Judiciary panel backs bill letting storage facilities use auction websites instead of newspapers

Senate Bill 98, which would allow self‑storage operators to advertise proposed sales of defaulted unit contents on specialized auction/sales websites rather than (or in addition to) running legal notices in newspapers, was reported favorably by the Florida Senate Committee on Judiciary by an 8–1 vote.

Senator Harrell, the bill sponsor, told the committee the measure "maintains all the current safeguards that are already in statute, and it's simply in relation to the advertising, authorize an alternative method ... on a website that is geared to selling this kind of information." He said the bill also updates contract forms to permit an alternate contact address and deletes the requirement to post notice on the unit door.

The bill matters because legal notices for unit sales can be the last opportunity for third parties to alert owners or relatives that property is about to be sold. Several newspaper publishers and associations opposed the change at Tuesday’s hearing, saying it would narrow the number of channels that reach families and neighbors. "To say no one reads a print newspaper, the last two sales that I've gone to have saved the storage unit person's stuff because it was in the newspaper," said Emerald Green, a publisher who also owns storage units. Emily Walsh of Observer Media Group and Carolyn Nolte of the Florida Press Association urged keeping newspaper channels and floridapublicnotices.com in the notice toolkit, noting that a typical two‑week legal notice could cost roughly $70 and that, on average, unit‑level notices worked out to low per‑unit costs for publishers.

Supporters of allowing online options argued the web is where buyers now search and that permitting specialized auction platforms would increase competition and reduce costs for some facility owners. Senator Harrell said the bill is optional: "If they choose to do it through the newspaper, they may do that. If they choose to do it on the website, they may do it." He emphasized the alternative must be a website "specifically that deals with this type of thing," not an arbitrary site.

Committee discussion focused on balancing consumer protection with modernized notice methods. Leader Leah Berman said she would vote for the bill but asked the sponsor to consider requiring continued posting on the unit and placement on floridapublicnotices.com to preserve notice reach. Senator Harrell agreed to work on language and reiterated the bill's limited scope applies only to storage‑unit sales and not to broader government notice requirements.

By roll call, Lisa the clerk recorded eight yeas and one nay and the committee "reported favorably" on SB 98. The sponsor and several attendees said the bill would move forward for further consideration.

Provenance: Sponsor explanation and statute/history were discussed beginning at 00:01:10 and the committee reported the bill favorably at 00:21:31 in the committee transcript.