FEDC Board of Directors Approves 2021 Legislative Priorities
In the summer of 2020, FEDC formed an Economic Recovery Task Force to evaluate the impact of losing the state-level tax refund program for competitive business recruitment and expansion projects called the Qualified Target Industry (QTI) Tax Refund program.
The task force submitted a series of recommendations to the Executive Office of the Governor, DEO, and Enterprise Florida in support of reinstating a modernized QTI program. This has become the cornerstone of the FEDC legislative priorities for 2021. Thank you to FEDC members who provided research, project data, and analysis.
FEDC Legislative Priorities
- Reinstate F.S. 288.106 Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund program, with the following modifications:
• Change average wage requirement to median wage to more accurately capture wages
paid to the majority of jobs created by the project or the average of the industry in that
county.
• Increase base QTI Amounts to $4,000 per new job created.
• Replace “Enterprise Zones” with “Opportunity Zones” to provide a $6,000 base award per job created for projects that locate in those areas.
• Simplify the Port Cargo/Airport Cargo Bonus. - Update F.S. 220.196 Research and Development Tax Credit to increase the cap from $9 million to $50 million with up to $10 million reserved for research companies who are restoring operations to Florida.
- FEDC supports maintaining and enhancing the CareerSource Florida Quick Response Training (QRT) grant program.
- In addition to these specific priorities, FEDC supports:
• Enterprise Florida, the state’s primary economic development organization, dedicated to Florida’s economic diversification and resiliency. This includes operational support and funding for business development, marketing the State of Florida as a business destination, and international trade activities.
• Programs through Space Florida, CareerSource Florida, Veterans Florida, Florida Rural EDA, Florida SBDC Network, The Corridor, GrowFL, FloridaMakes, and state academic institutions that connect existing and aspiring small businesses with the critical intelligence and talent they need to innovate, grow, and thrive.
• Establishing a Project Development Boot Camp to include EFI, DEO, and CareerSource Florida staff and FEDC Members.
2021 INTERIM COMMITTEE MEETING SCHEDULE
• January 2021—Week of the 11th
• January 2021—Week of the 25th
• February 2021—Week of the 1st
• February 2021—Week of the 8th
• February 2021—Week of the 15th
Senate protocols for public testimony
House protocols for public testimony
Bills we are following:
FEDC is following a large number of bills for the upcoming session of the legislature. They include:
SB 50: Sales and Use Tax
GENERAL BILL by Gruters
Sales and Use Tax; Expanding the definition of the term “retail sale” to include sales facilitated through a marketplace; defining the terms “remote sale” and “substantial number of remote sales”; providing that every person making a substantial number of remote sales is a dealer for purposes of the sales and use tax; providing that certain marketplace providers are dealers for purposes of the sales and use tax; providing that a marketplace seller, rather than the marketplace provider, is liable for sales tax collection and remittance under certain circumstances, etc.
HB 15 – Sales and Use Tax
General Bill by Clemons and LaMarca (CO-SPONSORS) Fernandez-Barquin; Grieco; Hinson; Robinson, W.; Skidmore; Smith, D.; Tant
SB 62: Regional Planning Councils
GENERAL BILL by Bradley
Regional Planning Councils; Revising a requirement for the Executive Office of the Governor to review and consider certain reports, data, and analyses relating to the revision of the state comprehensive plan; eliminating the advisory role of regional planning councils in state comprehensive plan preparation and revision; repealing provisions relating to the Florida Regional Planning Council Act; authorizing local governments to recommend areas of critical state concern to the state land planning agency, etc.
SB 128: Florida Talent Development Council
GENERAL BILL by Bradley ; (CO-INTRODUCERS) Diaz
Florida Talent Development Council; Requiring the council, by a specified date, to submit to specified entities a report that includes recommendations on the feasibility of establishing and implementing the Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) program or a similar program; providing requirements for the report, etc.
