County hears update on extended Florida legislative session and budget talks

A county legislative coordinator and the county’s Tallahassee lobbyist briefed the Collier County Board of County Commissioners on May 13 about an extended 2025 Florida legislative session and its implications for county budget priorities.

Bridget Corcoran, the county’s legislative affairs coordinator, introduced the briefing; Lisa Hurley of SBM Partners, the county’s lobbyist in Tallahassee, described the state-level impasse. "We are in a circumstance where, the house and the senate, have not been able to reach a deal on the budget yet, which has caused us to, extend session," Hurley said.

Hurley told commissioners the impasse stems from competing proposals among the governor, the House speaker and the Senate president. She summarized the three camps: a governor proposal that would cut roughly $2 billion from the prior year’s spending and would include one-time property tax rebates for homestead owners; a House proposal centered on a permanent sales tax reduction estimated at about $4.5–5 billion; and a Senate approach that proposed a limited sales tax cut for clothing and a study of property taxes over the summer.

"The fact of the matter is, ad valorem taxation is a local government authority that's in the constitution," Hurley said, noting that property-tax changes typically require voter approval if they alter local authority.

Corcoran told commissioners that county appropriation requests and a veterans nursing home proviso remain unresolved while budget negotiations continue. Hurley said the House planned to vote the day of the meeting to extend session to June 30, but the Senate had not agreed to that extension.

Commissioners asked no substantive questions during the presentation. Chair Saunders thanked Hurley and noted the budget outcome will affect county finances: "There will be substantial tax relief in this this year's budget. It will affect our budgets, and so, hopefully, our staff is keeping an eye on that," he said.

County staff later summarized a set of bills and policy changes of local interest that were still active or had recently failed, including SB 110 (rural communities), HB 575 (designation of Gulf of America), and several items affecting utilities, construction regulations and local government authorities. Corcoran advised commissioners the county should expect additional outreach from state offices this summer on property-tax study efforts and related proposals.

The briefing was informational; no formal board action on state legislation was recorded at the May 13 meeting. Commissioners and staff said they will continue tracking developments and report back as bills reach the governor for signature or veto.

Looking ahead, staff said county appropriation requests and pending priorities remain in play during the extended session and summer committee work, and they urged departments to monitor possible impacts to local revenue streams and program funding.