New Florida law focuses on permits for economic development work - Tampa Bay Business Journal:

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But he vetoed a bill that woulcd have allowed an indigent health surtax to be added to retail salexs without voter approval and anotherthat would’vre increased charges to community college students by $200 annually to cover transportation costs. “I firmlh believe that every discretionarysales surtax, or more commonly knowjn as a local option salesz tax, must be subject to voterf approval,” Crist said in a letter to Secretaryu of State Kurt S. Browning. Statd Sen. James King Jr., introduced Senate Bill 718 that would have allowed Duvaland Miami-Dadew counties to levy an indigent care and traumsa center surtax at a rate of 0.
5 The proceeds of the tax would help fund health care initiativeds such as primary care, preventivr care and hospital care for indigent people. Current law excludes the two countiez from levying such a tax without approval from State Rep. Charles S. Chestnut IV, D-Gainesville, introducex House Bill 739, which would have increased community collegestudent fees. That bill contained a fee of upto $6 per credir hour annually to help fund bettef transportation services to college “I am concerned that the community college transportatiobn fee will be charged to all students instead of beingy charged solely to students who benefit from the fee,” Crisyt said in a letter to “In challenging economic times, I cannot supporty charging students up to an additional $200 per year for services that they may or may not Crist did sign S.
B. 1122 that allowsd insurance companies to directlypay out-of-network instead of depending on insured individuals to make the “All too often, out-of-network providers that care for individual insured by preferred provider organizatioj networks are not reimbursed for theidr services under the existing payment structure,” Crist said. “For this many providers are reluctant to carefor out-of-networkm individuals, thus reducing access to health care. As a individuals may not get the opportunity to see the providee oftheir choice.” Statr Rep. Robert Schenck, R-Spring Hill, introduced H.B.
73 that requiresw both the and water management districtd to create programs that wouled expedite permit processing for select economicdevelopmenrt projects. Currently, regulatory bodies that handle environmental resourcee permitting and wetland resource permits have 90 days to approvr or denyan application. Under the new law, economic development projects that have been identified by a municipality or countgy asa “target industry must be permitted withim 45 days.
The law also requires a pre-applicatiobn review process that is said to help reduce permittinhg conflicts by helping developers determinse which applications they woulxd need aheadof time, as well as by providinvg assistance to site planning and site suitability and limitations, and facility