[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6281186,"mediaKeyId","2607998-155278280738d7116e37f4a8ee05dd5f","parentId",2607998,"title","Committee reports SB 110 favorably, establishes Office of Rural Prosperity and Rural Renaissance grants","audioSeconds",1009,"startMs",517000,"endMs",1526000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2607998-155278280738d7116e37f4a8ee05dd5f&start=517&end=1526","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2607998-155278280738d7116e37f4a8ee05dd5f/thumbnail_517000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6281186/Florida/Committee-reports-SB-110-favorably-establishes-Office-of-Rural-Prosperity-and-Rural-Renaissance-grants","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6281186-2f430527545eb4796a2988e580f8e3cf/orig.mp4?Expires=1771081764&Signature=FD8E3e5WZVam8jYvI-wCqJsD1~jLH5QUQn9ReProv0oqdIkwwA~AxuYTcbHgRvv2J6wcrZG3nx5um4xZo2db48gdS0fDljSKHbTza9JwMNdXXRpX~9G0GwlvMJ~pxCz53OqmK9JJVKtOrQz2tw6KGRpUKICZDYT2ZwWkKtU-6CQP4YxETJQls0R7nEOuzwTOvqvTXx69xIf6VI1c4yt6BMpl1~DnmHF6Tun~ByplIJPLiK3yV~6CnRu2kriv9gfC8rTX8nSJfFfTbBFtIYd67H4awA-dYkjWpm12jTWk0O9eFoGLlbXtF7pMxEHGZHYC2-eneN9SYLas~j47H71Ipg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Florida State Legislature","date","2025-03-13T00:00:00Z","article","The Senate Committee on Fiscal Policy reported CS for SB 110 favorably after adopting a delete‑all amendment that implements a suite of measures intended to support rural communities, including creating a state Office of Rural Prosperity, a rural renaissance grant program targeted to counties with declining populations and new funding for roads, housing and rural health care.

Why it matters: Backers described the bill as a comprehensive package to help small and largely rural counties obtain state and federal resources, invest in infrastructure and health care access, and preserve agricultural and natural lands while expanding local capacity for economic development.

Key provisions and amendments

Senator Simon, sponsor of SB 110, said the bill establishes a dedicated state Office of Rural Prosperity within the Department of Commerce to connect rural communities to state and federal resources and proposes a rural renaissance grant program for the eight counties that have experienced population decline over the last 10 years. The bill also increases minimum SHIP allocations, provides funding to the Florida Housing Finance Corporation, and invests more than $25 million in rural consortiums for transportation, property insurance, and related needs.

An amendment (barcode 406258) redirected the remainder of direct‑to‑home satellite distribution funds to local government half‑cent sales tax clearing trust funds, expanded a DOT county initiative grant program to improve connectivity between agricultural areas and market distribution centers, allowed counties in the Everglades agricultural area to request additional funds, and expanded eligibility for certain rural health grants to include physician assistants and autonomous APRNs. The amendment also increased funding for critical access hospitals by approximately $6,500,000, added marketing assistance through VISTA Florida for agritourism businesses, and made other technical changes.

Public testimony and debate

Chris Doolin, representing a small county coalition and longstanding school‑district interests, called the bill “the most comprehensive piece of legislation that addresses multiple needs exhibited in rural areas,” praising the combination of roads, housing, law enforcement and school construction revenue distribution changes. Kim Dinkins of 1000 Friends of Florida said the bill, paired with conservation programs, could help protect agricultural lands; she noted the group’s study that found Florida loses about 100 acres of agricultural land per day under current development patterns and urged careful planning around road expansions to avoid encouraging incompatible growth.

Senator Bradley, speaking in support, described the bill as an opportunity for rural communities to direct their own futures and emphasized its investments in health care, education and transportation.

Support and procedure

A broad set of stakeholders waived in support on the committee record, including the Florida Chamber of Commerce, Florida Hospital Association, Florida Association of Counties, Florida Rural Economic Development Association and others. After debate and amendment, the committee voted by roll call to report CS for SB 110 favorably to the full Senate. Senator Claddick asked to be recorded voting in the affirmative.

Votes at a glance

- Action: CS for SB 110 reported favorably (as amended)
- Outcome: Reported favorably to the full Senate
- Roll-call (recorded as saying “Yes”): Senator Arrington; Senator Avila; Senator Bernard; Senator Boyd; Senator Bradley; Senator Burton; Senator Collatio; Senator Davis; Senator Gates; Senator Angolia; Senator Jones; Senator Leake; Senator Pasadoma; Senator Rodriguez; Senator Simon; Senator Chernow; Senator Yarbrough; Vice Chair Osgood; Chair Gruters.

