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Summary Information Regarding Significant Legislation Legislation Passed Taxation The 2019 tax package, HB 7123 (Taxation) includes two sales tax holidays; a three-day back -to -school holiday; and a seven-day disaster preparedness holiday. The bill also includes a reduction of the tax on commercial leases from 5.7% to 5.35%. It also chang- es the timing of payments to local governments in fiscally constrained counties and Monroe County to offset property tax refunds granted to homeowners due to hurricanes in 2016 and 2017. A controversial provision requiring school districts to share discretion- ary operating property tax levies with charter schools was initially removed by the Senate, but subsequently added back in to apply only to future referenda. Communications Services SB 1000 (Communication Services) by Sen. Hutson makes significant changes to s. 337.401, governing the use of public rights-of- way by providers of communications services. The bill prohibits a local government from instituting express or de facto moratoria on permits for collocation of small wireless facilities and provides additional requirements on the local government's permit registration and application process for communications services providers. It changes the types of and nature of bonds, security instruments, and insurance that may be required by local governments. The bill provides that a provider must comply with objective and reasona- ble undergrounding requirements under certain circumstances Permit Fees HB 127 (Permit Fees) by Rep. Williamson requires governing bodies and counties and municipalities to post permit and inspection fess scheduled and building permit an inspection utilization reports on websites by December 31, 2020 and to update the report before adjusting fee schedules in the future. Tree Trimming & Private Property Rights HB 1159 (Private Property Rights) by Rep. La Rosa provides that a local government may not require an application, approval, per- mit, fee, or mitigation for the pruning, trimming, or removal of a tree on residential property if the property owners obtains documen- tation from a certified arborist or licensed landscape architect that the tree is a danger to persons or property. The bill prohibits a local government from requiring replanting of trees removed or trimmed per the section and specifies that it does not apply to local governments with delegated mangrove protection authority. Additionally, the bill requires each county property appraiser to post on its website a "property owner bill of rights," the contents of which are provided in the bills itself. HB 1159 and its Senate companion, SB 1400 (Private Property Rights) by Sen. Albritton, went through several iterations over the course of the session, but ultimately the bills were narrowed in scope to minimize the impact on local tree protection ordinances and regulations Environmental Regulation & Residential Recycling HB 771 (Environmental Regulation) by Rep. Overdorf requires counties and cities to address the contamination of recyclable materi- al in contracts entered into for the collection, transport and processing of residential recycling materials. Such contracts must define "contaminated recyclable material" in a manner that is appropriate for the local community, accounting for available markets and other relevant factors, and include terms and conditions to define and reduce levels of contamination. Additionally, the bill provides that a recyclable materials collector or facility is not required to collect, transport or process "contaminated recyclable material," as defined in the applicable contract. In the final House committee stop, a section was added imposing a five-year moratorium on local regulations of single -use plastic straws. On the House floor, an OPPAGA study was added in conjunction with the moratorium. Two Senators attempted to strip the moratorium and make the prohibition prospective only, but those efforts failed. 92 13