Legislature Passes Bill Mandating Financial Literacy

WFSU Public Media
By Ryan Dailey
May 2, 2019

In the first legislative session since the passing of Senator Dorothy Hukill, lawmakers have pushed through a piece of legislation she backed for years. The bill creates a mandatory financial literacy course for high school students.

“This is so important to me, because of my good friend, Senator Dorothy Hukill,” Hutson said. “She fought so hard for this piece of legislation, and I’m glad we can do it for her.”

That’s Republican Senator Travis Hutson, who became emotional as the bill passed in his chamber Thursday. Hutson carried the legislation this session on behalf of his late friend and colleague. He calls it “transformational” for the state’s education system.

“It’s stuff that, if you hadn’t learned it, you would go through it in the growing pains of becoming an adult – trying to stumble through figuring it all out. We do a crash course in a half a semester,” Hutson said after filing the bill in February.

Hutson says as it stands, financial literacy curriculum is packed into about two weeks of a high school economics course.

“I’d rather them learn more microeconomics in economics, because they do learn a lot, and then get into financial literacy on its own – and not be shoved into a two week curriculum,” Hutson said.

But the creation of a half-credit financial literacy course isn’t all the bill does. It also looks to breathe life back into career and technical education, or CTE, in high schools.

“It creates a new 18-credit CTE pathway to high school graduation with a focus on vocational and technical training,” Hutson said.

And, for students who aren’t excelling in the traditional academic pathway to graduation, it will require districts to inform those students of the more career-oriented option.

“It requires an academic advisor on CTE options for students who are at risk of not graduating, and fall below a 2.0,” Hutson explained.

When students are ready to move on to the next phase of their lives, Hutson says, they’ll have a day to be recognized:

“It establishes a college and career decision day to recognize student for their post-high school plans.”

With respect to the financial literacy course, Hutson says ultimately it will work out to a cost savings for the state.

“I think when you look at financial literacy, we’ve got a lot of people who are going into debt and are trying to figure out life at a young age,” Hutson said. “And if we can teach them this, even if there’s a front end cost – the back end benefits are going to be tremendous to the state.”

When it came time for a Senate vote, the measure passed unanimously. And the chamber’s president, Senator Bill Galvano, had some heartwarming words for Hutson before moving on to the next bill in the waning days of session.

“Senator Hutson I am absolutely confident that Senator Hukill’s looking down, smiling, and she loves that 40-0,” Galvano said.

The bill will now head to the desk of Governor Ron DeSantis, who is almost certain to sign it into law. DeSantis has been a vocal supporter of career education in the K-12 system since before taking office.

VIEW ORIGINAL ARTICLE – WFSU

House moves forward on vacation rental bill

FLORIDA POLITICS
By A.G. Gancarski
February 20, 2020

Proposed regulatory uniformity for short-term rental platforms is ready for the House floor after Thursday’s Commerce Committee.

Despite robust protest from local officials and others at committee stops for Rep. Jason Fischer‘s bill (HB 1011), the consensus was in favor of state preemption over the patchwork quilt of local regulations.

The Senate version (SB 1128), filed by Sen. Manny Diaz, awaits its final Senate committee.

Fischer, a Jacksonville Republican, introduced a strike all amendment to the legislation.

Changes included an anti-discrimination clause, checks against sexual predators, requirements of platforms to collect taxes and check licensure, as well as assurances that homeowners’ associations’ rights and grandfathered regulations would not be impeded.

The strike all got support from some previous critics, including a representative of management companies.

CEOMC Executive Director and Lobbyist Mark Anderson lauded the removal of “conflicting language that would have allowed short term rentals in our neighborhoods and states clearly that this bill ‘shall not’ supersede a neighborhood’s rules and deed restrictions.”

However, cities such as Jacksonville Beach still asserted that state regulation would offer insufficient consumer protections.

The industry backs it, however, and the amendment is part of the bill.

Familiar concerns were rehearsed by the Florida Association of Counties, Florida League of Cities, and the Mayor of Jacksonville Beach, the latter of whom suggested the “public service” thing to do would be to vote it down.

Democrats, despite the changes, weren’t all comfortable with the legislation, expressing concerns about localities being limited in terms of how they can control this sector and the rights of adjacent property owners.

The bill would change how short-term rentals, such as Airbnb, VRBO, and others are regulated, with platforms required to verify state licensure.

DBPR would hire 19 people to run the program, with more money possible for state coffers from license fees, sales taxes, and fines. Local jurisdictions, meanwhile, could expect a “negative fiscal impact.”

The legislation would take effect when and if the Governor signed. Sponsor Fischer has coordinated with DBPR to ensure the agency is ready to take over the tasks from dozens of localities, many of which have robust portfolios of short-term rentals.

The proposed legislation protects from local regulation rentals offered via an “advertising platform,” which provides software and online access to listings for “transient public lodging establishment[s]” in the state.

The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association representative expressed concerns about a “sufficient base of state regulation,” though worries were somewhat quelled by the strike all.

Platforms will have to have mechanisms for taxation and require licensure for listing, but concerns still remain about the state’s ability to enforce its guidelines.

Just as the state regulates public lodging (hotels and motels) and food service establishments, so too would it regulate Airbnb, VRBO, and the like via Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR).

Regulations of such are only permitted if they apply to all properties, including long-term rentals and owner-occupied homes.

Laws passed before June 2011 will be grandfathered. However, laws from the intervening nine years would be limited, with local zoning not just “singling out” short-term rentals.

In turn, owners of rented properties have certain obligations.

Primary among them: A display of their Vacation Rental Dwelling License.

The bill also has provisions that tighten regulations on the short-term rental services themselves.

Among them are requirements for display of license, sales tax, and tourist development tax information.

Quarterly verification is required, along with a stipulation that noncompliant properties are removed from platforms within 15 days.

View Original Article – Florida Politics

Choice Hotels Talks Advocacy With Mark Anderson

The Choice Hotels Owners Council invited Mark to speak to them about the importance of government advocacy, politics, relationships and making a lasting, effective impact with legislators.

Lobbying compensation: Tampa firms shine in third-quarter lobbying pay

Media

Lobbying compensation: Tampa firms shine in third-quarter lobbying pay

FLORIDA POLITICS
By Drew Wilson
November 12, 2019

Lobbying compensation reports for the third quarter aren’t due until Nov. 14, but some firms got their paperwork in early.

Among the early arrivals are reports from Mark Anderson, Louis Betz & Associates, Moore Relations and Sunrise Consulting Group.

The filings show each of the Tampa Bay-area firms could have earned six figures for the July through September reporting period.

Lobbying firms report their income in ranges covering $10,000 increments. Florida Politics uses the middle number of each range to estimate quarterly pay. Firms also list a broad range for their overall pay on their legislative and executive lobbying reports.

Mark Anderson

Anderson juggled 18 legislative clients and 16 executive branch clients last quarter.

Per his reports, the legislative effort netted he and fellow lobbyist Joshua Burkett an estimated $90,000.

Sitting alone at the top of the report was the Chief Executive Officers of Management Companies, which paid between $10,000 and $20,000 for the quarter. The rest of the list paid up to $10,000 apiece.

Anderson’s executive branch report showed another $85,000 in pay, with Chief Executive Officers of Management Companies again popping up with an estimated $15,000 in pay.

The bottom line of each report shows between $50,000 and $100,000 in compensation, giving Anderson’s third-quarter haul a floor of $100,000.

View Original Article – Florida Politics

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