Housing

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A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to housing; providing a short title; 2
amending ss. 125.0103 and 166.043, F.S.; removing 3
provisions prohibiting municipalities, counties, or 4
other entities of local government from adopting or 5
maintaining certain laws relating to rent control; 6
creating s. 166.0452, F.S.; providing definitions; 7
authorizing municipalities and counties to create 8
community land bank programs for a certain purpose; 9
requiring certain municipalities and counties to 10
develop and annually adopt a community land bank plan; 11
providing requirements for such plan; requiring a 12
public hearing on the proposed plan before its 13
adoption; requiring notice to certain entities; 14
requiring the proposed plan to be made public within a 15
certain timeframe before the public hearing; providing 16
requirements for the sale of certain property to land 17
banks; providing that such sale is for a public 18
purpose; prohibiting certain persons from challenging 19
the market value of a property under certain 20
circumstances; requiring written notice of a sale of 21
such property to be provided to certain persons in a 22
certain manner within a specified timeframe; 23
authorizing the owner of certain property to contest 24
the sale of such property and requiring such property 25

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to be sold in a different manner; specifying that the 26
owner of certain property is not entitled to proceeds 27
from the sale and is not liable for certain 28
deficiencies; authorizing land banks to buy certain 29
property for less than market value under certain 30
circumstances; conveying the right, title, and 31
interest in certain property to land banks; requiring 32
land banks to offer qualified organizations a right of 33
first refusal to purchase certain property; providing 34
requirements for the right of first refusal; providing 35
conditions for the subsequent resale of property 36
acquired by land banks; requiring certain deed 37
restrictions on certain property; providing 38
requirements for such deed restrictions; authorizing 39
the modification of or addition to deed restrictions; 40
requiring land banks to maintain certain records; 41
requiring land banks to file annual audited financial 42
statements within a certain timeframe; requiring land 43
banks to submit an annual performance report to the 44
municipality or county, as applicable, by a certain 45
date; providing requirements for such report; 46
requiring copies of such report to be provided to 47
certain entities and made available for public review; 48
authorizing land banks to acquire real property in 49
specified manners and to hold, manage, and dispose of 50

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such real property in accordance with the community 51
land bank plan; requiring a specified percentage of 52
certain taxes collected to be remitted to a land bank 53
for a specified duration; requiring such funds to be 54
remitted to a land bank in accordance with certain 55
procedures; providing applicability; creating s. 56
215.55866, F.S.; requiring the Department of Financial 57
Services to adopt a home resiliency grading scale for 58
a specified purpose; providing requirements for the 59
grading scale; requiring the department to create a 60
program that uses the grading scale for a specified 61
purpose; providing requirements for the program; 62
requiring the department to adopt rules; creating s. 63
215.55867, F.S.; establishing the Innovative 64
Mitigation Solutions Pilot Program within the 65
Department of Financial Services for a specified 66
purpose; allowing mortgage lenders and property 67
insurers to submit proposals to the department that 68
include certain information; authorizing the 69
department to waive or develop certain rules in order 70
to implement the proposal; requiring the department to 71
adopt rules; creating s. 220.1851, F.S.; providing 72
definitions; authorizing a tax credit for certain 73
projects; providing the maximum value of such credit; 74
authorizing the Florida Housing Finance Corporation to 75

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allocate the tax credit among certain projects; 76
authorizing the tax credit to be transferred by the 77
recipient; requiring the Department of Revenue to 78
adopt rules; authorizing a tax credit allocation to be 79
used for certain eligible costs; authorizing a tax 80
credit allocation to be carried forward for a 81
specified timeframe; amending ss. 420.0005 and 82
420.9079, F.S.; requiring certain agencies to provide 83
a report to the Legislature relating to the use of 84
specified transferred funds; requiring the repayment 85
of certain funds; creating s. 420.50931, F.S.; 86
creating the Retail-to-residence Tax Credit Program 87
for a certain purpose; requiring the Florida Housing 88
Finance Corporation to determine which projects are 89
eligible for the tax credit; requiring the corporation 90
to establish and adopt certain procedures and to 91
prepare a specified annual plan; requiring such plan 92
to be approved by the Governor; authorizing the 93
corporation to exercise certain powers; requiring the 94
board of directors of the corporation to administer 95
certain procedures and determine allocations on behalf 96
of the corporation; providing requirements for certain 97
procedures; requiring taxpayers to submit an 98
application with certain information to the 99
corporation; authorizing the corporation to request 100

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additional information; providing requirements for the 101
approval of an application for a project; creating s. 102
420.5312, F.S.; creating the Affordable Housing 103
Construction Loan Program for a certain purpose; 104
providing the Florida Housing Finance Corporation with 105
certain powers and responsibilities relating to the 106
program; providing requirements for the program; 107
providing rulemaking authority; creating s. 542.37, 108
F.S.; providing definitions; providing that certain 109
actions are a violation of the Florida Antitrust Act 110
of 1980; providing applicability; requiring the Office 111
of the Attorney General to develop a public education 112
program and post certain information on the Attorney 113
General's website; authorizing the Office of the 114
Attorney General to adopt rules; amending s. 627.0613, 115
F.S.; revising the powers of the consumer advocate 116
appointed by the Chief Financial Officer; specifying 117
that failure to obey certain court orders may be 118
punished as contempt; authorizing a circuit court to 119
order a person to pay certain expenses; amending s. 120
627.062, F.S.; prohibiting the Office of Insurance 121
Regulation from approving certain rate filings; 122
authorizing the consumer advocate to request a 123
specified administrative hearing and an expedited 124
appellate review; creating s. 692.041, F.S.; providing 125

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definitions; prohibiting certain business entities 126
from purchasing, acquiring, or otherwise obtaining 127
certain property and subsequently leasing or renting 128
such property; specifying that certain sellers are not 129
liable for certain violations; beginning on a date 130
certain, prohibiting certain business entities from 131
purchasing, acquiring, or offering to purchase or 132
acquire certain property unless such property has been 133
listed for sale to the general public for a specified 134
timeframe; requiring certain business entities to 135
complete and retain for inspection by the Department 136
of Legal Affairs a specified notice; requiring all 137
ownership interests held by certain business entities 138
to be aggregated; authorizing the Attorney General to 139
bring a civil action; providing remedies; providing 140
construction; amending s. 83.67, F.S.; conforming a 141
provision to changes made by the act; amending ss. 142
542.21, 542.22, 542.25, and 542.32, F.S.; conforming 143
cross-references; providing an effective date. 144
145
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 146
147
Section 1. This act may be cited as the "Real Affordable 148
Housing Relief Act." 149
Section 2. Subsection (2) of section 125.0103, Florida 150

