FloridaMunicipalities will report utility service details to Florida officials
Starting in 2027, municipalities serving areas outside their boundaries must report service and revenue details to state officials and hold public meetings with local customers.
What it does
Municipalities serving customers beyond their boundaries must put covered utility agreements in writing and hold public meetings before an agreement takes effect. They must also hold yearly customer meetings to hear local input.
Municipalities serving areas outside their boundaries must report customer, sales, rate, and revenue details to state officials. The Florida Public Service Commission must send the collected information to state leaders.
Municipalities may keep certain older surcharges on outside water and sewer customers only as needed to meet older bond promises. Those surcharges must end by July 1, 2029, or sooner when the related debt ends.
The state takes control over the subject of regional utilities authorities created through legislative charter amendments after January 1, 2023.
Argument forPublic meetings could help people outside city limits understand service and rate differences and how utility revenue supports other local services.
Argument againstAnnual reports could take staff time and require municipalities to share detailed sales, rate, and budget information with state officials.
More detail
Municipalities must put covered service agreements in writing and hold public meetings about them. This covers retail electric, water, natural gas, or sewer service provided to another municipality or to owners or associations of land outside the serving municipality. The serving municipality’s appointed representative must participate with the governing bodies of the areas served. A meeting may be combined with another public meeting, but must be held in each municipality and unincorporated area served. The agreement meetings must happen before a new agreement, extension, renewal, or material amendment takes effect. Customer meetings must be held each year.
Municipalities must report utility service and financial details to the Florida Public Service Commission. This applies to each municipality providing electric, water, natural gas, or sewer service outside its boundaries. Reports must cover customers and sales outside municipal boundaries, rate differences, utility revenue used for other government services, and the share of the municipality’s nonutility budget funded by that revenue. The commission’s authority over these utilities is limited to enforcing this reporting section. Municipalities must report by January 1, 2027, and each year after that. The commission must report to state leaders by March 31, 2027, and each year after that.
Municipalities may keep certain older surcharges on outside water and sewer customers, but must phase them out. This concerns municipal water or sewer customers outside the municipality’s boundaries. The surcharge must have been in effect before March 1, 2026, and may continue only as needed to meet bond promises in effect on July 1, 2024. The surcharge must end by July 1, 2029, or when the related debt is retired, expires, or is refinanced, whichever comes first.
The state takes control over the subject of certain regional utilities authorities. This concerns the subject of qualifying regional utilities authorities. It applies to a regional utilities authority created by the Legislature through a charter amendment after January 1, 2023. This provision takes effect when the act becomes law.
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Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2026
- Jun 12Chapter No. 2026-135Latest
- Jun 11Approved by Governor Ron DeSantisBecame Law
- Jun 9Signed by Officers and presented to GovernorTo Governor
- Mar 13Ordered engrossed, then enrolledMinor
- Vote recorded Returning Messages. Result: pass.Upper
- Mar 13In Messages
- Mar 13CS passed; YEAS 30 NAYS 6Major
- Mar 13Concurred in House amendment(s) to Senate amendment(s) (451889)
- Mar 12In returning messages
- Vote recorded CS/CS/HB 1451. Result: pass.Lower
- Mar 12CS passed as amended; YEAS 79, NAYS 24Major
- Mar 12Concurred in Senate amendment 253600 as amended
- Mar 12Amendment 857587 Failed
- Mar 12Amendment 451889 adopted
- Mar 12Added to Senate Message List
- Mar 11In Messages
- Vote recorded Third Reading. Result: pass.Upper
- Mar 11CS passed as amended; YEAS 29 NAYS 6Passed Senate
- Mar 11Read 3rd timeMinor
- Mar 11Amendment(s) adopted (253600)
- Mar 11Read 2nd timeMinor
- Mar 11Substituted for CS/CS/SB 1724
- Mar 11Placed on Calendar, on 2nd reading
- Mar 11Withdrawn from RulesMajor
- Mar 3ReceivedMinor
- Vote recorded Passage, Third Reading. Result: pass.Lower
- Mar 3Referred to RulesMinor
- Mar 3In Messages
- Mar 3CS passed; YEAS 81, NAYS 26Passed House
- Mar 3Read 3rd timeMinor
- Mar 3Added to Third Reading Calendar
- Mar 3Amendment 856341 Failed
- Mar 3Read 2nd timeMinor
- Feb 26Bill added to Special Order Calendar (3/3/2026)
- Feb 26Added to Second Reading Calendar
- Feb 251st Reading (Committee Substitute 2)Minor
- Feb 25Bill referred to House Calendar
- Feb 25CS FiledMinor
- Feb 25Laid on Table under Rule 7.18(a)Minor
- Feb 25Reported out of Commerce Committee
- Feb 24Favorable with CS by Commerce CommitteeMinor
- Vote recorded Favorable With Committee Substitute (Commerce Committee). Result: pass.Lower
- Feb 20Added to Commerce Committee agenda
- Feb 12Now in Commerce Committee
- Vote recorded Favorable (Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee). Result: pass.Lower
- Feb 12Reported out of Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee
- Feb 12Favorable by Intergovernmental Affairs SubcommitteeMinor
- Feb 10Added to Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee agenda
- Feb 6Now in Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee
- Feb 6Referred to Commerce CommitteeMinor
- Feb 6Referred to Intergovernmental Affairs SubcommitteeMinor
- Feb 41st Reading (Committee Substitute 1)Minor
- Vote recorded Favorable With Committee Substitute (Economic Infrastructure Subcommittee). Result: pass.Lower
- Feb 4CS FiledMinor
- Feb 4Laid on Table under Rule 7.18(a)Minor
- Feb 4Reported out of Economic Infrastructure Subcommittee
- Feb 4Favorable with CS by Economic Infrastructure SubcommitteeMinor
- Feb 2Added to Economic Infrastructure Subcommittee agenda
- Jan 15Now in Economic Infrastructure Subcommittee
- Jan 15Referred to Commerce CommitteeMinor
- Jan 15Referred to Intergovernmental Affairs SubcommitteeMinor
- Jan 15Referred to Economic Infrastructure SubcommitteeMinor
- Jan 131st Reading (Original Filed Version)Minor
- Jan 9FiledIntroduced
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