Tallahassee priorities — property-tax plans, scholarship fixes and school start-time options shape Lake County schools' legislative agenda

Robert Stewart of law firm Grey Robinson told the Lake County School Board on Dec. 15 that the Florida Legislature’s upcoming session will be dominated by proposals to reduce property taxes and that other education items — notably scholarship funding and school start-time rules — will be negotiated under that big political umbrella. Stewart briefed the board on last session results and the firm’s recommended district priorities.

“The issue that’s gonna be front and center of this legislative session … is property taxes,” Stewart said, describing multiple House proposals that range from phased reductions to a doubling of the homestead exemption and other targeted exemptions. He said the proposals in their current forms exempt school-district property taxes but would materially reduce local-government revenues in many municipalities.

Stewart also described continuing scrutiny of the state’s scholarship programs and how they interact with the FEFP (Florida Education Finance Program). He said audit findings and committee hearings have pushed both chambers to agree that reforms are needed so “the money follows the child,” but that lawmakers disagree on implementation: some senators want to remove the scholarship program from the FEFP as a separate categorical, while the House favors keeping it in the FEFP and improving how funds flow between the Department of Education, scholarship-funding organizations and districts.

Stewart cautioned that the session’s property-tax debate could spur multiple special sessions or constitutional amendment efforts that would be placed on the ballot and that the final shape of any tax change will affect local services. He also briefed the board on a recently enacted colocation rule (often discussed as part of a ‘schools of hope’ concept), saying its Oct. 1 implementation led to unexpected facility claims and that Tallahassee lawmakers are talking about clarifying capacity definitions, grade alignment and reasonable custodial/maintenance fees for outside operators.

Board members asked for clarification about specific House votes and the timeline; Stewart said he will continue to monitor committees and return updates during the early weeks of session and throughout January. The district’s delegation and staff will be engaged on targeted items, including funding for dual-enrollment/CAPE/ACE programs and direct appropriations for facilities retrofits, Stewart said.

Next steps: The superintendent and district lobbyists will track bill language, advise on required public processes (for example, if districts plan to change school start times) and return to the board with recommended positions when bills move to committee or the floor.