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Statutes, is amended to read: 151
125.0103 Ordinances and rules imposing price controls.— 152
(2) A municipality, county, or other entity of local 153
government may not adopt or maintain in effect any law, 154
ordinance, rule, or other measure that would have the effect of 155
imposing controls on rents. 156
Section 3. Subsection (2) of section 166.043, Florida 157
Statutes, is amended to read: 158
166.043 Ordinances and rules imposing price controls.— 159
(2) A municipality, county, or other entity of local 160
government may not adopt or maintain in effect any law, 161
ordinance, rule, or other measure that would have the effect of 162
imposing controls on rents. 163
Section 4. Section 166.0452, Florida Statutes, is created 164
to read: 165
166.0452 Community Land Bank Program.— 166
(1) As used in this section, the term: 167
(a) "Affordable" has the same meaning as in s. 420.0004. 168
(b) "Community housing development organization" has the 169
same meaning as in s. 420.503. 170
(c) "Community land bank plan" or "plan" means a plan 171
adopted by the governing body of a municipality or county to 172
implement a community land bank program. 173
(d) "Community land bank program" or "program" means the 174
program created by a governing body of a municipality or county 175

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under this section. 176
(e) "Land bank" means an entity established or approved by 177
the governing body of a municipality or county for the purpose 178
of acquiring, holding, and transferring unimproved real property 179
under this section. 180
(f) "Low-income household" has the same meaning as in s. 181
420.9071. 182
(g) "Qualified organization" means a community housing 183
development organization that meets all of the following 184
criteria: 185
1. Contains within its designated geographical boundaries 186
of operation, as set forth in its application for certification 187
filed with and approved by the municipality or county, a portion 188
of the property that a land bank is offering for sale. 189
2. Has built at least three single-family homes or 190
duplexes or one multifamily residential dwelling of four or more 191
housing units in compliance with all applicable building codes 192
within the preceding 2-year period and within the organization's 193
designated geographical boundaries of operation. 194
3. Has developed or rehabilitated housing units within the 195
preceding 3-year period which are within a 2-mile radius of the 196
property that a land bank is offering for sale. 197
(h) "Qualified participating developer" means a developer 198
that meets all of the following criteria: 199
1. Has developed three or more housing units within the 3-200

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year period preceding its submission of a proposal to the land 201
bank seeking to acquire real property from a land bank. 202
2. Has a development plan approved by the governing body 203
of the municipality or county for the property acquired from a 204
land bank. 205
3. Any other requirements adopted by the governing body of 206
the municipality or county in its community land bank plan. 207
208
The term includes a qualified organization. 209
(i) "Very-low-income household" has the same meaning as in 210
s. 420.9071. 211
(2) The governing body of a municipality or county may 212
create a community land bank program in which the person charged 213
with selling real property pursuant to a foreclosure judgment 214
may sell certain eligible real property by private sale for 215
purposes of affordable housing developments. The governing body 216
of a municipality or county that adopts a community land bank 217
program shall establish or approve a land bank for the purpose 218
of acquiring, holding, and transferring unimproved real property 219
under this section. 220
(3)(a) The governing body of a municipality or county that 221
creates a community land bank program shall operate the program 222
in conformance with a community land bank plan that the 223
municipality or county adopts annually. The plan may be amended 224
as needed. 225

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(b) In developing the plan, the governing body of a 226
municipality or county shall consider other housing plans 227
adopted by the governing body, including the comprehensive plan 228
submitted to the United States Department of Housing and Urban 229
Development and all fair housing plans and policies adopted or 230
agreed to by the governing body. 231
(c) The plan must include, at a minimum, all of the 232
following: 233
1. A list of community housing development organizations 234
eligible to participate in the right of first refusal under 235
subsection (6). The plan must also include the time period 236
during which the right of first refusal may be exercised, which 237
time period must be at least 9 months but not more than 26 238
months after the date of the deed of conveyance of the property 239
to the land bank. 240
2. A right of first refusal for any other nonprofit 241
corporation exempted from federal income tax under s. 501(c)(3) 242
of the United States Internal Revenue Code, provided that the 243
preeminent right of first refusal is provided to qualified 244
organizations as provided in subsection (6). 245
3. A list of the parcels of real property that may be 246
eligible for sale to the land bank during the next year. 247
4. The municipality's or county's plan for the development 248
of affordable housing on those parcels of real property. 249
5. The sources and amounts of money the municipality or 250

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county anticipates to be available for subsidies for the 251
development of affordable housing in the municipality or county, 252
including any money specifically available for housing developed 253
under the program, as approved by the governing body of the 254
municipality or county at the time the plan is adopted. 255
6. The amount of additional time, if any, that a property 256
may be held in the land bank once an offer has been received 257
from a qualified participating developer and accepted by the 258
land bank. 259
(4)(a) Before the adoption of a plan, the governing body 260
of a municipality or county must hold a public hearing on the 261
proposed plan. 262
(b) The city or county manager, or his or her designee, 263
must provide notice of the public hearing to all community 264
housing development organizations and to the neighborhood 265
associations identified by the governing body of the 266
municipality or county as serving the neighborhoods in which 267
properties anticipated to be available for sale to the land bank 268
under this section are located. 269
(c) The city or county manager, or his or her designee, 270
must make copies of the proposed plan available to the public at 271
least 60 days before the date of the public hearing. 272
(5)(a) Except as provided in paragraph (f), property that 273
is ordered sold pursuant to a foreclosure judgment may be sold 274
in a private sale to a land bank by the person charged with the 275

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sale of the property without first offering the property for 276
sale as otherwise provided in chapter 45 if all of the following 277
apply: 278
1. The market value of the property as specified in the 279
judgment of foreclosure is less than the total amount due under 280
the judgment, including all taxes, penalties, and interest, plus 281
the value of nontax liens held by a taxing unit and awarded by 282
the judgment, court costs, and the cost of the sale. 283
2. The property is not improved with a building or 284
buildings. 285
3. There are delinquent taxes on the property for a total 286
of at least 5 years. 287
4. The governing body of the municipality or county has 288
executed an interlocal agreement with the other taxing units 289
that are parties to the foreclosure proceeding which enables 290
those taxing units to agree to participate in the program while 291
retaining the right to withhold consent to the sale of the 292
specific properties to the land bank. 293
(b) A sale of property for use in connection with the 294
program is a sale for a public purpose. 295
(c) If the person being sued in a foreclosure proceeding 296
does not contest the market value of the property in the 297
proceeding, the person waives the right to challenge the amount 298
of the market value determined by the court for purposes of the 299
sale of the property under s. 45.031. 300

