NWRA Florida Chapter announces 2025 Legislative Champion Awards

The National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA) Florida Chapter recently announced its 2025 legislative champions during the organization’s annual Legislative Fly-In. Legislative Champion Awards were presented to individuals promoting legislation in support of the waste and recycling industry during Florida’s 2025 legislative session.

Award winners included:

• Sen. Stan McClain and Rep. Richard Gentry, who were presented with a Legislative Award for their leadership in filing battery-safety legislation. Earlier this year, NWRA launched a national awareness campaign focused on safe battery disposal featuring the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service's "Woodsy Owl" character as its mascot.  
• Sen. Nick DiCeglie and Rep. Fiona McFarland, who were honored for passing legislation that clarifies private solid waste and debris management service providers are not required to collect storm-generated yard trash, debris or waste. The legislation also encourages local governments to add an addendum to existing contracts or franchise agreements to address the collection of storm-generated debris.
• Sen. Bryan Avila and Speaker Pro Tempore Wyman Duggan, who were presented with a Legislative Award for their leadership in reenacting the sales tax exemption for natural gas fuel. NWRA Florida Chapter says extending the exemption also encourages more companies to transition their fleets to alternative fuels.
• Sen. Lori Berman, who was honored for her proposed legislation on recycling, which directs the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to conduct a study and create a plan on how to increase recycling.
• Rep. Meg Weinberger, who received an award for her leadership on legislation related to incinerator siting. 

“Our Legislative Champions always love their unique awards featuring a garbage truck,” says Keyna Cory, NWRA’s government affairs representative in Florida.  “This year’s awards were made in the U.S.A. of recycled materials and represent our member companies’ commitments providing safe, sustainable waste and recycling services.”