What’s next

With the committee’s favorable report, CS for SB 110 moves to the full Senate for further consideration. The bill and its amendment direct state agencies to create the office, distribute grants, and implement the health, housing and transportation changes described in committee testimony.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Committee on Fiscal Policy 3/13/2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Senate Committee on Fiscal Policy reported CS for SB 110 favorably after adopting an amendment that created a state Office of Rural Prosperity and expanded rural grants, road and health funding.","taxTitle","Fiscal Policy , Standing Committees, Senate, Legislative, Florida","taxId",26950,"location","Florida","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6281191,"Committee backs SB 7012 to pilot treatment foster care, boost child-welfare data and recruitment",225,37000,262000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2607998-155278280738d7116e37f4a8ee05dd5f&start=37&end=262","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2607998-155278280738d7116e37f4a8ee05dd5f/thumbnail_37000.jpg","/articles/6281191/Florida/Committee-backs-SB-7012-to-pilot-treatment-foster-care-boost-child-welfare-data-and-recruitment","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6281191-fdf403abe834d1ea570710d5e6378e54/orig.mp4?Expires=1771081764&Signature=hnGJcm5xan~GVw2xpgFKAnK7wd4Pc6qPJ1F1WbPBDUq2Ry~5hSQqCYrQing-BL8MLprxsr6PKRVSt~rKjSkq99SrcX48Qh1nAmt6m2zmwEyNR89QTIROYDNJO3Uw7z844GE2hwhEpdo8P3d1rBbu5uakaVbeYXrCNJRtbVnKuT7J3dEhQWZ9kA1mwtkYWSel7QozCN23-uiVgVWPZgO7OYg5n1l7~IVUjvs9GdsgHQ~znGF1e8arMWmQu8ky~yn8C1XfZl2dku8qFCQxeQkvBlrHCL6HgtASBDPrJ4TMrcCqcJE7MtxwfN6x1tGKZ9b49QK9UWKw7CP~VT775ytZrg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Senate Committee on Fiscal Policy voted to report SB 7012 favorably after senators adopted two amendments that attach funding and limit legislative access to certain redacted case documents. Senator Grahl, sponsor of the bill, told the committee the measure addresses workforce strain, a shortage of family‑like placements for children with high behavioral needs and gaps in data on children commercially exploited.

Why it matters: Supporters said the bill aims to reduce turnover among child protective investigators and case managers, expand family‑style treatment foster care for higher‑acuity children and give the Legislature better, analyzable data to plan services for victims of commercial sexual exploitation.

Key provisions and context

Senator Grahl said the bill “deals with three distinct areas: child welfare workforce issues, increased acuity of the children and [the] child welfare placement array and commercial exploitation of children and how we protect them.” The bill requires the Department of Children and Families (DCF) to run a recruitment program targeted at individuals who previously served in public‑safety and service roles, such as law enforcement officers and first responders, to recruit child protective investigators (CPIs) and case managers.

On placement, the bill creates a treatment foster care pilot to increase the number of family‑like placements for children with high behavioral needs. The pilot is structured to run for four years; at the end of that period DCF must submit a final report to the Legislature assessing feasibility of statewide expansion. Treatment foster care, as described to the committee, places children in family‑like homes where foster parents receive specialized training and higher compensation and participate in care coordination.

On data and capacity for victims of commercial exploitation, Grahl said DCF must move from scanned, hard‑to‑analyze documents to a child‑level format that is extractable and analyzable by the Legislature. The bill also requires DCF to contract for a bed capacity study for residential treatment and a gap analysis for nonresidential services, with policy recommendations to ensure sufficient beds and services for victims.

Amendments and clarifications

The committee adopted two amendments. One (barcode 91217) narrowed legislative access to copies of certain redacted assessments by requiring DCF to maintain copies of the documents and provide them to the Legislature upon request, rather than including them in routine reports. A second amendment attached an appropriation to the bill (barcode 119236).

Senator Osgood asked whether the two judicial circuits identified for the treatment foster care pilot would be chosen because they had the highest numbers of removals. Senator Butler responded that the bill’s language directs the department to “use relevant removal and placement data to identify areas with the greatest need for such a program,” which should guide selection of the two circuits.

Support and procedure

The record shows several supporters waving in, including Georgia McCown and Victoria Zeep, who did not take extended floor time but registered support on appearance forms. After debate closed, the committee voted by roll call to report SB 7012 as amended favorably to the full Senate. The clerk completed a roll call; the committee reported the bill favorably by your vote.

Votes at a glance

- Action: Reported favorably as amended (SB 7012)
- Outcome: Reported favorably to the full Senate
- Roll-call (recorded as saying “Yes” during the committee roll call): Senator Arrington; Senator Avila; Senator Bernard; Senator Boyd; Senator Bridal; Senator Burton; Senator Kalatiued; Senator Davis; Senator Gates; Senator Angolia; Senator Jones; Senator Leake; Senator Pasadoma; Senator Rodriguez; Senator Simon; Senator Trudeau; Senator Yarbrough; Vice Chair Osgood; Chair Gruters.

What’s next

Because the committee reported the bill favorably, SB 7012 proceeds to the full Senate for further consideration. The bill requires DCF to run the pilot, convene a case‑management workforce work group and deliver the required report to the Legislature at the end of the pilot period.

Ending: The committee adopted the amendments and reported SB 7012 favorably; the bill will advance to the Senate for subsequent consideration.","The Senate Committee on Fiscal Policy reported SB 7012 favorably after adopting amendments to fund a four‑year treatment foster care pilot, require DCF to improve extractable data on commercially exploited children, commission a bed‑capacity study and launch targeted recruitment for child protective investigators and case managers.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee reports SB 110 favorably, establishes Office of Rural Prosperity and Rural Renaissance grants

Committee backs SB 7012 to pilot treatment foster care, boost child-welfare data and recruitment