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(d) For any sale of property under this section, the 301
person charged with the sale of the property must provide each 302
person who was a defendant to the judgment, or that person's 303
attorney, written notice at least 90 days before the date of the 304
sale of the proposed method of sale of the property. Such notice 305
must be given in accordance with the Florida Rules of Civil 306
Procedure. 307
(e) After receipt of the notice required under paragraph 308
(d) and before the date of the proposed sale, the owner of the 309
property subject to the sale may file with the person charged 310
with the sale a written request that the property not be sold in 311
the manner provided under this section. 312
(f) If the person charged with the sale receives a written 313
request as provided in paragraph (e), the person must sell the 314
property as otherwise provided in chapter 45. 315
(g) The owner of the property subject to the sale may not 316
receive any proceeds of a sale under this section and does not 317
have any personal liability for a deficiency of the judgment as 318
a result of a sale under this section. 319
(h) If consent is given by the taxing units that are a 320
party to the judgment, property may be sold to a land bank for 321
less than the market value of the property as specified in the 322
judgment or less than the total of all taxes, penalties, and 323
interest, plus the value of nontax liens held by a taxing unit 324
and awarded by the judgment, court costs, and the cost of the 325

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sale. 326
(i) The deed of conveyance of the property sold to a land 327
bank under this section conveys to the land bank the right, 328
title, and interest in the property acquired or held by each 329
taxing unit that was a party to the judgment, subject to the 330
right of redemption. 331
(6) After receiving the deed of conveyance of the 332
property, a land bank must first offer the property for sale to 333
qualified organizations. 334
(a) A land bank must provide notice to qualified 335
organizations by certified mail, return receipt requested, at 336
least 60 days before the beginning of the time period in which a 337
right of first refusal may be exercised according to a 338
municipality's or county's community land bank plan. 339
(b) If a land bank conveys the property to a qualified 340
organization before the expiration of the time period specified 341
by the community land bank plan, the interlocal agreement 342
executed under subparagraph (5)(a)4. must provide tax abatement 343
for the property until the expiration of the time period. 344
(c) During the right of first refusal time period, a land 345
bank may not sell the property to a qualified participating 346
developer other than a qualified organization. If all qualified 347
organizations notify the land bank that they are declining to 348
exercise their right of first refusal during the applicable time 349
period, the land bank may sell the property to any other 350

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qualified participating developer at the same price that the 351
land bank offered the property to the qualified organizations. 352
(d) If more than one qualified organization expresses an 353
interest in exercising its right of first refusal, the 354
organization that has the most geographically compact area 355
encompassing a portion of the property as designated it its 356
application for certification is given priority. 357
(e) A land bank is not required to provide a right of 358
first refusal to qualified organizations under this section if 359
the land bank is selling property that reverted to the land bank 360
as provided under subsection (7). 361
(7) Each subsequent resale of property acquired by a land 362
bank under this section must comply with the conditions of this 363
subsection. 364
(a) A land bank must sell a property to a qualified 365
participating developer within 3 years after receiving the deed 366
of conveyance of the property for the purpose of construction of 367
affordable housing for sale or rent to low-income households or 368
very-low-income households. If the land bank has not sold the 369
property within those 3 years, the property must be transferred 370
from the land bank back to the taxing units that were parties to 371
the foreclosure judgment for disposition as otherwise allowed 372
under law. 373
(b) The number of properties acquired by a qualified 374
participating developer under this section on which development 375

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has not been completed may not at any time exceed three times 376
the annual average residential production completed by the 377
qualified participating developer during the preceding 2-year 378
period, as determined by the governing body of the municipality 379
or county. In its community land bank plan, the governing body 380
of the municipality or county may increase the number of 381
properties a qualified participating developer may acquire. 382
(c) The deed conveying a property sold by a land bank must 383
include a right of reverter so that, if the qualified 384
participating developer does not apply for a construction permit 385
and close on any construction financing within 2 years after the 386
date of the conveyance of the property from the land bank to the 387
qualified participating developer, the property reverts to the 388
land bank for subsequent resale to another qualified 389
participating developer or conveyance to the taxing units as 390
required under paragraph (a). 391
(d) The proceeds from sales under this section must be 392
reinvested back into the community land bank program. 393
(8)(a) A land bank must impose deed restrictions on 394
property sold to qualified participating developers requiring 395
the development and sale or rental of the property to low-income 396
households and very-low-income households. 397
(b) At least 25 percent of a land bank's properties sold 398
during any given fiscal year to be developed for sale must be 399
deed restricted for sale to households whose total annual 400

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household income does not exceed 60 percent of the area median 401
income, adjusted for household size, for the metropolitan 402
statistical area, or if not within a metropolitan statistical 403
area, within the county in which the household is located, as 404
determined annually by the United States Department of Housing 405
and Urban Development. 406
(c)1. If the property sold is to be developed for rental 407
units, the deed restrictions must last for at least 20 years and 408
prohibit the exclusion of a person or family from admission to 409
the development based solely on the participation of the person 410
or family in the Housing Choice Voucher Program under s. 8 of 411
the United States Housing Act of 1937, as amended. Additionally, 412
the deed restrictions must require: 413
a. That 100 percent of the rental units be occupied by and 414
affordable to households whose total annual household income 415
does not exceed 60 percent of the area median income, adjusted 416
for household size, for the metropolitan statistical area, or if 417
not within a metropolitan statistical area, within the county in 418
which the household is located, as determined annually by the 419
United States Department of Housing and Urban Development; 420
b. That 40 percent of the rental units be occupied by and 421
affordable to households whose total annual household income 422
does not exceed 50 percent of the area median income, adjusted 423
for household size, for the metropolitan statistical area, or if 424
not within a metropolitan statistical area, within the county in 425

