Transcript Highlights:

• We lower the light fixture down to the ground during hurricanes in order to preserve that asset.

Committee: Senate Transportation

Summary: The Senate Committee on Transportation met to hear presentations from the Florida Department of Transportation on rural arterial roadways and transportation resiliency, followed by a panel discussion on metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs). FDOT’s Will Watts described the state’s growing population and travel demand, emphasizing that rural arterials are critical for connectivity, freight movement, evacuation routes, and congestion relief. He outlined FDOT’s project selection factors, noted thousands of identified rural arterial needs with billions in unfunded demand, and explained that the department uses community input and long-range planning to prioritize safety, capacity, and economic development. Watts then discussed resiliency planning for hurricanes and flooding, focusing on structural design, storm readiness, and drainage. He highlighted efforts such as elevated bridges, wave attenuators, coastal armoring, drainage upgrades, and materials testing at FDOT’s research facilities to extend service life and reduce storm damage. Committee members asked about local project selection, materials research, LiDAR use, and legislative support; Watts said local coordination drives project priorities and asked lawmakers to protect the Transportation Trust Fund. The MPO panel, led by FDOT’s Kim Holland, explained that MPOs are federally required in urban areas over 50,000 population and that Florida has 27, the most in the nation. Holland said MPOs identify and prioritize transportation needs through long-range plans and public engagement, and she noted that several regions are exploring consolidation after the 2020 Census, especially in Tampa Bay and Southwest Florida. Representatives from MetroPlan Orlando, Forward Pinellas, Pasco MPO, and Hillsborough discussed their structures and the potential benefits and challenges of merging, including representation, governance, funding, and maintaining local voice. Members generally supported regional collaboration, urged patience as studies continue, and emphasized the need for transparent public engagement, while the committee adjourned after no further business.

Transcript Highlights:

• And as we reflect on this history, let us commit to preserving it, celebrating it, and ensuring that

Transcript Highlights:

• an administrative perspective was also made to use the federal funds rather than the Fund 469, preserving

Bills: SB 1

Committee: Senate Finance

Keywords: campground safety, youth camp regulations, flood safety, emergency evacuation, health and safety standards, Attorney General, budget recommendations, funding swaps, salary increases, Landowner's Compensation Program, public testimony, law enforcement

Summary: The meeting focused on the budget recommendations for the Office of the Attorney General (OAG), where key issues included the proposed decrease of $163.9 million for the 2024-25 biennium and various methodology swaps for funding. Attorney General Paxton discussed ongoing litigation expenditures and emphasized the need for continued investments in agency staffing to address rising demands within law enforcement. Notably, he requested a 6% salary increase for 2026 and 2027 to retain talented personnel amidst competitive job markets. Public testimony highlighted community awareness challenges regarding the Landowner's Compensation Program, indicating a need for enhanced outreach efforts.

Transcript Highlights:

• We need to establish a tourism emergency preservation fund modeled after the one that was established

Committee: Assembly Budget

Transcript Highlights:

• number of very critical child welfare services, including foster care, adoption services, family preservation

Committee: Senate Children, Families, and Elder Affairs

Summary: The committee heard a presentation from Dr. Kelly O’Dare on first responder behavioral health access, peer support, and suicide prevention. She described UCF Restores, the Second Alarm Project, and related partnerships that provide culturally competent treatment, peer training, clinician education, disaster response support, and behavioral health navigation. She cited survey and state data showing significant rates of sleep problems, anxiety, depression, substance use, and suicide among Florida first responders, and said evidence-based treatment has helped many patients recover, including a reported 76% who no longer met PTSD diagnostic criteria after treatment. Senators asked about measuring outcomes, peer support standards, and whether the state should create more consistent statewide requirements; O’Dare said peer support training must be specialized, linked to higher levels of care, and supported by sustainable funding and statewide coordination. The committee also heard from a public commenter who supported the work and emphasized the need for adequate resources and peer support infrastructure. The committee then received a Department of Children and Families presentation from Casey Penn on the proposed funding methodology for community-based care lead agencies under HB 7089. Penn explained that the new model is intended to be actuarially based, reimbursement-oriented, and more transparent than prior funding approaches, using historical expenditures, standardized reporting, and two main tiers: Tier 1 for largely fixed administrative and operational costs, and Tier 2 for direct child-serving costs based on per-child-per-month blended rates. He said the model includes a 2% risk corridor for Tier 2, hold-harmless funding in the first year, and optional Tier 3 performance incentives, with an estimated additional state appropriation need after offsets. Senators raised concerns about prevention, historical inequities, reasonableness of costs, administrative overhead, blended state and federal funds, adoption subsidies, high-acuity placements, and disaster-related disruptions. Penn said some of those issues could be addressed in future iterations as the child welfare information system is modernized, and he agreed to provide written responses to committee questions. Representatives of the Florida Coalition for Children and CBCs responded that the model is a major improvement but urged additional safeguards, including an administrative cap, clearer separation of direct and indirect costs, and better treatment of federal and pass-through funds. They argued that the system already has oversight and that deficits reflect insufficient appropriations rather than excess spending, while also noting that higher-acuity children and regional differences can drive costs. No votes were taken on either topic, and the meeting ended with committee staff introductions and adjournment.

