Bills

Rural Counties; Provides exemption from sales & use tax for industrial machinery & equipment used by wholesalers in fiscally constrained counties; prohibits state from purchasing certain land in fiscally constrained county; requires DEP to provide certain explanation to fiscally constrained county; increases amount of annual appropriation to Small County Road Assistance Program; authorizes specified amount from Stat…

Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Initiative; Requiring the Department of Elderly Affairs to contract for the development and implementation of the Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Initiative; providing requirements for the initiative; providing requirements for the entity with which the department contracts to develop and implement the initiative, etc.

Bail Bonds; Decreasing the duration of in-person classroom-instruction basic certification courses required to be considered for approval and certification as an approved limited surety agent and professional bail bond agent prelicensing school; requiring, rather than authorizing, that any monetary or cash component of any form of pretrial release be met by specified means; requiring the clerk of the court, upon the…

Affordable Housing; Requiring counties and municipalities, respectively, to authorize certain residential use on property owned by a county, municipality, or school district under certain circumstances; revising the definition of the term “person”; revising a prohibition on discriminatory practices in land use decisions and in permitting of development to include housing that is affordable; waiving the state’s sover…

Gay and Transgender Panic Legal Defenses; Citing this act as the “Gay and Transgender Panic Legal Defenses Prohibition Act”; prohibiting individuals from using a nonviolent sexual advance or specified perceptions or beliefs about another individual as a defense to a criminal offense, to excuse or justify an individual’s conduct, or to mitigate the severity of an offense, etc.

Transportation Facility Designations; Providing honorary designations of certain transportation facilities in specified counties and a specified municipality; directing the Department of Transportation to erect suitable markers; revising a specified interchange designation, etc.

Rate Filings for Property Insurers; Revising the powers of the consumer advocate; specifying that failure to obey certain court orders may be punished as contempt; authorizing a circuit court to order a person to pay certain expenses; prohibiting the Office of Insurance Regulation from approving certain rate filings, etc.

Funeral, Cemetery, and Consumer Services; Prohibiting a licensee of funeral or cemetery services from entering into certain contracts, agreements, or arrangements; revising the requirements for an applicant seeking licensure by endorsement to be an embalmer; deleting an exception to the educational requirements for an applicant seeking licensure to be a funeral director; authorizing a licensee or a licensed facility…

Professional Licensure Reciprocity for the Practice of Surveying and Mapping; Revises requirements for applicants eligible to be qualified for licensure by endorsement by Board of Professional Surveyors and Mappers to include applicants from outside of state who meet certain requirements; authorizes board to require & independently evaluate certain documents and information; authorizes board to adopt certain rules.

Foreign Students Enrolled in Public Postsecondary Educational Institutions; Requiring Florida College System institutions and state universities to limit the number of enrolled students who are citizens of a foreign country and who are not permanent residents of the United States to a specified percentage of students enrolled at the institution or university, etc.

Building Permit Requirements; Provides that certain residential manufactured buildings may not be denied building permit for placement of such building; prohibits local government from adopting certain technical amendments to FBC; prohibits local enforcement agency from requiring building permit for work valued at specified amount; prohibits project from being divided into multiple projects; requires building permit…

Agricultural Enclaves; Authorizing certain persons to apply to the governing body of the local government for certification of certain parcels as agricultural enclaves; requiring the local government to hold a public hearing within a specified timeframe to approve or deny such certification; authorizing certain persons to submit certain development plans; authorizing the development of certain parcels for commercial…

Food Insecure Areas; Authorizes local government to enact land development regulations to permit land use for small-footprint grocery store located in food insecure area; authorizes local government to include in its comprehensive plan provision permitting land use for small-footprint grocery store located in food insecure area; authorizes local government to require mandatory reporting of certain information from s…

Workers’ Compensation Insurance; Authorizes insurer to use excess rates for specified percentage of its workers' compensation insurance policies; specifies workers' compensation policies that are excluded from such percentage; removes provisions relating to exclusion of specified commercial insurance policies from percentage of policies that are subject to excess rates; revises composition of board of directors of F…

School District Unimproved Real Property; Requiring school districts to annually submit complete inventories of unimproved real property owned by the district to the Department of Education; requiring the department to compile and publish such data in a statewide report, etc.