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which the household is located, as determined annually by the 426
United States Department of Housing and Urban Development; or 427
c. That 20 percent of the rental units be occupied by and 428
affordable to households whose total annual household income 429
does not exceed 30 percent of the area median income, adjusted 430
for household size, for the metropolitan statistical area, or if 431
not within a metropolitan statistical area, within the county in 432
which the household is located, as determined annually by the 433
United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. 434
2. The owner of a development with deed restrictions 435
required under this paragraph must file an annual occupancy 436
report with the municipality or county, as applicable, on a form 437
adopted by the governing body of the municipality or county. 438
(d) Except as otherwise provided in this section, if the 439
deed restrictions imposed under this subsection are for a number 440
of years, the deed restrictions must renew automatically. 441
(e) A land bank or the governing body of a municipality or 442
county may modify or add to the deed restrictions imposed under 443
this subsection. Any modifications or additions made by the 444
governing body of the municipality or county must be adopted by 445
the governing body as part of its community land bank plan and 446
must comply with the restrictions in this subsection. 447
(9)(a) A land bank must keep accurate minutes of its 448
meetings and accurate records and books of account that conform 449
with generally accepted principles of accounting and that 450

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clearly reflect the income and expenses of the land bank and all 451
transactions in relation to its property. 452
(b) A land bank must maintain in its records for 453
inspection a copy of the sale settlement statement for each 454
property sold by a qualified participating developer and a copy 455
of the first page of the mortgage note with the interest rate 456
and indicating the volume and page number of the instrument as 457
filed with the county clerk. 458
(c) Within 90 days after the close of its fiscal year, a 459
land bank must file with the municipality or county, as 460
applicable, an annual audited financial statement prepared by a 461
certified public accountant. The financial transactions of the 462
land bank are subject to audit by the municipality or county. 463
(d) For purposes of evaluating the effectiveness of the 464
program, a land bank must submit an annual performance report to 465
the municipality or county, as applicable, by November 1 of each 466
year in which the land bank acquires or sells property under 467
this section. The performance report must include all of the 468
following: 469
1. A complete and detailed written accounting of all money 470
and properties received and disbursed by the land bank during 471
the preceding fiscal year. 472
2. For each property acquired by the land bank during the 473
preceding fiscal year: 474
a. The street address of the property. 475

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b. The legal description of the property. 476
c. The date on which the land bank took title to the 477
property. 478
d. The full name and street address of the property owner 479
of record at the time of the foreclosure proceeding. 480
3. For each property sold by the land bank to a qualified 481
participating developer during the preceding fiscal year: 482
a. The street address of the property. 483
b. The legal description of the property. 484
c. The full name and mailing address of the developer. 485
d. The purchase price paid by the developer. 486
e. The maximum incomes allowed for the households by the 487
terms of the sale. 488
f. The source and amount of any public subsidy provided by 489
the municipality or county to facilitate the sale or rental of 490
the property to a household within the targeted income range. 491
4. For each property sold by a qualified participating 492
developer during the preceding fiscal year, the buyer's 493
household income and a description of all use and sale 494
restrictions. 495
5. For each property developed for rental units with an 496
active deed restriction, a copy of the most recent annual report 497
filed by the owner of the land bank. 498
(e) A land bank must provide copies of the performance 499
report to the taxing units that were parties to the judgment of 500

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foreclosure and provide notice of the availability of the 501
performance report for review to the organizations and 502
neighborhood associations identified by the governing body of 503
the municipality or county as serving the neighborhoods in which 504
properties sold to the land bank under this section are located. 505
(f) The land bank and municipality or county, as 506
applicable, must maintain copies of all performance reports and 507
make such reports available for public review. 508
(10) A land bank may acquire real property by donation, 509
devise, purchase, or transfer from a municipality, county, or 510
other governmental entity. Real property acquired under this 511
subsection may be held, managed, and disposed of in accordance 512
with this section and the community land bank plan developed 513
under subsection (3). 514
(11) Exclusive of any state or school district ad valorem 515
tax, up to 75 percent of the taxes collected pursuant to state 516
law on real property conveyed by a land bank must be remitted to 517
the land bank. The allocation of property tax revenues begins in 518
the first taxable year after the date of the conveyance of real 519
property and continues for 5 years. The funds from such property 520
tax revenues must be remitted to the land bank in accordance 521
with the administrative procedures established by the tax 522
commissioner or tax collector of the county or counties in which 523
the land bank is located. 524
(12) This section does not apply to property acquired 525

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through an eminent domain action. 526
Section 5. Section 215.55866, Florida Statutes, is created 527
to read: 528
215.55866 Uniform home resiliency grading scale and 529
database.— 530
(1) The department shall: 531
(a) Adopt a uniform home resiliency grading scale to 532
measure the ability of a home to withstand the wind load from a 533
sustained severe tropical storm or hurricane. The rating system 534
must: 535
1. Be easy to understand by property owners. 536
2. Use objective standards and proven mitigation 537
techniques. 538
(b) Create a program that facilitates the sharing of 539
information on the resiliency of housing stock using the grading 540
scale created in paragraph (a) through a database maintained by 541
the commission. The program must allow insurance companies, 542
mortgage lenders, and others involved in risk financing to 543
access the information. 544
(2) The department shall adopt rules to implement this 545
section. 546
Section 6. Section 215.55867, Florida Statutes, is created 547
to read: 548
215.55867 Innovative Mitigation Solutions Pilot Program— 549
(1) There is established within the department the 550

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Innovative Mitigation Solutions Pilot Program to allow mortgage 551
lenders and property insurers to develop new financial products 552
to promote and finance mitigation of residential property. 553
(2) Mortgage lenders and property insurers may submit 554
proposals for new financial products to the commission. The 555
proposal must include information on any regulatory changes 556
needed for implementation. 557
(3) The department may offer a waiver from existing 558
regulations, or develop new regulations, in order to implement 559
the proposal. 560
(4) The department shall adopt rules to implement this 561
section. 562
Section 7. Section 220.1851, Florida Statutes, is created 563
to read: 564
220.1851 Retail-to-residence tax credit.— 565
(1) As used in this section, the term: 566
(a) "Credit period" means the period of 5 years beginning 567
with the year a project is completed. 568
(b) "Designated project" means a qualified project 569
designated pursuant to s. 420.50931 to receive the tax credit 570
under this section. 571
(c) "Qualified project" means a project to redevelop a 572
structure that was originally developed as a shopping center to 573
provide appropriate and affordable workforce housing. 574
(d) "Shopping center" means an area designed to provide 575