Transcript Highlights:

• monitoring the toll agency performance, we focus on areas such as bond rating, debt coverage, safety, preservation

Committee: Senate Transportation

Summary: The Senate Transportation Committee met, took roll, and heard introductory remarks from members about their districts and transportation priorities, with several senators noting congestion and mobility challenges in their regions. The committee then received a presentation from the Florida Transportation Commission on its oversight role for FDOT, including annual and quarterly performance reviews, review of the five-year work program, and monitoring of tolling and transit authorities. Members asked whether the commission gets involved in project prioritization; the answer was no, because it is statutorily limited to high-level oversight rather than day-to-day project decisions. The committee next heard two reports related to transportation disadvantaged and paratransit services. FDOT’s Melissa Smith described the statewide Transportation Disadvantaged program, its governance structure, service models, and challenges such as fragmented administration, cost, inconsistent reporting, and rural service limitations. She outlined recommendations including better use of technology, regional partnerships, improved training, and alternative delivery models like microtransit and TNC partnerships. A University of South Florida researcher, Martin Katala, discussed best practices for paratransit and demand-response service, emphasizing route optimization software, dynamic dispatching, service standards, vendor accountability, and the use of TNCs and mobility management to improve efficiency and reduce travel times. A later presentation from UF’s I-Street program focused on emerging technologies for transit, including in-cabin monitoring, automatic restraints, accessible booking and tracking tools, and the need for statewide safety standards and better driver interfaces. Finally, FDOT Secretary Jared Perdue and District 5 Secretary John Tyler provided an update on the transition of SunRail local entities. They explained the differences among commuter rail, intercity rail, and light rail, and said SunRail’s financial transition to local partners was completed on January 1, with operational transition to follow over up to three years. They contrasted that with Tri-Rail, where FDOT still funds operations and discussions about a future transition are ongoing. Members asked about the differences between SunRail, Tri-Rail, Amtrak, and Brightline, and the presenters explained that commuter rail serves regional daily commuters while intercity rail connects regions. The committee concluded without taking any formal votes or other legislative action.

Transcript Highlights:

• Yeah, Google says the courthouse is in Auburn on Priscilla Lane.

Keywords: 10am HB 1 & HB 2, 928, house, all

Summary: The committee of conference on HB 1 and HB 2 reviewed comparison documents and worked through a long list of House and Senate positions, agreeing on some technical or already-enacted items while setting aside others for later discussion. Early on, members agreed to delete a House Bill 2 section tied to a bill already passed into law, and a representative explained a technical amendment to the EFA provisions clarifying enrollment-cap repeal language and compulsory attendance rules for EFA students. That amendment was discussed but a vote was postponed because not all members were present. The committee also noted that the overall EFA budget numbers had already been settled separately. Several items were either agreed to or held for further negotiation. Members agreed to delete sections already covered by other enacted bills, including BTLA-related language, and to accept a technical amendment changing "municipalities" to "political subdivisions" in a section affecting funding eligibility. They also agreed on some items involving workers’ compensation second injuries, certain pilot-program language, and some sections related to state loan repayment and other technical corrections. In contrast, they set aside or disputed items involving site evaluation, lottery-related provisions, opioid abatement, the Commission on Aging, Granite Advantage premium costs, renewable energy/offshore wind funding, special education funding, and several education trust fund and unique-fund provisions. The committee spent substantial time on policy disputes. The House side argued against keeping money in dedicated Fish and Game funds rather than increasing the main Fish and Game fund, while the Senate side defended its approach and raised concerns about fee impacts, including one tied to the fishing license. The members also discussed a housing appeals board proposal, with one member suggesting a possible compromise that would preserve some function while shifting duties and possibly sunsetting the arrangement later; the contracts for the positions were noted as running through June 30, 2028 and June 30, 2029. Another extended discussion concerned the child advocate records-access section, which one side wanted removed as policy that should go through the normal bill process, while another member asked to hold it and suggested a possible middle-ground, time-limited approach. Later, the committee agreed to remove sections already handled in other bills, including House sections 254 and 255, and discussed but did not resolve disputes over liquor licensing functions, cannabis-related language, cost containment, special education, and several fee and fund provisions. The Senate explained its position on the governor’s commission language, saying opioid abatement trust funds could not be used for that purpose and that the commission should continue to be funded through 5% of gross liquor profits; it also described renaming the body the Commission on Addiction Treatment and Prevention and expanding its scope to include problem gambling. The meeting ended with several major items still open for later negotiation.

