The bill amends Florida Statutes to establish new requirements for municipal utilities providing utility services, such as electric, water, natural gas, or sewer, to entities outside their corporate limits. It mandates that any new agreements or significant amendments to existing agreements for these services must be in writing and cannot take effect until a public meeting is held to gather input from affected municipalities and unincorporated areas. The bill also specifies that rates, fees, and charges for water and sewer services must comply with existing provisions, and it requires annual public customer meetings to discuss utility-related matters.

Additionally, the bill revises the limitations on rates charged to consumers outside municipal boundaries, allowing municipalities to impose a surcharge under certain conditions, which must be phased out by 2029. It introduces a new reporting requirement for municipalities to submit annual reports to the Florida Public Service Commission detailing customer demographics, sales volumes, and the use of utility revenues for nonutility functions. The bill also preempts the creation of regional utilities authorities by the state and declares the act to fulfill an important state interest, with an effective date of July 1, 2027, for most provisions.

Statutes affected:
H 1451 Filed: 180.19
H 1451 c1: 180.19
H 1451 c2: 180.19
H 1451 e1: 180.191
H 1451 er: 180.191