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space for multiple storefronts within a single building or 576
sharing a common parking lot. 577
(2)(a) There shall be allowed a tax credit of up to 9 578
percent, but no more than necessary to make the project 579
feasible, of the total cost of a designated project for each 580
year of the credit period against any tax due for a taxable year 581
under this chapter. 582
(b) The tax credit shall be allocated among designated 583
projects by the Florida Housing Finance Corporation as provided 584
in s. 420.50931. 585
(c) A tax credit allocated to a designated project may be 586
subject to transfer by the recipient. Such transferred credits 587
may not be transferred again. The department shall adopt rules 588
necessary to administer this paragraph. 589
(d) A tax credit allocation may be used for eligible 590
costs, including, but not limited to, structural modifications, 591
Florida Building Code compliance, utility upgrades, interior 592
reconfigurations, and accessibility improvements, necessary to 593
convert a shopping center into appropriate and affordable 594
workforce housing. 595
(e) Any unused tax credit allocation may be carried 596
forward for up to 1 fiscal year. 597
Section 8. Section 420.0005, Florida Statutes, is amended 598
to read: 599
420.0005 State Housing Trust Fund; State Housing Fund.— 600

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(1) There is established in the State Treasury a separate 601
trust fund to be named the "State Housing Trust Fund." There 602
shall be deposited in the fund all moneys appropriated by the 603
Legislature, or moneys received from any other source, for the 604
purpose of this chapter, and all proceeds derived from the use 605
of such moneys. The fund shall be administered by the Florida 606
Housing Finance Corporation on behalf of the department, as 607
specified in this chapter. Money deposited to the fund and 608
appropriated by the Legislature must, notwithstanding the 609
provisions of chapter 216 or s. 420.504(3), be transferred 610
quarterly in advance, to the extent available, or, if not so 611
available, as soon as received into the State Housing Trust 612
Fund, and subject to the provisions of s. 420.5092(6)(a) and (b) 613
by the Chief Financial Officer to the corporation upon 614
certification by the Secretary of Commerce that the corporation 615
is in compliance with the requirements of s. 420.0006. The 616
certification made by the secretary shall also include the split 617
of funds among programs administered by the corporation and the 618
department as specified in chapter 92-317, Laws of Florida, as 619
amended. Moneys advanced by the Chief Financial Officer must be 620
deposited by the corporation into a separate fund established 621
with a qualified public depository meeting the requirements of 622
chapter 280 to be named the "State Housing Fund" and used for 623
the purposes of this chapter. Administrative and personnel costs 624
incurred in implementing this chapter may be paid from the State 625

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Housing Fund, but such costs may not exceed 5 percent of the 626
moneys deposited into such fund. To the State Housing Fund shall 627
be credited all loan repayments, penalties, and other fees and 628
charges accruing to such fund under this chapter. It is the 629
intent of this chapter that all loan repayments, penalties, and 630
other fees and charges collected be credited in full to the 631
program account from which the loan originated. Moneys in the 632
State Housing Fund which are not currently needed for the 633
purposes of this chapter shall be invested in such manner as is 634
provided for by statute. The interest received on any such 635
investment shall be credited to the State Housing Fund. 636
(2) For any funds transferred from the State Housing Trust 637
Fund in accordance with s. 215.32: 638
(a) An agency receiving funds that originated from the 639
State Housing Trust Fund must provide a report to the 640
Legislature identifying with specificity the manner in which the 641
funds were spent. The report must be submitted within 30 days 642
after the close of the fiscal year in which the funds are 643
expended. 644
(b) Any funds appropriated from the State Housing Trust 645
Funds for uses other than those specified in this chapter must 646
be repaid within 5 years after the date on which the funds were 647
appropriated. 648
Section 9. Section 420.50931, Florida Statutes, is created 649
to read: 650

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420.50931 Retail-to-residence Tax Credit Program.— 651
(1) There is created the Retail-to-residence Tax Credit 652
Program for the purpose of redeveloping shopping centers into 653
appropriate and affordable workforce housing. 654
(2) The corporation shall determine those qualified 655
projects, as defined in s. 220.1851(1), which shall be 656
considered designated projects under s. 220.1851 and eligible 657
for the corporate tax credit under that section. The corporation 658
shall establish procedures necessary for the proper allocation 659
and distribution of tax credits, including the establishment of 660
criteria for ensuring that the housing is appropriate and 661
affordable for the workers of this state, and may exercise all 662
powers necessary to administer the allocation of such credits. 663
The board of directors of the corporation shall administer the 664
allocation procedures and determine allocations on behalf of the 665
corporation. The corporation shall prepare an annual plan, which 666
must be approved by the Governor, containing general guidelines 667
for the allocation of tax credits to designated projects. 668
(3) The corporation shall adopt allocation procedures to 669
ensure that tax credits are used in a fair manner, taking into 670
consideration the timeliness of the application, the location of 671
the proposed project, the relative need in the area for 672
appropriate and affordable workforce housing and the 673
availability of such housing, the economic feasibility of the 674
proposed project, and the ability of the applicant to complete 675

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the proposed project in the calendar year for which the tax 676
credit is sought. 677
(4)(a) A taxpayer who wishes to participate in the Retail-678
to-residence Tax Credit Program must submit an application for 679
tax credit to the corporation. The application must identify the 680
proposed project and the location of the proposed project and 681
include evidence that the proposed project is a qualified 682
project as defined in s. 220.1851(1). The corporation may 683
request any information from an applicant necessary to enable 684
the corporation to make tax credit allocations according to the 685
procedures adopted under subsection (3). 686
(b) The corporation's approval of an application for a 687
project must be in writing and include a statement of the 688
maximum tax credit allowable to the applicant. 689
Section 10. Section 420.5312, Florida Statutes, is created 690
to read: 691
420.5312 Affordable Housing Construction Loan Program.— 692
(1) The Affordable Housing Construction Loan Program is 693
created to encourage the new construction of affordable homes 694
for purchase by low to moderate income homebuyers by providing a 695
revolving line of construction funding. 696
(2) The corporation is authorized to provide loans under 697
the program to applicants for the construction of affordable 698
housing. Applicants may draw from the loan up to five times per 699
home. All homes must meet the requirements of the Florida 700

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Building Code or, if more stringent, local amendments to the 701
Florida Building Code. 702
(3) Qualified homebuyers of homes built under this program 703
must be first-time homebuyers whose total annual household 704
income does not exceed 120 percent of the area median income, 705
adjusted for household size, for the metropolitan statistical 706
area, or if not within a metropolitan statistical area, within 707
the county in which the home is located, as determined annually 708
by the United States Department of Housing and Urban 709
Development. 710
(4) The corporation shall develop a loan application 711
process for the program. 712
(5) The corporation may adopt rules pursuant to ss. 713
120.536(1) and 120.54 to implement this section. 714
Section 11. Section 420.9079, Florida Statutes, is amended 715
to read: 716
420.9079 Local Government Housing Trust Fund.— 717
(1) There is created in the State Treasury the Local 718
Government Housing Trust Fund, which shall be administered by 719
the corporation on behalf of the department according to the 720
provisions of ss. 420.907-420.9076 and this section. There shall 721
be deposited into the fund a portion of the documentary stamp 722
tax revenues as provided in s. 201.15, moneys received from any 723
other source for the purposes of ss. 420.907-420.9076 and this 724
section, and all proceeds derived from the investment of such 725

