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Daily Interim Brief from February 20, 2019

Legal & Judicial

SB 180 – Relating to Lost or Abandoned Property

On Wednesday, February 20, 2019, SB 180 by Senator Kelli Stargel (R-Lakeland) was heard in the Senate Rules Committee and was voted favorably with 16 yeas and 0 nays. AIF’s Senior Vice President of State and Federal Affairs, Brewster Bevis, stood in support of this legislation.

This bill allows an owner or operator of a theme park, entertainment complex, zoo, museum, aquarium, public food service establishment, or public lodging establishment to elect to dispose of or donate lost or abandoned property found on its premises. Under the bill, an owner or operator who elects to dispose of or donate lost or abandoned property must first take charge of the property, maintain a record of the property, and hold the property for at least 30 days. The bill prohibits the owner or operator from selling the property. If the property remains unclaimed after 30 days, the owner or operator must dispose of or donate the property to a charitable institution. If a charitable institution accepts certain electronic devices, the bill requires the charitable institution to make a reasonable effort to delete all personal data from the device before its sale or disposal. The bill also provides that the rightful owner of the property may reclaim the property at any time before its disposal or donation.

SB 180 will now go to the Senate floor for consideration.

AIF supports the right of property owners to hold and donate lost or abandoned property thereby eliminating the burden of contacting law enforcement for lost personal belongings.

Economic Development

SB 178 – Relating to Florida Tourism Marketing

On Wednesday, February 20, 2019, SB 178 by Senator Joe Gruters (R-Sarasota) was heard in the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development and was voted favorably with 7 yeas and 0 nays. AIF’s Senior Vice President of State and Federal Affairs, Brewster Bevis, stood in support of this legislation.

This bill removes the scheduled repeal date for the Florida Tourism Industry Marketing Corporation, doing business as VISIT FLORIDA, and the scheduled repeal date for Division of Tourism Marketing within Enterprise Florida, Inc. Without the bill, the statutory authorizations for these entities would be repealed on October 1, 2019.

SB 178 will now head to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

AIF supports investment in building a world-class marketing engine with top talent, analytics, and funding that develops and executes data-driven branding strategies.