Wrap-up of the Legislative Session.

This is a comprehensive wrap-up of the Florida legislative session from the Saint Petersblog.

Will 2011 become known as the Saggy Pants Session:

SAGGY PANTS (Passed): Requires school boards to prohibit students from wearing clothes that show their underwear or body parts, and imposes punishment up to in-school suspension. (HB 61/SB 228)

The UEL's biggest disappointment was the gutting of growth management with the repeal of the growth management act. We were also disappointed with the millions of tax dollars being allocated to fight the Fair District Petition Amendments that we, the voters, passed.

From the Reid Report:

Energy, environment

CITIZEN CHALLENGES (Passed): Reverses state’s “burden of proof” requirement that potential polluters show that their projects won’t contaminate air or water. Replaces it with a requirement that citizens and other challengers provide proof that the project will harm air or water. (SB 1382/HB 993)

CLIMATE (Failed): Repeals the Florida Climate Protection Act, which authorizes the state to create a cap-and-trade regulatory program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. (SB 762)

FERTILIZER (Passed): Prohibits local governments from passing ordinances that ban sales of fertilizer, but grandfathers in existing laws, such as Pinellas’ ban. (HB 7215)

GOLF COURSES (Failed): Requires the Division of Recreation and Parks to hire Jack Nicklaus Design to build courses in state parks in every region of the state, creating a Jack Nicklaus Golf Trail. (SB 1846/HB 1239) [Yes, someone proposed that.]

GROWTH MANAGEMENT (Passed): Shifts review and regulation for development from the state to local governments with repeal of the 1985 Growth Management Act. (HB 7207)

SEWAGE AS FERTILIZER (Failed): Lifts a not-yet-implemented ban on spraying treated waste from septic tanks as fertilizer on farmers’ fields. (HB 1479)