Longboat Key highlights legislative priorities

The town of Longboat Key has 11 legislative priorities it wants the Manatee and Sarasota county legislative delegations to take note of for the upcoming 2016 Legislative session in Tallahassee.

Longboat Key Commissioner Pat Zunz outlined the island’s 11 priorities Monday at a Manatee County Legislative Delegation hearing in Bradenton.

Listed below is a list of the priorities.

• Support changes to existing state law relating to vacation rentals that permit grandfathered local governments to modify existing short-term vacation rental regulations.

• Oppose legislation that mandates local governments incur the cost of relocating utility equipment when the utility equipment is located within a public utility easement and needs to be relocated for transportation purposes or for non-transportation purposes regardless of the location.

• Support the maintenance of local business tax, communications services tax, and tax exempt municipal bonds.

• Support legislation that provides opportunities for increased and alternative revenue sources for municipal transportation infrastructure projects.

• Support state funding for beach nourishment.

• Support legislation that recognizes and addresses sea level rise concerns. 

• Support legislation that encourages water quality preservation and enhancement.

• Support future funding of the town’s subaqueous wastewater line replacement project through BP Funds and/or Amendment 1 funds.

• Oppose legislation that pre-empts local government home rule authority relating to impact fees.

• Support legislation that allows governments to advertise public meetings exclusively through websites.

• Support State funding for the purchase of lands for conservation (Florida Forever) and recreation (Florida Communities Trust).

Contact Kurt Schultheis at [email protected].