Broward County Commission Regular Meeting
Director's Name: Monica Cepero
Department: County Administration Division: Intergovernmental Affairs/Board Section
Information
Requested Action
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MOTION TO APPROVE 2025 Broward County State Legislative and Executive Program (“State Program”); and to authorize staff to make any necessary technical or typographical changes.
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Why Action is Necessary
Approval of the State Program requires Board approval.
What Action Accomplishes
Provides advocacy direction to staff from the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and contracted lobbyists.
Goal Related Icon(s)
☐County Commission
☐Go Green
☐MAP Broward
Previous Action Taken
None
Summary Explanation/Background
Annually, the Intergovernmental Affairs/Boards Section, now the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, develops a state legislative platform addressing Commission Priorities, Appropriation Requests, and Policy Proposals. These proposals are compiled into one document titled the 2025 Broward County State Legislative and Executive Program (“State Program”). The State Program will guide legislative advocacy efforts for the 2025 Legislative Session.
The proposed State Program (attached as Exhibit 1) includes new and updated Commission Priority Issues appropriations and policy requests, and statements of support and opposition, as well as carryover policy and appropriation requests. Each new and updated proposal is identified in the State Program. Additional policy statements may be added to the State Program at a future meeting.
Below are the updated, added, or removed statements to the State Program:
STATE PRINCIPLES AND POLICIES
Policy Statements
Added supporting Florida Airports Council, Florida Ports Council, and Florida Public Transit Association unless specific issues conflict Broward County positions.
COMMISSIONER PRIORITY ISSUES
Condominium Inspections and Reserves
-Moved “SUPPORT amending s.718.112, F.S., to extend the date a condominium must maintain certain reserves pursuant to a structural integrity reserve study and/or find a suitable funding mechanism to help condominiums reach such reserves” to Department Policy Proposals, Building Code Division section.
Criminal Justice Reform
-Updated “Stepping Up Program: to Stepping Up Initiative.
-Moved “SUPPORT the enforcement of state law requiring that entitlement benefits be suspended, rather than terminated, during jail stays of 36 days or fewer” to Commission Policy Positions, Human Services section.
Economic Development
Minority-Owned Business
-Removed “and Hispanic Business Investment Grant Fund. (We could not find any reference to such fund).
Fracking
-Moved to Resilient Environment Department (RED) policies and updated the name from Fracking to High-Pressure Well Stimulation
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
-Included fentanyl as a stimulant.
LOCAL BILLS
Added supporting the abolishment of the Broward Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Intelligence and Enrollment Unit (“the Unit”). Established by a 1971 local bill, the Broward Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the services are now provided by the Broward County Drug Task Force and other operations and that the Unit no longer exists. The recommendation is to file the local bill to repeal the Special Act 71-574 which created the Unit.
COMMISSION POLICY POSITIONS
General Administration
-Resilient Environment
Animal Care
Removed the support for policies “which would allow non-veterinarians to administer rabies vaccinations to unowned sheltered animals” because the measure received support and passed in the 2024 Legislative Session.
-Transportation
Local Hire and Local Preference Programs
Moved “SUPPORT policies and measures that allow local hire and local preference programs to be utilized on state-funded transportation and infrastructure projects” from Local Hire and Local Preference Programs to Wage Recovery and Living Wage Preemption.
-Human Services
Homelessness
Added new item, “Homelessness.”
SUPPORT clearer distinctions between the liability of municipal governments and county governments in civil actions brought under Section 125.0231, Florida Statutes (HB 1365).”
DEPARTMENT POLICY PROPOSALS
Added new item, “Incident Report Sharing / Crisis Intervention and Support Division.”
SUPPORT legislation that requires law enforcement agencies to share police reports for incidents of sexual violence with the nearest certified sexual assault program.
BACKGROUND
Law enforcement is required to share police reports of domestic violence with the nearest locally certified domestic violence center within 24 hours of receipt of the report. This proposal would require the same for reports of sexual violence. This is necessary due to the significant disparity of sexual assaults reported to LE compared to those referred to a rape crisis center for services. Per FDLE, in 2021, 592 cases were reported in Broward with only 248 of those were referred to the County’s only certified rape crisis center (RCC). The RCC needs the reports to reach out to victims/survivors to offer support and services.
Sexual violence negatively impacts not only the individual victimized, but also the individual’s loved ones, the community, and society. The individual experiences emotional, psychological, and physical trauma that can last a lifetime. The victim’s loved ones may share in the trauma as they support the victim. The violence also causes fear in the community as it deals with the heinous crime. An incidence of sexual violence also breaches society’s trust and imposes a substantial financial burden including medical, mental health services, criminal justice expenses, and loss of productivity from those impacted. This legislative proposal will expedite the victim/survivor connection to professionals at RCC’s to begin their journey to recovery no matter the outcome of the investigation or prosecution process.
BROWARD COUNTY’S APPROPRIATIONS REQUESTS
Human Services Department Requests
Removed Maternal Healthcare Funding and Broward Addiction Recovery Center - Injectable Buprenorphine Pilot Program Phase II.
Added three Housing Support Services Appropriation Requests
SUPPORT state funding of up to $1,000,000 for the Broward County Housing Options and Support Services Division to fund eviction prevention programs for the elderly and tenants below the federal poverty level. These programs help prevent unjust evictions by providing legal and financial support, connecting tenants with services, and improving their budgeting and housing stability.
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SUPPORT state funding of up to $1,000,000 for rental assistance programs to provide immediate financial relief to those at risk of losing their housing to homelessness and stabilize vulnerable households.
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SUPPORT state funding of up to $1,000,000 for mental health services.
Added Baker Act Alternative Transportation
SUPPORT state funding of up to $300,000 for a local pilot program seeking to find alternative cost-efficient and humane methods of transportation for medically stable behavioral health patients from on-scene to the appropriate mental health receiving facilities.
Updated the Nancy J. Cotterman Center - Crisis Intervention Programs amount from $450,000.00 to $585,000.00.
Parks and Recreation Appropriation Request
Removed request for Broward County Stadium
Public Works Appropriation Request
Updated the Broward County Forensic Science Center amount from $1,000,000 to up to $5,000,000
Added Emergency Operations and Communications Center Request
SUPPORT state funding of up to $5,000,000 for planning and design of a new Emergency Operations and Communications Center, which will include a Public Safety Answering point and dispatch center for taking and responding to emergency calls.
Added a new Section titled Municipal Appropriation Requests
SUPPORT an appropriations request filed by the City of Miramar seeking funding for the surtax supported project extending of Pembroke Road to US27 and improvements to Miramar Parkway.
STATEWIDE APPROPRIATIONS REQUESTS
Home and Community-Based Services Funding
Updated the September 2022 data with August 2024 data on the number of Floridians and Broward County residents for the total of persons on the Department of Elder Affairs Assessed Prioritized Consumer List. 2022:100,762 Floridians and 6,250 County residents. 2024: 118,510 Floridians and 5,339 County residents.
Source of Additional Information
C. Marty Cassini, Director, Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, mcassini@broward.org, 954- 357-6440
Andrea Knowles Hill, Assistant Director, Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, aknowles@broward.org, 954-357-7347
Fiscal Impact
Fiscal Impact/Cost Summary
None