Transcript Highlights:

• It ensures there’s no end arounds the legislative vetting process while preserving the governor’s ability
• vetting end end arounds the legislative vetting process<00:58:36.880><c> while</c><00:58:37.000><c> preserving
• </c><00:58:37.560><c> the</c><00:58:37.640><c> governor's</c> process while preserving the governor's
• process while preserving the governor's ability<00:58:38.600><c> to</c><00:58:38.760><c> fill</c><00

Bills: HF1323 , HF4266 , HF4413 , HF3101 , HF4572 , HF4698 , HF3650 , HF2634

Committee: House Higher Education Finance and Policy

Keywords: undocumented, financial aid, state policy, higher education, noncitizen eligibility, state grants, college affordability, Office of Higher Education, Minnesota State Grant, need analysis, expected family contribution, student aid, grant formula, living and miscellaneous expense allowance, dependent student, independent student, parental contribution, student contribution, surplus appropriation, biennium

Transcript Highlights:

• Paul really embodies our mission by promoting economic growth for our region while preserving and providing
• economic growth for our region promoting economic growth for our region while<01:45:03.760><c> preserving
• ><c> and</c><01:45:04.600><c> providing</c><01:45:05.000><c> a</c><01:45:05.240><c> a</c> while preserving
• and providing a a while preserving and providing a a convenient<01:45:06.400><c> and</c><01:45:06.520

Bills: HF4062 , HF4063 , HF4065 , HF3926 , HF4216 , HF3176 , HF3728 , HF3988 , HF3865

Committee: House Transportation Finance and Policy

Keywords: vehicle registration, title transfer, rental vehicles, state regulations, motor vehicle laws, school buses, USDOT number, first aid kits, transportation safety, vehicle regulations, transit safety, assault penalties, public transportation, criminal justice, transit workers, transportation, railroad, safety, economic development, public roads

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, and so, uh, they were able to work through that, go back to the State Historical Preservation Office
• </c><00:07:24.639><c> historical</c> back to the state historical back to the state historical preservation
• 26.319><c> shipo</c><00:07:26.880><c> they</c><00:07:27.039><c> call</c><00:07:27.120><c> it,</c> preservation
• office, shipo they call it, preservation office, shipo they call it, and,<00:07:27.919><c> um,</c><00

Committee: Senate Transportation

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We pray that we can continue to carry that on for ourselves, for our family, for our children to preserve
• <00:04:25.040><c> our</c><00:04:25.280><c> children</c><00:04:26.560><c> to</c><00:04:26.880><c> preserve
• </c><00:04:27.280><c> this,</c><00:04:27.520><c> the</c> for our children to preserve this, the for our
• children to preserve this, the greatest<00:04:29.199><c> state</c><00:04:29.360><c> in</c><00:04:29.520

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• government can say, okay, you're approved or you're within the regulatory boundaries, but you also get to preserve
• government can say, okay, you're approved or you're within the regulatory boundaries, but you also get to preserve
• government can say, okay, you're approved or you're within the regulatory boundaries, but you also get to preserve
• You came in late, and we were talking about that the previous presenter was talking about how to preserve

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Summary: The meeting began with roll call and approval of the prior meeting minutes, which passed unanimously. Members then introduced the day’s presentations, including one on the Canton network and another on tokenizing real-world assets, with a focus on how blockchain systems can support regulated financial institutions and asset tokenization. Julie, the director of policy and government affairs at Digital Asset, presented on the Canton network, describing it as a privacy-enabled public blockchain designed for regulated finance. She said tokenization should preserve the same legal and economic rights as the underlying asset, and argued that blockchain-based books and records can shorten settlement times, improve 24/7 trading, and reduce friction in capital markets. She identified three main barriers to institutional adoption of public blockchains: lack of privacy, limited throughput/scalability, and lack of control for compliance purposes such as freezing assets, pausing transactions, and meeting AML/sanctions obligations. She explained Canton’s structure as a public, permissionless network with application-level privacy controls, a global synchronizer, and super validators chosen by vote. She also highlighted current ecosystem participants and use cases, including Broadridge, Circle, and the DTCC’s planned tokenization of U.S. Treasuries on the network. Members and online participants asked about the relationship between tokenized assets and the Clarity Act, tokenized deposits, safeguards for faster settlement, and whether the platform could be used for municipal or property records. Julie said Digital Asset was not taking a position on rewards, but supported clearer statutory definitions because tokenized securities should carry the same rights as the underlying assets and investors need to know whether a token is a true tokenized security or a synthetic/reference token. She said the company is agnostic on whether the cash leg is stablecoins or tokenized deposits, though it expects both to develop. In response to concerns about rapid settlement, she pointed to institution-level permissions and SEC disclosure expectations as safeguards. She also said the technology could be used for other records, including potentially property-related records, if those assets can be tokenized.

