The Florida Legislature’s special session saw the passage of two additional bills to bring Floridians some added relief. Senate Bill 4A, Disaster Relief, which provides relief for Floridians impacted by recent hurricanes; and, Senate Bill 6A, Toll Relief, which provides $500 million in statewide toll savings for Florida commuters.
State Senator Linda Stewart (D-Orlando) voted in favor of both of these bill. Speaking on her vote, Stewart said “I’m proud to vote in favor of bringing much needed relief to Orange County and the other municipalities in Florida that were hit the hardest during this unforgiving hurricane season.”
SB 4-A provides disaster relief efforts via property tax refunds and additional funding to assist Floridians and their communities rebuild and recover from the 2022 hurricane season. The bill goes into effect upon signing.
The bill provides property tax refunds for the portion of the year that homes were uninhabitable due to hurricane damage from Hurricanes Ian or Nicole. The bill also includes $150 million for affordable housing hurricane recovery efforts, including $60 million to assist with the repair or replacement of housing, relocation costs, limited-time rental assistance, and other recovery needs, of which $25 million may be used to provide assistance to homeowners to pay insurance deductibles. Additionally, to help local governments secure FEMA grants, $350 million is appropriated to the Department of Emergency Management to pay local match requirements.
SB 6A directs the Florida Turnpike Enterprise (FTE) to establish a toll relief program, effective from January 1, 2023, through December 31, 2023, for all Florida toll facilities that use a Florida-issued transponder or utilize an electronic transponder toll system (SunPass). All toll road customers driving a two-axle vehicles, such as your everyday cars, trucks, and SUVs, will be eligible for savings under the bill. Customers who engage in 35 or more toll transactions in a month will receive a 50 percent credit.
