Earth Advocacy Day activists’ roundup of legislative priorities
- Noah Bookstein
- Apr 12
- 4 min read
Here’s a roundup of three bills students from Earth Advocacy Day on March 6 supported or opposed, with the current status of each bill as of this writing.
The bills are sponsored by Rep. John Snyder (R - Ocala) and Sen. Gayle Harrell (R - Martin) and would ensure that state parks are used for their intended purposes as conservation land. The bills would forbid commercial development such as golf courses and hotels on public park land.
These two bills were proposed after the Tampa Bay Times uncovered a Gov. Ron DeSantis administration plan to develop hotels and golf courses on nine state parks ranging from Miami to the Panhandle.
The administration scrapped the development plans in response to public opposition.
Organizations including Florida Springs Council, 1000 Friends of Florida, and Apalachicola Riverkeeper expressed concern about aspects of the bill. In response, Rep. Snyder introduced an amendment environmental groups say assuaged many of their concerns.
“We're really thrilled to see that [this bill] is sponsored by two Republicans, really kind of changing the typical narrative,” said Samantha Kaddis, Advocacy and Campaigns Associate of The CLEO Institute.
As of publishing, this bill is favorable in the House with the Natural Resources & Disasters Subcommittee and the State Affairs Committee.
These bills, called the PAUSE Act, are sponsored by Rep. Debra Tendrich (D - Palm Beach) and Sen. Lori Berman (D - Palm Beach). They would safeguard residents by barring utility companies from cutting off services to residential customers for unpaid bills in specific situations, including extreme weather events.
If the bills pass, public and private utilities would be required to continue providing service to customers even in the event of unpaid bills during the following events:
Temperatures at or above 90 degrees Fahrenheit or at or below 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
A declared state of emergency for extreme weather or public health emergency.
Reconnection fees would be waived in these events.
“Extreme temperatures can be life-threatening, especially for seniors on fixed incomes, medically- fragile individuals, veterans with PTSD, and struggling families. Heatstroke, dehydration, and worsening chronic illnesses aren’t just risks—they are realities for those who lose power when they need it most,” said Rep. Tendrich on the Florida House website. “While bills will continue to accrue, this protection allows families to catch up without jeopardizing their health.”
As of publishing, this bill has been referred three times within the House and has been read once in the Economic Infrastructure Subcommittee.
Students at the lobby day opposed this set of proposed legislation that would make changes to the citizen-led petition process and make it harder for individuals to submit and circulate petitions.
The bills are sponsored by Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka (R - Lee) and Sen. Blaise Ingoglia (R - Hernando).
Simone Liang, a recent graduate of University of Florida, gave a public comment on HB 1205 before members of the Florida House during a March 6 meeting of the Government Operations Subcommittee.
“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that this bill is being proposed right after one of the amendments from the last election cycle was close to 60%,” Liang said, referring to Amendments 3 and 4 from 2024.
Both amendments fell just short of the 60% supermajority required to pass. Amendment 3 would have legalized recreational marijuana in Florida and received 56% of votes in favor. Amendment 4 would have protected access to abortions in the state and received 57% of votes in favor.
Supporters of the bill to further regulate petitions include anti-abortion organization Florida Voice for the Unborn, and the Christian Family Coalition. Both groups pointed to the near success of Amendments 3 and 4 as reasoning for more restrictions on the petitioning process. They allege the current petition process is potentially fraudulent and infiltrated by out-of-state actors with “deep pocketed liberal special interests” despite both amendments' popularity with Florida voters.
Students opposed measures in the bill which would include adding a $1 million bond set and $5,000 fines to the petition process.
“This bill is attempting to take away the petition process by making it more expensive,” Kaddis said during public comment. “This is our only form of direct democracy.”
Students allege that new measures amount to what they termed a “pay-to-play system” through imposing restrictive timelines and more costly financial barriers.
“Seeing over 40-plus young people there speaking and standing up for what they believe in was so overwhelmingly joyful,” Kaddis said.“We just ventured across the state to be here, and I really hope it struck.”
Although the Government Operations Subcommittee voted in favor of HB 1205 with 14 yeas to 4 nays, students were not deterred.
“The experience reaffirmed my commitment to civic participation and reminded me of the ongoing need for advocacy to ensure equitable and accessible democratic processes,” Reed said. “Being present in that moment, standing in solidarity with fellow advocates, was both a point of pride and a call to action.”
As of publishing, this bill is favorable in the House with the State Affairs Committee and the Government Operations Subcommittee.
This story was originally edited by mentor Max Chesnes.
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