.

Audubon will continue to prioritize advocacy for funding for Florida Forever, the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program, Everglades restoration, water, and resilience programs. We are hopeful that budget negotiations will begin in earnest between the two chambers next week.

Least Terns. Photo: Kenton Gomez/Audubon Photography Awards

Progress on State Park Bill

This week we saw forward momentum on the bill to stop incompatible development in Florida’s beloved state parks.

The Senate Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government on Tuesday unanimously voted to advance SB 80, State Land Management, sponsored by Sen. Harrell (R-Stuart), to its last referenced committee, Fiscal Policy (Chair, Sen. Gruters (R-Sarasota)).

SB 80 ensures that our state parks prioritize “conservation-based public outdoor recreational uses” over sport courts and golf courses and that development in these parks do not come at the expense of resource protection.

The House companion, HB 209, by Rep. Snyder (R-Stuart), has passed in the House and is now in messages to the Senate Fiscal Committee.

Audubon has been supportive of both these bills and is grateful to the sponsors and our members for highlighting the importance of state parks to all Floridians.

Eastern Kingbird. Photo: Justin Griggs/Audubon Photography Awards

Flood Disclosure Bill Heads to the House Floor

In the Commerce Committee (Chair, Rep. Buchanan (R-Sarasota)), Rep. Hunschofky’s (D-Parkland) Flood Disclosure bill, HB 1015, passed its last committee of reference and will be headed to the floor.

In Florida, where storms and flooding are all too common, people should know if their home is at risk. The bill expands last session’s disclosure requirements to landlords, renters, and condominium developers. The bill increases transparency, which helps Floridians make informed decisions about where to live.

Its Senate companion, SB 948, by Sen. Bradley (R-Flemming Island), was certified by the Senate and is now in messages.

Eastern Bluebird. Photo: Keri Fisher/Great Backyard Bird Count

Bad News for Urban Sprawl

SB 579, Local Government Land Development, by Rep. Overdorf (R-Stuart), was on the agenda of the Commerce Committee this week.

Bad Amendments, but a Delay:

Several bad amendments to this bill were filed that included harmful provisions from SB 1118 by Rep. McClain (R-Ocala). SB 1118, titled "Land Use and Development Regulations," could potentially reduce or eliminate the power of local referenda to regulate housing density, impacting areas like Orange County's rural boundary protections. The bill could also undermine local control over zoning decisions. Read more about it here.

However, the bill was temporarily postponed this week.

Bad Amendments Approved:

Unfortunately, the members of the Rules Committee (Chair, Sen. Passidomo (R-Naples)) approved an amendment to SB 1080, also filed by Sen. McClain, that would weaken the ability of local governments to protect rural areas and other natural assets through the comprehensive plan process. It would also nullify voter-approved rural protections by treating land near urban service districts as if they were already developed, even if the land was designated for conservation or agriculture like Seminole County’s Rural Boundary and the Marion County Farmland Preservation Area.

Audubon’s policy staff testified against this bad amendment in committee. We continue to work with the sponsor to improve the bill language and protect our remaining rural areas.

American Kestrel. Photo: Jeff Smith/Audubon Photography Awards

Senate Mitigation Bill Amendment Filed

Sen. McClain filed an amendment Friday afternoon to his bill SB 492, Mitigation, which has been a grave concern to Audubon for its potential to reverse progress made on wetland protections and restoration in Florida.

Read more about the bill here. The amendment blunts some of the bill’s worst provisions, and will be considered Monday in the Senate Rules Committee. With this amendment, the Senate version will be less harmful than the House version, HB 1175, sponsored by Rep. Duggan (R-Jacksonville), which will advance to the House floor next Wednesday. In the dance between the chambers, it is unclear whether either will pass, and if so, which version will prevail.

Marsh Wren. Photo: Corey Nimmer/Audubon Photography Awards

Audubon Florida Reflects on 15 Year Anniversary of Deepwater Horizon Disaster

On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded: A tragedy taking 11 lives, injuring 17, and sending 210 million gallons of crude gushing into the Gulf. The effects of the resulting oil spill, regarded as one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history, continue to reverberate across the region.

The wellhead was so deep underwater that teams working around the clock could not plug the leak until mid-July, wreaking havoc in coastal communities from Texas to Florida. Those who loved the Gulf could do could do nothing to stop the flow of oil from the seafloor to our fisheries.

"15 years after Deepwater Horizon I have hope for the future of the Gulf in part because of what we have been able to accomplish since that time," says Audubon Florida Executive Director Julie Wraithmell. "Audubon has invested restoration funding in the stewardship of coastal birds and their habitat, the installation of living shorelines to protect those near-shore environments, as well as policy advocacy to protect the water quality of the Gulf and combat sea level rise."

Read more.

Tar washing up on Opal Beach in Pensacola. Photo: Lucy Duncan.

A Wilson's Plover parent and chick in front of grass

As We Start on the 2025 Beach-nesting Bird Season, a Look Back at 2024

The 2024 summer beach-nesting bird season ended in dramatic fashion, with not one, not two, but three named storms reshaping the Gulf Coast between September and October. Our thoughts are still with the communities that are trying to rebuild after Hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton. The Audubon Florida team has fanned out across our shoreline sites to study the impacts of the storms on the birds and will continue to work to remove debris and trash ahead of the 2025 season.

Large storms underscore how important our living shoreline project has become in the Tampa Bay region. Just a few months ago we finished our newest shoreline installation initiative, 1,800 additional feet of pH neutral living shoreline that will protect habitat for 18 bird species that depend on small islands to nest, rest, and feed.

Overall, 2024 proved to be a mixed year for nesting sea and shorebirds — some successes and some failures. We thank our team and dedicated volunteers for protecting these avian families on our busy beaches. As National Audubon Society seeks to “bend the bird curve” and reverse bird population declines across the hemisphere, every successfully fledged chick is important.

Read our full summer report for a 2024 season summary, volunteer highlights, a living shoreline update, and more. The report is also available in an accessible format for screen readers and text-to-speech apps.

Read more.

Wilson's Plovers. Photo: Cindy Barbanera-Wedel/Audubon Photography Awards

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