2020 Legislative
Session – Week 3
This week the Florida Legislature
HB 4245:
SUMMARY: Childhood
Learn to Swim Programs by Rep. Clay Yarborough and Senator Travis Hutson. A
$200,000 appropriation to the Florida Swims Foundation to support existing
childhood learn to swim programs in Broward, Hillsborough, Manatee, Miami-Dade,
Pasco, and Pinellas Counties. The goal of this appropriation is to identify and
multiply the effectiveness of childhood learn to swim programs that have
potential to be scaled up for statewide implementation. This is a starting
point for ensuring that every child in Florida has the opportunity to learn to
swim before they enter kindergarten.
FSPA Position: SUPPORT
Bill Status: HB 4245 – Assigned committees, not
scheduled for hearing at this time.
HB 707 / SB 1124:
SUMMARY: Professional
Licensing Sunset by Rep. Paul Renner (R-St. Johns, Volusia) / Senator Many
Diaz, Jr. (R-Miami-Dade) are an extreme set of bills that would sunset all professional
licensees in the state of Florida at staggered dates unless the legislature
reauthorized the licensing statutes. Under these bills all construction
contracting licensing would sunset on July 1, 2024.
FSPA Position: OPPOSE
Bill Status: SB 1124 – Assigned committees, not
scheduled for hearing at this time.
HB 707 – In Health and Human Services
Committee
SB 474 / HB 1193:
SUMMARY:
Deregulation of Professional Licensing by Senator Ben Albritton (R-DeSoto,
Glades, Hardee, Highlands, Okeechobee Charlotte, Lee, Polk) and Rep. Blasé
Ingolia (Hernando) is the 2020 version of the professional licensing
deregulation omnibus bill that failed to pass in the 2019 session. The current
text of SB 474 contains all of the amendments that FSPA’s Government Relations
team negotiated for during the 2019 session while HB 1193 still contains the 4
year degree licensing exam exemption. The FSPA Government Affairs Team is
working with Rep. Ingolia to eliminate the exam exemption from HB 1193.
FSPA
Positon: SUPPORT SB 474
OPPOSE HB 1193 as written
Bill Status:
SB 474 – In Commerce and Tourism Committee
HB 1193 – Passed Government Operations
and Tech Subcommittee on 1/27/2020
SB 1102 / HB 1169:
SUMMARY: Sub-Contractor
License Exemption by Senator Joe Gruters and Rep. Lawrence McClure will give
swimming pool and spa contractors an exemption to allow the hiring of
sub-contractors who do not have a State or Local sub-contractor license. This is the same exemption that Florida home
builders have known as the “Jim Walter Exemption.” This bill will not eliminate Swimming Pool
Specialty Subcontractor Licenses.
FSPA
Position: NEUTRAL
Bill Status:
SB 1102 – Passed Industry, Innovation, & Tech Committee
1/21/2020
HB 1169 – Assigned committees, not
scheduled for hearing at this time.
SB 1122:
SUMMARY:
Emergency Phones at Public Pools by Senator Jason Pizzo (D-Miami-Dade) would
allow public pool owners to voluntarily install permanently mounted emergency
telephones that are connected directly local emergency services to be used in
the event of drowning or other emergency. If a property owner elects to install
an emergency phone at their pool the owner will be eligible for discounts to
their general liability insurance.
FSPA
Position: SUPPORT
Bill Status:
SB 1122 – Assigned committees, not scheduled for hearing at this
time.
HB 1405:
SUMMARY: Mandatory
Emergency Phones at Public Pools by Rep. Mike Grieco (D-Miami-Dade) would
mandate that public pool owners install permanently mounted emergency
telephones that are connected directly local emergency services. The bill
mandates that all phones would have to be installed by December 31, 2020.
FSPA
Position: OPPOSE
Bill Status:
HB 1405 – Assigned committees, not scheduled for hearing at this
time.
SB 1154 / HB 623:
SUMMARY: HOA
Public Pool Exemption by Senator Dennis Baxley (R-Sumter, Lake, Marion) / Rep.
Jason Shoaf (R-Calhoun, Franklin, Gulf, Jefferson, Lafayette, Liberty, Madison,
Taylor, Wakulla, Leon) would create and exemption from Department of Health
oversight for community pools that serve Home Owners Associations with less
than 32 single family parcels. The FSPA Government Affairs Team is working with
bill authors to introduce amendments to the bills that would lower the
exemptions for Condominiums and HOAs to 16 or fewer units/parcels.
FSPA
Position: OPPOSE as written
Bill Status:
SB 1154 – Passed Innovation, Industry, & Tech Agenda for
1/27/2020
HB 623 – Passed Civil Justice
Subcommittee 1/22/2020
HB 283 / SB 868:
SUMMARY: Construction
Liens and Bonds by Rep. Jackie Toledo and Senator Ben Albritton rewrites
multiple provisions of the Florida Lien law. Including adding Construction
Management Services to the contractor definition for lien law purposes,
specifies that the statutory lien waiver must be accepted unless a different
waiver is contractually agreed to and will allow work to continue during
termination of commencement and recommencement process.
FSPA
Position: NO POSITION TAKEN
Bill Status:
SB 868 – In Judiciary Committee, Postponed.
HB 283 – In Commerce Committee
HB 897 / SB 1422:
SUMMARY: Construction
Liens Privity by Rep. Ana Maria Rodriguez and Senator Anitere Flores Would
require all Contractors, Sub-Contractors, and Material Suppliers to have a
direct contract with a property owner to enforce a construction lien claim
against a property.
FSPA
Position: NO POSITION TAKEN
Bill Status:
SB 1422 – Assigned Committees
HB 897 – Assigned Committees
2020 Florida Building Code:
The Florida
Building Commission Staff has completed the first draft of the 2020 Florida
Building Code integration draft based on the adopted code modification
proposals and is now available for review.
The Florida
Building Commission Swimming Pool Technical Advisory Committee met January 28,
2020 in Gainsville to discuss comments on the first integration draft. The FSPA Government Relations Team attended
the Swimming Pool TAC Meeting representing FSPA’s code modification positions
and interests. The majority of the comments discussed by the TAC dealt with
clerical errors made in the integration drafting process.
Florida DOH Commercial Pool Resurfacing Form:
Starting on February 1, 2020 the Florida Department of
Health will begin requiring swimming pool contractors conducting a resurfacing
of a commercial swimming pool to file the new Department of Health Notice of
Resurfacing form the State DOH office in the county where the commercial pool
is located. The purpose of the new form is to give notice to the DOH that a
swimming pool under their jurisdiction is undergoing renovation and to ensure
that all of the upgrades required by the building code are made to the swimming
pool when it is resurfaced. FSPA worked closely with the DOH to make sure that
this form is implemented uniformly throughout the state.
Contact Dallas:
Dallas
Thiesen
FSPA
Government Affairs Manager
dallas@floridapoolpro.com
941-952-9293