City of Sunny Isles Beach Official Website
By Alex Lama, Vice Mayor
(Thursday, May 2, 2024) – The State of Florida concluded another regular legislative session on March 8, and I would like to highlight a few legislative results that affect us at a municipal and personal level.
Residential Building Permits HB 267 (Esposito) and SB 684 (DiCeglie) are comprehensive building permit bills that passed and are awaiting the Governor’s signature. If signed into law by the Governor, the bill would put added pressure on municipalities by reducing the number of days an application should be approved. It requires municipalities to determine if an application is complete within five business days; otherwise, the application is deemed complete and accepted. It also determines that if municipalities do not respond to the applicant within 10 days, the application is considered approved. You may reach out to Gov. DeSantis at GovernorRon.DeSantis@eog.myflorida.com to express your opposition to this legislation.
Harmful Communication to a Minor HB 1545. Gov.DeSantis recently signed this bill into law, which creates the criminal offense of harmful communication to a minor. It specifically prohibits adults from engaging in communication with a minor that includes explicit and detailed verbal descriptions of sexual activity. The bill also increases penalties for child exploitation crimes such as promoting sexual performances or possessing child pornography and establishes this behavior as a third-degree felony, making punishments associated with child exploitation more severe. This bill goes into effect on Oct. 1, 2024.
To learn about state legislation and send messages to legislators, please visit floridaleagueofcities.com
Contact Vice Mayor Alex Lama at seat2@sibfl.net or 305.792.1752.
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