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moneys. Moneys in the fund that are not currently needed for the 726
purposes of the programs administered pursuant to ss. 420.907-727
420.9076 and this section shall be deposited to the credit of 728
the fund and may be invested as provided by law. The interest 729
received on any such investment shall be credited to the fund. 730
(2) The corporation shall administer the fund exclusively 731
for the purpose of implementing the programs described in ss. 732
420.907-420.9076 and this section. With the exception of 733
monitoring the activities of counties and eligible 734
municipalities to determine local compliance with program 735
requirements, the corporation shall not receive appropriations 736
from the fund for administrative or personnel costs. For the 737
purpose of implementing the compliance monitoring provisions of 738
s. 420.9075(9), the corporation may request a maximum of one-739
quarter of 1 percent of the annual appropriation per state 740
fiscal year. When such funding is appropriated, the corporation 741
shall deduct the amount appropriated before prior to calculating 742
the local housing distribution pursuant to ss. 420.9072 and 743
420.9073. 744
(3) For any funds transferred from the Local Government 745
Housing Trust Fund in accordance with s. 215.32: 746
(a) An agency receiving funds that originated from the 747
Local Government Housing Trust Fund must provide a report to the 748
Legislature identifying with specificity the manner in which the 749
funds were spent. The report must be submitted within 30 days 750

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after the close of the fiscal year in which the funds are 751
expended. 752
(b) Any funds appropriated from the Local Government 753
Housing Trust Fund for uses other than those specified in this 754
chapter must be repaid within 5 years after the date on which 755
the funds were appropriated. 756
Section 12. Section 542.37, Florida Statutes, is created 757
to read: 758
542.37 Unlawful restriction of competition with respect to 759
residential dwelling units.— 760
(1) As used in this section, the term: 761
(a) "Consciously parallel pricing coordination" means a 762
tacit agreement between two or more landlords to raise, lower, 763
change, maintain, or manipulate pricing for the rental of a 764
residential dwelling unit. 765
(b) "Coordinating function" means all of the following: 766
1. Collecting historical or contemporaneous prices, supply 767
levels, or rental agreement termination and renewal dates of 768
residential dwelling units from two or more landlords. 769
2. Analyzing or processing the information described in 770
subparagraph 1. through the use of a system or process or 771
through software that uses computation, including by using the 772
information to train an algorithm. 773
3. Recommending rental prices, rental agreement renewal 774
terms, or ideal occupancy levels to a landlord. 775

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(c) "Coordinator" means a person who operates a software 776
or data analytics service that performs a coordinating function 777
for a landlord. The term includes a landlord if such person is 778
performing a coordinating function for his or her own benefit. 779
(d) "Landlord" means a residential property owner or 780
lessor of a residential dwelling unit. 781
(e) "Residential dwelling unit" means a house, an 782
apartment, an accessory unit, or any other unit intended to be 783
used as a primary residence in this state. The term does not 784
include inpatient medical care, licensed long-term care, or 785
detention or correctional facilities. 786
(2) It is unlawful and a violation of the Florida 787
Antitrust Act of 1980 for: 788
(a) A landlord, or the agent, representative, or 789
subcontractor of the landlord, to subscribe to, contract with, 790
or otherwise exchange any form of consideration in return for 791
the use of the services of a coordinator; 792
(b) A coordinator to facilitate an agreement among 793
landlords which restricts competition with respect to 794
residential dwelling units, including by performing a 795
coordinating function; or 796
(c) Two or more landlords to engage in consciously 797
parallel pricing coordination. 798
(3) Sections 542.21, 542.22, 542.23, 542.24-542.32, and 799
542.35 apply to this section. 800

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(4) The Office of the Attorney General shall develop a 801
public education program designed to inform residents of this 802
state of the prohibitions in this section. Information developed 803
for the public education program must be posted on the Attorney 804
General's website, along with information on the steps a 805
consumer may take if the consumer suspects a violation of this 806
section. 807
(5) The Office of the Attorney General may adopt rules to 808
implement this section. 809
Section 13. Subsections (5) and (6) are added to section 810
627.0613, Florida Statutes, to read: 811
627.0613 Consumer advocate.—The Chief Financial Officer 812
must appoint a consumer advocate who must represent the general 813
public of the state before the department and the office. The 814
consumer advocate must report directly to the Chief Financial 815
Officer, but is not otherwise under the authority of the 816
department or of any employee of the department. The consumer 817
advocate has such powers as are necessary to carry out the 818
duties of the office of consumer advocate, including, but not 819
limited to, the powers to: 820
(5) Request an administrative hearing pursuant to s. 821
120.57 to challenge a notice of intent to approve or a notice of 822
intent to disapprove a rate filing. 823
(6) Administer oaths or affirmations to compel the 824
attendance and testimony of witnesses, or to issue subpoenas for 825

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and compel the production of books, papers, records, documents, 826
and other evidence, pertaining to any investigation or hearing 827
convened under this section. 828
(a) In conducting an investigation, the consumer advocate 829
and its investigators must have access at all reasonable times 830
to premises, records, documents, and other evidence or possible 831
sources of evidence and may examine, record, and copy such 832
materials and take and record the testimony or statements of 833
such persons as deemed reasonably necessary for the furtherance 834
of the investigation. 835
(b) In the case of a refusal to obey a subpoena issued to 836
any person, the consumer advocate may apply to any circuit court 837
of this state, which court shall have jurisdiction to order the 838
witness to appear before the consumer advocate to give testimony 839
and to produce evidence concerning the matter in question. 840
Failure to obey the court's order may be punished by the court 841
as contempt. If the court enters an order holding a person in 842
contempt or compelling the person to comply with the subpoena, 843
the court may order the person to pay the consumer advocate 844
reasonable expenses, including reasonable attorney fees, accrued 845
by the consumer advocate in obtaining the order from the court. 846
Section 14. Paragraph (a) of subsection (2) and subsection 847
(6) of section 627.062, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 848
627.062 Rate standards.— 849
(2) As to all such classes of insurance: 850