Specialty License Plates/Miami Northwestern Alumni Association; Directing the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to develop a Miami Northwestern Alumni Association license plate; specifying design elements for the plate; providing for distribution and use of fees collected from the sale of the plate, etc.

Penalties for Driving Under the Influence; Increases penalties & driver license or driving privilege revocation periods for driving under influence.

Watercraft Restrictions Based on Energy Source; Providing an exception to the prohibition on state agencies, governmental authorities, and local governments restricting the use or sale of watercraft based on the energy source used to power the watercraft if such watercraft is used on certain bodies of water, etc.

Specialty License Plates; Directs DHSMV to develop Miami Northwestern Alumni Association license plate; specifies design elements; provides for distribution & use of fees collected.

Mobile Home Park Lot Tenancies; Revising the powers and duties of the Division of Florida Condominiums, Timeshares, and Mobile Homes; authorizing a person injured by a violation of state law to file a complaint with the Department of Legal Affairs; prohibiting a mobile home park owner or such owner’s employees or agents from engaging in certain actions relating to electronic billing or payment systems; requiring cer…

Waterbody Designations; Designates Andrew "Red" Harris Spoil Island; directs DEP to erect suitable markers.

Domestic Animals; Requiring the Department of Law Enforcement to post on its website specified information relating to each individual convicted of specified animal cruelty offenses; extending the timeframe for which a consumer may pursue remedies for the sale of an animal certifiably unfit for purchase; requiring a pet dealer to provide copies of specified medical records to a consumer; requiring the Department of …

Assessments Levied on Recreational Vehicle Parks; Providing that certain special assessments on recreational vehicle parks levied by counties, municipalities, and special districts, respectively, may not be levied against a certain portion of a recreational vehicle parking space or campsite; requiring counties, municipalities, and special districts, respectively, to consider a recreational vehicle park’s occupancy r…

Affordable Housing; Revising the definitions of certain land use categories for which certain residential development may be authorized to exclude farms and farm operations and uses associated therewith, etc.

Drug Prices and Coverage; Requiring the Agency for Health Care Administration to contract with an entity to designate reference price source countries and analyze certain data; requiring the agency to publish annually prescription drug reference prices; prohibiting pharmacies from charging cash-paying customers more than the reference prices for prescribed drugs and biological products; requiring prescription drug m…

Mobile Home Park Lot Tenancies; Revises provisions relating to mobile home park lot tenancies, including factors used to determine rent increases, proof required for lot rental increases, electronic billing or payment systems, changes in lot rental amount, termination of tenancy, payment of lot rental amount, & the Florida Mobile Home Relocation Corporation; revises powers & duties of Division of Florida Condominium…

Controlled Substances; Excepts from list of Schedule I controlled substances certain xylazine animal drug products approved by United States Food & Drug Administration & used for certain purposes; provides criminal penalties & requires mandatory minimum term of imprisonment if person sells, manufactures, or delivers or possesses with intent to sell, manufacture, or deliver xylazine; creates offense of trafficking in…

Child Pornography Terminology; Replacing the terms “pornography” and “child pornography” with the term “child sexual abuse material”, etc.

Immigration; Specifying duties of certifying officials from certifying agencies concerning certification forms in support of U-visa applications; requiring a certifying official from a certifying agency that denies a certification to provide the petitioner with specified written notice; authorizing applicants to petition the circuit court if the certifying agency fails to respond within those timeframes; prohibiting…

Drug Paraphernalia; Revises definition of "drug paraphernalia" to exclude certain narcotic-drug-testing products.

Florida Public Service Commission; Revises membership of PSC; requires PSC to include specified information in settlement agreement orders, ensure certain allowable returns on equity, establish certain schedules for rate change requests, & provide annual report to Governor & Legislature.

Continuity of Care in Health Insurance Contracts; Requires that contracts between individual health insurer, group, blanket, or franchise health insurer & HMO & contracted health care practitioner require specified notice to affected policyholders & subscribers before cancellation or termination of contracts; provides administrative penalties; requires health insurer, HMO & health care practitioner to allow certain …

Sales of Ammunition; Requires background checks for sale or transfer of ammunition; provides exceptions.

