Protections for Florida’s most vulnerable citizens and animals were at the top of State Rep. Meg Weinberger’s agenda during the recent legislative session and will continue to be during the upcoming state budget special session, she said this week.
Property tax reform and possible elimination is expected to be the major issue during the session, tentatively scheduled for mid-April.
“I’m passionate about grandmothers and grandfathers being able to stay in their homes,” said Weinberger, a Caloosa resident, who represents District 94, which includes large portions of northern and western Palm Beach County.
She also said tax relief may be appropriate for military veterans and first responders, but legislators should not rush in with a one-size-fits-all philosophy of property tax elimination.
“That’s a much bigger conversation… [and] we have to have a way to pay for it,” she said.
Weinberger suggested focusing on business-related fees that she said often go uncollected as one potential revenue source.
“We should start small and add on to it,” she said of tax reform. “Like taking a bite of the apple.”
Weinberger said she’ll be “knocking on doors and bugging people” during the budget session in an effort to secure funding for improvements to County Road 880 from 20-Mile Bend to Belle Glade, and for the 50-acre regional park and a Palm Tran pilot program in the City of Westlake.
Weinberger said the House appropriated $300,000 for the park and $101,000 for the mass transit program, but the Senate is yet to approve funding for either.
In 2025, the legislature approved $2 million for CR 880, but it was vetoed by Gov. Ron DeSantis. This year, Weinberger and other local legislators are asking for $13 million. “I would really love to see that road [work] get completed,” she said.
Reflecting on the bright spots during the regular session, Weinberger said, “I was very happy to see the dog breeding bill passed. It adds more consumer protections for people purchasing dogs and cats.”
It also adds more requirements for reporting to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Animal Abuser Database that Weinberger championed during the 2025 session, known as “Dexter’s Law.” It was named after a rescue dog that was adopted and killed in Pinellas County.
“I’m a big believer that people who hurt animals, that’s not the only thing they’re doing,” she said. “The registry is a way to let people know who they are.”
Though the bill started as HB-1521, sponsored by Weinberger, it passed as CS/SB 1004, which lengthens the time buyers have to invoke “pet lemon law” remedies, requiring pet-sale financing contracts to be canceled without penalty if a sick or misrepresented animal is returned, expanding refund and veterinary-cost reimbursement rights, tightening disclosure and record-keeping rules for pet dealers, treating violations as unfair or deceptive trade practices. She said the next step for her along these lines would be encouraging education about animals in schools.
Weinberger also noted that she was the House sponsor behind the bill that allowed the renaming of Palm Beach International Airport in honor of President Donald Trump. The name change will be effective July 1.
Moving forward, Weinberger said she would remain focused on issues related to foster care, child sex trafficking, the health and protection of special needs children, and animal welfare issues.
She also said that staying on top of such issues is not always about how many bills a representative sponsors in Tallahassee. “It’s about staying involved in the community you serve. People can tell if you’re authentic and truly care,” Weinberger said.
So far, Weinberger is running unopposed for the Republican nomination for a second two-year term. Bobby Eugene Williams Jr. of West Palm Beach currently is running unopposed as a Democrat. The qualifying deadline is in mid-June.
