Shevrin Jones to take on derelict boats, cashless businesses, water utilities

Shevrin Jones praises the hard work and dedication of Miami-Dade Democrats.

Ahead of the 2025 Legislative Session, Miami Gardens Democratic Sen. Shevrin Jones is putting together a slate of policy proposals aimed at improving the lives of residents in, and outside of, his district.

Some, such as a measure that would ban brick-and-mortar businesses from refusing cash payments, are repeats of legislation he’s filed in prior Sessions.

But there are new ones, including a soon-to-be-filed bill designed to deal with derelict vessels littering parts of Biscayne Bay.

Lawmakers passed legislation early this year to further limit overnight anchoring in certain parts of Biscayne Bay. But the bill, which passed with just two “no” votes from Republican House members, did nothing to address long-anchored but abandoned boats whose deterioration over time contributes to the bay’s health maladies.

Jones told Florida Politics that during a recent tour with Miami Beach Commissioner David Suarez, he saw how debris from the decaying vessels affected the bay and contributed to buildups in the city’s stormwater drainage system.

He’s still working out the details of the legislation, but Jones said the general idea is to prevent the number of deserted boats from increasing as authorities work to remove the ones already there.

“We’ve seen an increase in individuals who are out on the water or living on the water, and while it’s great that people are enjoying the beauty of Miami-Dade County, our law enforcement officers must have what they need to keep up with that increasing activity,” he said. “So, we’re looking to increase marine patrol on our waters while also giving maintenance departments the resources they need to do their job.”

Another proposal of Jones’ also deals with water, but in a different way. It’s one he carried last Session too, and it’s meant to bring parity to the way one municipality in his district delivers services to another.

Here’s the gist: Some Miami Gardens residents receive water from the Norwood Water Treatment Plan, which is owned by the adjacent city of North Miami Beach but sits within Miami Gardens’ bounds.

A study Miami Gardens conducted found that North Miami Beach has been adding a 25% surcharge to water it provides outside its limits. While a typical quarterly household bill in Miami Gardens from the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department was $91.68 two years ago, the same amount of water cost $160.50 from the North Miami Beach-owned plant.

Miami Gardens sued its neighbor over the issue in 2018. This year, the parties settled. North Miami Beach agreed to pay $9 million to close out the case after the Florida Supreme Court declined to hear it.

But the problem could continue, Jones said, without legislation to prevent it. He filed such a bill last year, before the lawsuit was settled. It cleared two committees in the Senate before stalling out in its third committee stop. If passed, it would have made it so one city couldn’t charge a second city extra for water and sewer services if the facility where those services originated sits within the second city.

Its sequel is coming soon.

“We’re really just trying to ensure fair treatment for the customers,” Jones said.

Jones hasn’t given up on another bill he’s carried for several Sessions that would ensure cash-reliant Florida residents and visitors aren’t left behind in an increasingly digital-forward economy.

He has tweaked his measure slightly to incorporate feedback since last Session, when the House version of the proposal, sponsored by Republican Rep. Joel Rudman, failed to gain traction.

But in general, the bill would require businesses that offer in-person sales and services to accept and provide change in cash without charging a fee for the transaction. It would not apply to sales that take place over the phone, by mail or online.

Parking facilities, gyms and businesses that provide services for which cash is almost never used as payment — accounting, architectural, engineering, financial advisory, insurance, interior design, software development, and management and consulting services, for instance — would also be exempt. So would transactions in which the customer uses large cash denominations and single transactions exceeding $5,000.

“While many businesses are shifting to electronic forms of payment, everyone is not caught up with that,” Jones said. “What about those individuals who don’t have credit cards? What about tour seniors who just don’t have access to this high technology?”

Jones represents Senate District 34, a demographically and economically diverse Miami-Dade area spanning all or part of Bay Harbor Islands, Miami Beach, Miami Gardens, North Miami, North Miami Beach and Opa-locka.

The regular 2025 Legislative Session commences on March 4. Senate President Ben Albritton named Jones as Vice Chair of the pivotal Rules Committee. Naples Republican Kathleen Passidomo, Albritton’s predecessor as Senate President, will chair the panel.