Relief of C.C. by the Department of Children and Families; Providing for the relief of C.C. by the Department of Children and Families; providing an appropriation to compensate C.C. for injuries and damages sustained as a result of the negligence of the department; providing a limitation on compensation and the payment of attorney fees and certain costs, etc. CLAIM WITH APPROPRIATION: …

Assisting Self-murder; Provides criminal penalties for specified acts involving self-murder.

Relief of Maximus Giannikos by the City of Clearwater; Providing for the relief of Maximus Giannikos by the City of Clearwater; providing for an appropriation to compensate Maximus Giannikos for injuries sustained as a result of the negligence of the City of Clearwater; providing a limitation on the payment of compensation and attorney fees, etc. CLAIM: Indeterminate

Operating Drones Over Critical Infrastructure Facilities; Revising a prohibition relating to the operation of a drone over a critical infrastructure facility, etc.

Designation of the State Birds; Designates American flamingo as official state bird and the Florida scrub-jay as the official state songbird; provides that such designation supersedes designation of mockingbird as official Florida state bird.

Housing; Requires, rather than authorizing, local governments to adopt, by specified date, ordinance to allow accessory dwelling units in certain areas; requires that such ordinances apply prospectively; prohibits inclusion of certain requirements or prohibitions in such ordinances; removes requirement that application for building permit to construct accessory dwelling unit include certain affidavit; revises access…

Housing; Defining the term “primary dwelling unit”; requiring local governments to adopt, by a specified date, an ordinance to allow accessory dwelling units to be approved in certain areas; requiring the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability to evaluate the efficacy of using mezzanine finance and the potential of tiny homes for specified purposes, etc.

Pub. Rec. and Meetings/Social Work Licensure Interstate Compact; Provides public records & meetings exemptions relating to Social Work Licensure Interstate Compact & its committees; provides for future legislative review & repeal of exemptions; provides statements of public necessity.

Educational Dollars for Duty Program; Requires Educational Dollars for Duty program to set aside certain amount of funds to provide tuition assistance to spouses & children of active members of Florida National Guard; authorizes Legislature to increase amount of such funds; requires DMA to oversee implementation & enforcement of program; requiring DMA to establish certain procedures.

Medical Review Committees; Revises definition of term "medical review committee."

Social Work Licensure Interstate Compact; Creates Social Work Licensure Interstate Compact; provides for recognition of access to social work services, including through telehealth, in member states; provides for development of data system, reporting procedures, & exchange of specified information between member states; specifies licensees practicing in remote state under compact must adhere to laws & rules of that …

Payment Stablecoin; Revising the Florida Control of Money Laundering in Money Services Business Act to include payment stablecoins; prohibiting persons from engaging in the activity of a qualified payment stablecoin issuer without being licensed or exempted from licensure; requiring applicants seeking to be a qualified payment stablecoin issuer to submit a specified application to the office; specifying that license…

Criminal Offenses Against Law Enforcement Officers and Other Personnel; Revises prohibition on use or threatened use of force to resist arrest or detention; provides for enhanced punishment for manslaughter when committed against specified officers; revises provisions concerning assault or battery upon specified officers & other personnel; revises provision concerning resisting, obstructing, or opposing specified of…

Pub. Rec./Agency Employees; Provides exemption from public records requirements for certain identifying & location information of current or former agency employees & spouses & children of such employees; provides for retroactive application; specifies that exemption does not limit certain existing exemptions; provides for future legislative review & repeal of exemption; provides statement of public necessity.

Local Licensing of Home Caregivers; Authorizing counties and municipalities to license home caregivers within their jurisdictions, etc.

Court Records of Eviction Proceedings; Authorizing persons who are defendants in certain eviction proceedings to file a motion with the court to have the records of such proceedings sealed and to have their names substituted on the progress docket under certain conditions; providing that certain persons are ineligible for such relief; requiring persons seeking such relief to serve a copy of the motion on all parties…

Relief of H.H. by the Department of Children and Families; Providing for the relief of H.H. by the Department of Children and Families; providing an appropriation to compensate H.H. for injuries and damages sustained as a result of the negligence of the department; providing legislative intent; providing a limitation on compensation and the payment of certain fees and costs, etc. CLAIM WITH AP…