Florida House Bill 459 and Senate Bill 1773, which together would amend the state's self-storage lien statute, failed to reach the Senate floor for a vote during the 2011 legislative session. The lobbying process will resume in 2012 in hopes that legislators will revisit the bills during the next session, according to an announcement from the Florida Self Storage Association (FSSA) this week.
The proposed legislation, which has been spearheaded by the FSSA and the national Self Storage Association, would revise the notice requirements relating to lien enforcement and address limitations on liability. The bill initially proposed removing the newspaper-publishing requirements, but opposition from newspaper-industry lobbyists slowed down the legislation's progress. The bills supporters eventually removed this contentious language, making the bill more agreeable and allowing it to pass through the Civil Justice Subcommittee and, ultimately, the House floor.
Just before the legislative session ended during the first week of May, a last-minute push to balance the state budget and to reform state healthcare superseded other legislative items, causing several to fall off the Senates agenda. The legislators are scheduled to begin their new regular session in January, though Gov. Rick Scott could call a special session before then.
A summary of the FSSA's proposed changes to the existing statute is available at www.floridassa.org/changedetail.asp. To track the bill's progress, visit www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2011/459.