Sen. Stan McClain

Tax Exemption for Portions of Homestead Property Used as Living Quarters for Parents and Grandparents; Allows counties to provide assessment reduction for portions of homestead property used as living quarters for property owner’s parent or grandparent who is 62 years of age or older & removes current provisions limiting reduction to increases in assessments resulting from construction or reconstruction of such living quarters & limiting amount of such reduction.

Land Use and Development Regulations; Revises types of data that comprehensive plans & plan amendments must be based on; revises means by which application of methodology used in data collection or whether particular methodology is professionally accepted & evaluated; revises elements that must be included in comprehensive plan; revises criteria for adopting small scale development amendment; revises content requirements for local land development regulations; revises mechanisms by which applications for infill development must be administratively approved; authorizes appeal of final order or decision regarding historically significant property made by locally established historic preservation board or commission to board of county commissioners; revises powers & duties of county commissions.

Expedited Approval of Residential Building Permits; Requires governing bodies to create or update program to expedite process for issuing residential building permits; authorizes applicants to use private provider; requires governing body to establish registry of qualified contractors for specified purpose; authorizes governing body to issue addresses & temporary parcel identification numbers; requires governing body to issue specified number or percentage of building permits; provides applicant has vested rights when conditions are met; prohibits governing body from making changes to preliminary plat without written consent; requires applicant to indemnify & hold harmless certain entities & persons.

Private Activity Bonds; Revises provisions related to private activity bonds, including definitions, state volume limitation, allocation & reallocation, issuance, reports, notices of intent, confirmation of allocation, final certificate of allocation, distribution, allocation pools, mortgage credit certificates, carryforward, infrastructure projects, & applications.

History and Instruction of Political and Socio-economic Systems; Requires students to receive instruction on history of Communism; requires DOS to provide recommendation to Legislature relating to creation of museum of history of Communism; creates Institute for Freedom in Americas at Miami Dade College; renames Adam Smith Center for Study of Economic Freedom as Adam Smith Center for Economic Freedom & revises goals of center.

Housing for Agricultural Workers; Prohibits governmental entity from inhibiting construction of housing for legally verified agricultural workers on certain agricultural land; provides requirements for construction or installation of specified housing; authorizes adoption of local land use regulations that are less restrictive than certain regulations; provides requirements for property owners & record maintenance; provides for suspension & removal of use of certain housing units; authorizes continued use of certain housing sites constructed if certain conditions are met.

Regulation of Water Resources; Revises qualification requirements person must meet in order to take water well contractor license examination; prohibits person or business entity from advertising water well drilling or construction services in specified circumstances; requires rules adopted by DEP relating to location of onsite sewage treatment & disposal systems allow licensed water well contractor to apply for & receive variance for installation of private or public potable water well; provides DEP's variance review & advisory committee is not responsible for reviewing water well permitting; requires committee to consider certain requirements when making recommendations on variance requests.

Return of Weapons and Arms Following an Arrest; Requires weapons, electric weapons or devices, or arms taken from person pursuant to arrest that are not seized as evidence or seized & subject to forfeiture to be returned to person within certain timeframe if specified conditions are met; authorizes sheriff or chief of police to develop procedures to ensure timely return of such weapons, electric weapons or devices, or arms; prohibits sheriff or chief of police from requiring court order before releasing such weapons, electric weapons or devices, or arms; provides exception; removes requirement for order of trial court judge to return pistol or firearm taken following arrest for breach of peace.

Swimming Lesson Voucher Program; Requires DOH to contract with & establish network of swimming lesson vendors to participate in program; requires DOH to secure vendor in each county; requires vendors to participate in program if requested by DOH; requires DOH to establish application process; specifies eligibility criteria; provides program is subject to specific appropriation; authorizes DOH to seek grants or other public & private funding for program.

Security Grants; Expands Nonprofit Security Grant Program to include additional organizations; specifies that grants may be used for certain materials; revises criteria to be awarded grant; requires DEM to provide information to Legislature annually by specified date; provides appropriations. APPROPRIATION: $45,000,000