Pasco officials head to Tallahassee with priorities; officials flag bills on housing, preemption and homestead exemption

Ralph Lehi, Pasco County’s governmental affairs officer, briefed commissioners on Feb. 3 about the county’s Pasco Day trip to Tallahassee, provided itineraries and said staff is tracking more than 200 bills the county has prioritized as red, yellow or green.

"We prioritize them as red light, green light, and yellow light," Lehi told the board, noting staff had prepared a large tracking packet and that the team would update commissioners as meetings occur. He also described a reception hosted by the Pasco County Greater Chamber and said the county’s delegation would be a focus of meetings in the coming days.

Commissioner Waitemann identified Senate Bill 1548 as being on the county’s red-light list and said he was troubled by language that could require subsidized affordable housing on publicly owned land. "It's troublesome to me that the legislature now is trying to tell cities and counties on publicly owned land that we have to put subsidized affordable housing on those properties," he said. Lehi confirmed that SB 1548 is a continuation of the 'Live Local' policy effort and said the county would continue to monitor and address red-light bills.

Lehi and other staff also discussed a set of local-preemption bills (including a referenced Senate bill 1444) and procedural changes the county is tracking. Commissioners and staff discussed a proposed homestead-exemption bill; county analysis presented to the legislature indicated a roughly $6,000,000 shortfall in the first year for mandated services if a large homestead exemption were enacted. One commissioner said county staff had shown those numbers to legislators.

The board also discussed logistics for the trip, how staff is focusing lobbying attention on bills with committee momentum and the possibility of sharing condensed fiscal documents with delegation members. No formal board policy changes or lobbying directives were recorded in the morning session beyond the planned travel and briefings.

Next steps: Pasco’s delegation meetings in Tallahassee will continue; staff intends to provide updated materials and to prioritize outreach on identified red-light bills.