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Senator Berman, Rep. Casello outline 2025 session wins, preemption concerns and local funding requests
Summary
Senator Lori Berman and Representative Joe Casello reported on the 2025 Florida legislative session: budget uncertainty, bills on recycling and state-park commercialization, preemption measures affecting CRAs and local land-use authority, and funding prospects for Boynton Beach projects.
Senator Lori Berman and State Representative Joe Casello briefed the Boynton Beach City Commission on May 6 about outcomes from the 2025 Florida legislative session and near-term state actions that could affect the city.
Major points and budget status: Senator Berman said the Legislature had not yet completed a balanced budget and expected a return to Tallahassee; she estimated a budget near $115 billion and said negotiations were ongoing. Both legislators described uncertainty tied to federal funding flows and to inter-chamber differences over tax breaks and spending priorities.
Bills passed and local effects: Rep. Casello highlighted HB 295, which he described as a directive to the Department of Environmental Protection to develop a comprehensive waste reduction and recycling plan based on DEP's 2020 recommendations. Senator Berman and Casello said the Legislature also passed a measure to prohibit commercialization of state parks (blocking hotels or pickleball courts in parks) and cited other enacted items such as coverage for follow-up breast-cancer testing in the state insurance plan and recognition of International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan. 27.
Preemption and local authority risks: Both legislators warned about preemption bills that would reduce local control. Senator Berman noted a state preemption of local authority to add fluoride to water supplies and said the Live Local Act and other measures can allow developers to bypass local zoning under the guise of affordable housing. Rep. Casello described CSHB 991 (a CRA-related bill) that would have prohibited new community redevelopment agencies and curtailed existing CRAs; that bill did not pass in the final session this year, he said, but will likely return next year.
Citizen-petition rules and other items: Senator Berman described a new law making citizen-petition drives harder to run — including limits on how many signatures an individual can collect without registering as a circulator and stricter turn-in deadlines — and she said a lawsuit has already been filed challenging the changes.
Local funding updates: The legislators reported preliminary appropriations activity for Boynton Beach requests: the fire swift-water rescue program request was for $500,000 and the House had included $250,000; funding for the Women’s Club request ($350,000 ask) received $175,000 in the House; sanitary sewer collection system and water-distribution requests received partial House and Senate consideration with the Senate showing higher amounts in committee appropriations, the legislators said. They emphasized that final funding depends on the conference process and the governor's actions.
Why it matters: The briefing alerted the commission to several near-term policy risks and opportunities — including preemption rules that could alter local planning and CRA authority, and the status of state funding for city infrastructure projects.
The legislators took questions and encouraged local officials to stay engaged with committee hearings and the state appropriations process.
