State Rep. Patt Maney saw his veterans treatment court bill receive unanimous approval during November committee weeks, with the Criminal Justice Subcommittee voting 17-0 in favor of HB 199.
- The bill, which has a companion measure from Sen. Don Gaetz, would realign veterans treatment courts with other problem-solving courts such as mental health and drug courts. It now heads to the Judiciary Committee for its final committee review before reaching the House floor.
“I’m proud to say that this bill passed its first committee stop with unanimous support,” said Maney. “I will not rest while there are improvements to be made to better support our military veterans who call Florida home.”
Maney filed three additional bills during November. (Read previous bills filed)
- HB 227 would clarify that individuals holding residential leases of 98 years or longer qualify for Florida’s homestead tax exemption, even if the leases end at their deaths.
- HB 351 seeks to establish concurrent jurisdiction between the State of Florida and U.S. military installations.
- HB 447 would make court hearings for mental health and substance abuse cases confidential.
The representative spent the two committee weeks meeting with various groups and officials. He discussed the University of South Florida’s ongoing veterans Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment program, reviewed the Northwest Florida Water Management District’s fiscal year 2026-27 budget, and talked county priorities with Okaloosa County’s lobbyist.
Other meetings included Northwest Florida State College trustees, Mary Esther Mayor Pro Tem Bernie Oder, Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, Sen. Gaetz, Florida Department of Corrections Secretary Ricky Dixon and Agency for Persons with Disabilities Executive Director Bob Asztalos. Maney also attended the Florida Veterans Hall of Fame induction ceremony. He was inducted into the hall in 2018.
Between the two November committee weeks, Maney completed his statewide tour of Florida’s correctional system. As chair of the House Justice Budget Subcommittee, he visited Apalachee Correctional Institution and Graceville Correctional Facility, bringing his total to 15 facilities toured this year. The tour spanned from Miami-Dade County to Bradford County and west to Santa Rosa County in the Panhandle.
The Department of Corrections’ budget represents the largest portion of the criminal justice and corrections section of Florida’s budget, according to Maney’s office. Justice Budget Subcommittee members also toured the Florida Supreme Court with Chief Justice Carlos Muniz.
The House Select Committee on Property Taxes met on Nov. 20 and passed all eight property tax relief proposals after four hours of debate and public testimony. The measures now move to the House State Affairs Committee and the Ways and Means Committee for additional review and will likely face more scrutiny.
The eight proposals include measures to eliminate non-school property taxes for all homesteads or for residents 65 and older, allow full transfer of Save Our Homes benefits to new properties, assess property values once every three years instead of annually, require a two-thirds vote for millage rate increases, create a 25% homestead exemption, phase out non-school property taxes over 10 years, and provide additional exemptions for homeowners with insurance.
- All proposals would require voter approval in the 2026 general election if passed by the Legislature.
According to Maney’s office, the Florida House remains the only state governmental body to have brought forth proposals relating to property tax relief. Until others are ready to address and partner on this issue, Rep. Maney expects the House to continue to refine and advance these proposals.
In other news, all appropriations requests submitted to Maney’s office met the Nov. 21 deadline. The requests came from municipalities, nonprofits and educational institutions.
“Securing state funding through appropriations requests for local projects remains one of the primary ways we are able to affect real change in our Okaloosa community,” Maney added.
The 2026 legislative session begins Jan. 13. The final committee weeks will take place during the first two weeks of December, when the House Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting will convene for the first time Dec. 4 and again Dec. 10.