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(a) Insurers or rating organizations shall establish and 851
use rates, rating schedules, or rating manuals that allow the 852
insurer a reasonable rate of return on the classes of insurance 853
written in this state. A copy of rates, rating schedules, rating 854
manuals, premium credits or discount schedules, and surcharge 855
schedules, and changes thereto, must be filed with the office 856
under one of the following procedures: 857
1. If the filing is made at least 90 days before the 858
proposed effective date and is not implemented during the 859
office's review of the filing and any proceeding and judicial 860
review, such filing is considered a "file and use" filing. In 861
such case, the office shall finalize its review by issuance of a 862
notice of intent to approve or a notice of intent to disapprove 863
within 90 days after receipt of the filing. If the 90-day period 864
ends on a weekend or a holiday under s. 110.117(1)(a)-(i), it 865
must be extended until the conclusion of the next business day. 866
The notice of intent to approve and the notice of intent to 867
disapprove constitute agency action for purposes of the 868
Administrative Procedure Act. Requests for supporting 869
information, requests for mathematical or mechanical 870
corrections, or notification to the insurer by the office of its 871
preliminary findings does not toll the 90-day period during any 872
such proceedings and subsequent judicial review. The rate shall 873
be deemed approved if the office does not issue a notice of 874
intent to approve or a notice of intent to disapprove within 90 875

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days after receipt of the filing. 876
2. If the filing is not made in accordance with 877
subparagraph 1., such filing must be made as soon as 878
practicable, but within 30 days after the effective date, and is 879
considered a "use and file" filing. An insurer making a "use and 880
file" filing is potentially subject to an order by the office to 881
return to policyholders those portions of rates found to be 882
excessive, as provided in paragraph (h). 883
3. For all property insurance filings made or submitted 884
after January 25, 2007, but before May 1, 2012, an insurer 885
seeking a rate that is greater than the rate most recently 886
approved by the office shall make a "file and use" filing. For 887
purposes of this subparagraph, motor vehicle collision and 888
comprehensive coverages are not considered property coverages. 889
4. The office may not approve any property insurance 890
filings made or submitted on or after July 1, 2026, if the 891
proposed rate is more than 10 percent above the highest rate 892
approved by the office within the past 12 months. If multiple 893
rate filings occur within a 12-month period, the office may not 894
approve a total cumulative increase that is more than 15 percent 895
above the highest approved rate within the past 12 months. 896
897
The provisions of this subsection do not apply to workers' 898
compensation, employer's liability insurance, and motor vehicle 899
insurance. 900

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(6)(a) If an insurer or the consumer advocate under s. 901
627.0613 requests an administrative hearing pursuant to s. 902
120.57 related to a rate filing under this section, the director 903
of the Division of Administrative Hearings must shall expedite 904
the hearing and assign an administrative law judge who shall 905
commence the hearing within 30 days after the receipt of the 906
formal request and enter a recommended order within 30 days 907
after the hearing or within 30 days after receipt of the hearing 908
transcript by the administrative law judge, whichever is later. 909
Each party shall have 10 days in which to submit written 910
exceptions to the recommended order. The office shall enter a 911
final order within 30 days after the entry of the recommended 912
order. The provisions of this paragraph may be waived upon 913
stipulation of all parties. 914
(b) Upon entry of a final order, the insurer or the 915
consumer advocate under s. 627.0613 may request an expedited 916
appellate review pursuant to the Florida Rules of Appellate 917
Procedure. It is the intent of the Legislature that the First 918
District Court of Appeal grant an insurer's or a consumer 919
advocate's request for an expedited appellate review. 920
Section 15. Section 692.041, Florida Statutes, is created 921
to read: 922
692.041 Single-family residential property.— 923
(1) As used in this section, the term: 924
(a) "Affiliate" means: 925

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1. A person or business entity that directly or indirectly 926
controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with 927
another person or business entity, including, but not limited 928
to, any heirs, assigns, related trusts, or persons who are in 929
privity of contract at law or in equity. 930
2. A person or business entity that receives a financial 931
benefit from possession of the land as an asset, including, but 932
not limited to, income, leverage, capital securitization, 933
inclusion in a financial portfolio, or for purposes related to 934
debt or taxes. 935
936
As used in this paragraph, the term "control" means the direct 937
or indirect power to direct or cause the direction of the 938
management or policies of a business entity, whether through 939
ownership, common management, contractual arrangements, or 940
otherwise. 941
(b) "Business entity" means an association, a company, a 942
firm, a partnership, a corporation, a limited liability company, 943
a limited liability partnership, a real estate investment trust, 944
or any other legal entity, and such entity's successors, 945
assignees, or affiliates. The term does not include: 946
1. A nonprofit corporation or other nonprofit legal 947
entity. 948
2. A person or entity primarily engaged in the 949
acquisition, rehabilitation, or construction of new or existing 950

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market rate or affordable residential housing. As used in this 951
subparagraph, the term "affordable" has the same meaning as in 952
s. 420.0004. 953
(c) "Single-family residential property" means a single 954
parcel of real property improved with only one detached dwelling 955
unit on it for which a certificate of occupancy has been issued. 956
(2)(a) A business entity that has an interest in more than 957
100 single-family residential properties in this state may not 958
purchase, acquire, or otherwise obtain an ownership interest in 959
another single-family residential property and subsequently 960
lease or rent such property. 961
(b) The seller of single-family residential property to a 962
business entity is not liable for any violation of this section 963
by the business entity. 964
(3)(a) Beginning July 1, 2026, a business entity that has 965
an interest in 10 or more single-family residential properties 966
may not purchase, acquire, or offer to purchase or acquire any 967
interest in another single-family residential property unless 968
such property has been listed for sale to the general public for 969
at least 90 days. The 90-day waiting period restarts if the 970
seller of the single-family residential property changes the 971
asking price of such property. 972
(b) If a business entity described in paragraph (a) 973
purchases or acquires an interest in a single-family residential 974
property, the business entity, or its authorized agent, must 975