SB 138: Electric Vehicles
GENERAL BILL by Brandes
Electric Vehicles; Revising the Department of Transportation's goals relating to mobility; requiring the department to establish the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Grant Program; providing for the distribution of grants to certain entities to install electric vehicle charging infrastructure; specifying that certain rules adopted by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services may not require specific methods of sale for electric vehicle charging equipment used in, and services provided in, this state, etc.
APPROPRIATION: $5,000,000
SB 140: Fees/Electric Vehicles
GENERAL BILL by Brandes
Fees/Electric Vehicles; Creating additional fees for electric vehicles; creating a license tax and an additional fee for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles; requiring, on specified dates, the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to increase the additional fees, subject to certain requirements; providing that certain vehicles are exempt from specified fees, etc.
SB 154: Local Government Fiscal Transparency
GENERAL BILL by Diaz
Local Government Fiscal Transparency; Expanding the scope of a Legislative Auditing Committee review to include compliance with local government fiscal transparency requirements; providing procedures for the Auditor General and local governments to comply with the local government fiscal transparency requirements; revising reporting requirements for certain local government economic development incentives; creating the “Local Government Fiscal Transparency Act”; requiring local governments to post certain voting record information on their websites, etc.
SB 366: Apprenticeship and Preapprenticeship Training
GENERAL BILL by Hutson
Apprenticeship and Preapprenticeship Training; Revising the general duties of the Department of Education with regard to apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs; revising the membership of the State Apprenticeship Advisory Council; providing that apprenticeship or pre-apprenticeship program sponsors are responsible for the selection and training of certain personnel, as approved by the department; encouraging state university boards of trustees and apprenticeship program sponsors to cooperate in developing and establishing apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs that include career instruction, etc.
SB 426: State Preemption of Seaport Regulations
GENERAL BILL by Boyd
State Preemption of Seaport Regulations; Preempting to the state the regulation of commerce in state seaports; providing exceptions, etc.
SB 496: Growth Management
GENERAL BILL by Perry
Growth Management; Specifying requirements for certain comprehensive plans effective, rather than adopted, after a specified date and for associated land development regulations; requiring local governments to include a property rights element in their comprehensive plans; prohibiting a local government’s property rights element from conflicting with the statement of rights contained in the act; providing that the consent of certain property owners is not required for development agreement
changes under certain circumstances; requiring the Department of Transportation to afford a right of first refusal to certain individuals under specified circumstances, etc
HB 59 – Growth Management
General Bill by McClain (CO-SPONSORS) Sabatini
SB 508: Apprenticeship and Pre-apprenticeship Programs
GENERAL BILL by Brandes
Apprenticeship and Preapprenticeship Programs; Revising the requirements for the Department of Education’s annual report on apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs; revising and providing additional duties for the department relating to apprenticeship programs; specifying that apprenticeship program sponsors who meet certain conditions are eligible to receive direct reimbursements from the department for apprenticeship programs; expanding the rights of parents of public school students to include rights relating to workforce education opportunities, etc.
SB 586: Veterans Employment and Training
GENERAL BILL by Wright
Veterans Employment and Training; Directing Florida Is For Veterans, Inc., to serve as the state’s principal assistance organization under the United States Department of Defense’s SkillBridge program; prescribing duties of the corporation to facilitate the administration of the SkillBridge program, etc.
FEDC Engages Florida Legislature
FEDC Legislative Economic Development Virtual Engagement: January 21, 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM EST via GoToWebinar
Advocacy Toolkit
Please feel free to use these advocacy tools in your communications with the legislature.
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WHAT WE DO
The Value of Economic Development
IEDC has produced the explainer video above and below on the value of economic development as expressed by members.
WHO WE ARE
Separately, here’s the link to the promotional material CALED created these explainer graphics around the value of economic development. It’s downloadable and free to use. Here is one example.
To save the images first click on one of the thumbnail images to open to its full size. Then right-click to save it to your computer.
FEDC Letter Series
The following letters are available for members to use to explain aspects of economic development with elected officials and their constituents.
• 2020 Legislative Communication Series – “International Trade”
• More coming soon.