Transcript Highlights:

• We want to preserve and protect that going forward. So thank you, Madam Chair.
• We<01:51:40.400><c> want</c><01:51:40.480><c> to</c><01:51:40.639><c> preserve</c><01:51:40.960><c> and
• </c><01:51:41.199><c> protect</c><01:51:41.520><c> that</c> We want to preserve and protect that We want
• to preserve and protect that going<01:51:42.080><c> forward.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Um, so Minnesota has a long history of preserving lands for public use and recreation, from efforts to
• preserve lands around Minnehaha Falls beginning in 1885, which eventually became a Minneapolis city
• These places preserve Minnesota's natural environment and give visitors a chance to experience their
• involves knowing and understanding why laws and regulations are important to the protection and preservation

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• The chair is responsible for preserving order and decorum during committee meetings.
• The chair may ask the Sergeant-at-Arms to assist in preserving order and decorum.
• We are assessing future priorities for capital improvements to protect and preserve vulnerable infrastructure
• We're authorized to, among other things, manage the control, storage, preservation, and distribution

Keywords: flooding, emergency response, communication systems, first responders, disaster management, Texas Water Development Board, regional planning, public safety

Summary: The meeting primarily focused on discussions around the recent floods in Texas, specifically addressing emergency preparedness, response coordination, and recovery efforts. Officials from various agencies provided testimonies on the challenges faced during the emergency, including issues with communication systems among first responders. Notably, the need for improved inter-agency communication and technology integration was emphasized, with recommendations for establishing regional communications units for better coordination during disasters. The audience included local government representatives and emergency management partners, who shared insights and experiences from the recent flooding events.

Transcript Highlights:

• Under those rules, the chair is responsible for preserving order and decorum during committee meetings
• The chair may ask the sergeant-at-arms to assist in preserving order and decorum.
• We are assessing future priorities for capital improvements to protect and preserve vulnerable infrastructure
• we are governed by a governor-appointed nine-member board to, among other things, control, store, preserve

Committee: House Disaster Preparedness & Flooding, Select

Keywords: 997, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• to my staff, and um, I think it is a good bill and I think that it's what we need at this time to preserve
• 02:12:58.960><c> um</c> it's what we need at this time to um it's what we need at this time to um preserve
• 00.960><c> for</c><02:13:01.719><c> motans</c><02:13:02.719><c> and</c><02:13:03.280><c> also</c> preserve
• stability for motans and also preserve stability for motans and also be<02:13:04.000><c> able</c><02

Committee: Senate Finance

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• of us to reflect on the timeless words of Abraham Lincoln in the Gettysburg Address, his call to preserve
• <00:13:46.240><c> to</c> the Gettysburg Address, his call to the Gettysburg Address, his call to preserve
• :47.440><c> of</c><00:13:47.680><c> the</c><00:13:47.839><c> people,</c><00:13:48.800><c> by</c> preserve
• a government of the people, by preserve a government of the people, by the<00:13:49.200><c> people,<

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• And part of this amendment preserves that process because some people are in mid-stream on that.
• And part of this amendment preserves that process because some people are in mid-stream on that.
• We shouldn't push them up two years to give them an opportunity to deal with this. amendment preserves
• that process because amendment preserves that process because some<01:23:28.400><c> people</c><01:23

Committee: Senate Executive Departments and Administration

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• The Minnesota African-American Family Preservation Childcare Disproportionality Act.
• Minnesota African-American Minnesota African-American uh<00:10:36.240><c> family</c><00:10:36.640><c> preservation
• </c><00:10:37.360><c> childcare</c> uh family preservation childcare uh family preservation childcare

Bills: HF2436

Committee: House Children and Families Finance and Policy

Keywords: child welfare, economic assistance, child care, grant program, video security cameras, 1183, house