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complete and retain the following notice at the time a contract 976
for purchase is executed: 977
978
COMPLIANCE WITH FLORIDA LAW 979
Under s. 692.041, Florida Statutes, a business entity 980
that has an interest in 10 or more single-family 981
residential properties may not purchase, acquire, or 982
offer to purchase or acquire any interest in another 983
single-family residential property unless such 984
property has been listed for sale to the general 985
public for at least 90 days. The undersigned certifies 986
compliance with this requirement. 987
988
(c) A business entity must retain the signed notice under 989
paragraph (b) for inspection, upon request, by the Department of 990
Legal Affairs. 991
(4)(a) For purposes of determining compliance with this 992
section, all ownership interests held by a business entity, 993
together with those held by any affiliates of the business 994
entity, must be aggregated and treated as if such ownership 995
interests are held by a single business entity. 996
(b) A business entity may not use affiliated entities or 997
other similar arrangements to avoid the application of this 998
section. 999
(5) The Attorney General may bring a civil action for a 1000

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violation of this section. If the Attorney General prevails in a 1001
civil action brought under this section, the court must order 1002
all of the following: 1003
(a)1. A civil penalty of $100,000 against the business 1004
entity for each violation of paragraph (2)(a); or 1005
2. A civil penalty up to $10,000 against the business 1006
entity for each violation of subsection (3). 1007
(b) Require the business entity to sell the single-family 1008
residential property to a natural person or an independent third 1009
party within 1 year after the date the court enters the 1010
judgment. 1011
(c) Reasonable attorney fees and costs. 1012
(6) Subsection (5) is the exclusive remedy for a violation 1013
of this section. 1014
Section 16. Subsections (6), (7), and (8) of section 1015
83.67, Florida Statutes, are renumbered as subsections (7), (8), 1016
and (9), respectively, and a new subsection (6) is added to that 1017
section, to read: 1018
83.67 Prohibited practices.— 1019
(6) A landlord of any dwelling unit governed by this part 1020
may not use the services of a coordinator or engage in 1021
consciously parallel pricing coordination, as those terms are 1022
defined in s. 542.37(1). 1023
Section 17. Section 542.21, Florida Statutes, is amended 1024
to read: 1025

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542.21 Penalties for violation.— 1026
(1) Any natural person who violates any of the provisions 1027
of s. 542.18, or s. 542.19, or s. 542.37 is shall be subject to 1028
a civil penalty of not more than $100,000. Any other person who 1029
violates any of the provisions of s. 542.18, or s. 542.19, or s. 1030
542.37 is shall be subject to a civil penalty of not more than 1031
$1 million. 1032
(2) Any person who knowingly violates any of the 1033
provisions of s. 542.18, or s. 542.19, or s. 542.37, or who 1034
knowingly aids in or advises such violation, is guilty of a 1035
felony, punishable by a fine not exceeding $1 million if a 1036
corporation, or, if any other person, $100,000 or imprisonment 1037
not exceeding 3 years, or by both said punishments. 1038
(3) The commencement of trial seeking civil penalties in 1039
any action under this section bars shall bar any subsequent 1040
criminal prosecution against the same person for violation of s. 1041
542.18, or s. 542.19, or s. 542.37, based upon the same acts. 1042
The commencement of trial in a criminal prosecution for a 1043
violation of s. 542.18, or s. 542.19, or s. 542.37 bars shall 1044
bar any subsequent action against the same person for recovery 1045
of civil penalties under this section based upon the same acts, 1046
but may shall not bar a subsequent suit for damages or 1047
injunctive relief under ss. 542.22 and 542.23. 1048
(4) The Attorney General may not commence an No action 1049
under this section or s. 542.23 shall be commenced by the 1050

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Attorney General against any person who, at the time, is a 1051
defendant in a suit filed by the United States for violation or 1052
alleged violation of the federal antitrust laws involving 1053
substantially the same subject matter and seeking substantially 1054
the same relief. 1055
Section 18. Subsections (1) and (2) of section 542.22, 1056
Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 1057
542.22 Suits for damages.— 1058
(1) Any person who is shall be injured in her or his 1059
business or property by reason of any violation of s. 542.18, or 1060
s. 542.19, or s. 542.37 may sue therefor in the circuit courts 1061
of this state and shall recover threefold the damages by her or 1062
him sustained, and the cost of suit, including a reasonable 1063
attorney fee. The court shall award a reasonable attorney fee to 1064
a defendant prevailing in any action under this part for damages 1065
or equitable relief in which the court finds there was a 1066
complete absence of a justiciable issue of either law or fact 1067
raised by the plaintiff. 1068
(2) The Attorney General, or a state attorney after 1069
receiving written permission from the Attorney General, may 1070
bring a civil action in the name of this the state, as parens 1071
patriae on behalf of natural persons residing in this state, to 1072
recover on behalf of those persons threefold the actual damages 1073
sustained by reason of any violation of s. 542.18, or s. 542.19, 1074
or s. 542.37, and the cost of such suit, including a reasonable 1075

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attorney attorney's fee. The court shall exclude from the amount 1076
of monetary relief awarded in such action any amount of monetary 1077
relief which: 1078
(a) Duplicates amounts which have been awarded for the 1079
same injury; 1080
(b) Is properly allocable to natural persons who have 1081
excluded their claims pursuant to paragraph (3)(b); or 1082
(c) Is properly allocable to any business entity. 1083
Section 19. Section 542.25, Florida Statutes, is amended 1084
to read: 1085
542.25 Judgment in favor of state as prima facie 1086
evidence.—A final judgment or decree entered in any civil or 1087
criminal proceeding brought by the Attorney General or a state 1088
attorney under s. 542.21 or s. 542.23 to the effect that a 1089
defendant has violated s. 542.18, or s. 542.19, or s. 542.37, or 1090
entered in any civil or criminal proceeding brought by the 1091
United States Department of Justice under comparable federal 1092
laws, shall be prima facie evidence against such defendant in 1093
any civil action or proceeding under this part brought by any 1094
other person against such defendant as to all matters with 1095
respect to which such judgment or decree would be an estoppel as 1096
between the parties thereto; however, this section does not 1097
apply to a consent judgment or decree entered before any 1098
testimony has been taken. Nothing contained in This section may 1099
not shall be construed to impose any limitation on the 1100

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application of collateral estoppel. 1101
Section 20. Section 542.32, Florida Statutes, is amended 1102
to read: 1103
542.32 Rule of construction and coverage.—It is the intent 1104
of the Legislature that, in construing this part, due 1105
consideration and great weight be given to the interpretations 1106
of the federal courts relating to comparable federal antitrust 1107
statutes. In particular, the failure to include in this part the 1108
substantive provisions of s. 3 of the Clayton Act, 15 U.S.C. s. 1109
14, may shall not be deemed in any way to limit the scope of s. 1110
542.18, or s. 542.19, or s. 542.37. 1111
Section 21. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026. 1112