Florida’s newest laws. What they are & what they do
Bottom Line: Saturday was the most active day yet for new bills signed into law by Governor DeSantis. 21 bills were signed into law. All take effect July 1st. Here’s what they are and what they do.
- Illegal Taking, Possession, and Sale of Bears: Provides that person commits specified violations for illegal taking, possession, & sale of bears; prohibits illegal taking, possession, & sale of bears; provides penalties.
- CS/SB 226 – Athletic Trainers: Revising the definition of the term “athletic trainer”; requiring certain licensees to maintain certification in good standing without lapse as a condition of renewal of their athletic trainer licenses; requiring that an athletic trainer work within a specified scope of practice; requiring the direct supervision of an athletic training student to be in accordance with rules adopted by the Board of Athletic Training, etc.
- CS/SB 426 – Economic Development: Revising the responsibilities of divisions within the Department of Economic Opportunity; specifying that the concept of building the professional capacity of a regional economic development organization includes the hiring of professional staff to perform specified services; revising the maximum percentage of total infrastructure project costs for which the department may award grants; replacing CareerSource Florida, Inc., with the state board or the department in provisions relating to the implementation of the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, etc.
- CS/CS/SB 698 – Reproductive Health: Requiring the Department of Health to immediately suspend the license of certain health care practitioners under certain circumstances; defining the term “pelvic examination”; prohibiting health care practitioners and certain students from performing a pelvic examination on a patient without first obtaining the written consent of the patient or the patient’s legal representative; establishing the criminal offense of reproductive battery, etc.
- CS/SB 838 – Business Organizations: Specifying that certain documents accepted by the Department of State for filing are effective on the date the documents are accepted by the department; revising the required contents of a meeting notice relating to the removal of a director by shareholders; authorizing a domestic corporation to acquire one or more classes or series of shares under certain circumstances; authorizing the department to direct certain interrogatories to certain corporations and to officers or directors of certain corporations, etc.
- SB 886 – Errors in Deeds: The bill provides that, in certain instances, a deed containing a scrivener’s error in the legal description of property may be corrected by the filing of a curative notice with a clerk of court.
- CS/SB 966 – Public Records: Providing an exemption from public records requirements for property photographs and personal identifying information provided to specified entities by certain persons for the purpose of disaster recovery assistance; providing for future legislative review and repeal of the exemption; providing a statement of public necessity, etc.
- CS/CS/SB 994 – Guardianship: Expanding factors for a court to consider when appointing a guardian; revising requirements for a petition for the appointment of a guardian; prohibiting professional guardians from petitioning for their own appointment except under certain circumstances; prohibiting guardians from taking certain actions on behalf of an alleged incapacitated person or minor, etc.
- CS/SB 1050 – Disaster Volunteer Leave for State Employees: Reordering, revising, and providing definitions; revising conditions under which an employee may be granted leave under the Florida Disaster Volunteer Leave Act; specifying requirements and limitations, etc.
- CS/SB 1082 – Domestic Violence Injunctions: Authorizing a court to take certain actions regarding the care, possession, or control of an animal in domestic violence injunctions, etc.
- CS/CS/SB 1120 – Substance Abuse Services: Requiring, rather than authorizing, an exemption from disqualification from employment for certain substance abuse service provider personnel under certain circumstances; providing that certain persons may be granted such exemption without a waiting period under certain circumstances; removing the authority of the Department of Children and Families to grant exemptions from disqualification underch.397, F.S., under certain circumstances;providing criminal penalties for violations relating to recovery residence patient referrals, etc.
- CS/SB 7012 – Substance Abuse and Mental Health: Providing additional duties for the Statewide Office for Suicide Prevention; requiring the Department of Transportation to work with the office in developing a plan relating to evidence-based suicide deterrents in certain locations; requiring that certain information be provided to the guardian or representative of a minor patient released from involuntary examination; requiring the maintenance of psychotropic medications to specified defendants under certain circumstances, etc.
- CS/HB 89 – Adoption Records: Provides that name & identity of birth parent, adoptive parent, & adoptee may be disclosed from adoption records without court order.
- HB 163 – Homelessness: Provides requirements for continuum of care catchment areas & lead agencies; requires continuums of care to create continuum of care plans; revises requirements for certain grants; establishes grant-in-aid program to help continuums of care prevent & end homelessness; provides program requirements.
- CS/HB 835 – Alzheimer’s Disease: Requires state agencies to provide assistance to Alzheimer's Disease Advisory Committee; creates position of Dementia Director within DOEA; requires Secretary of Elderly Affairs to appoint director; authorizes director to call upon certain agencies for assistance; provides duties & responsibilities of director; revises name of memory disorder clinic in Orange County.
- CS/HB 1373 – Long-term Care: Revises provisions relating to rescreening of certain individuals by aging resource centers; requires DOEA to maintain contact information for certain individuals & inform them of community resources; authorizes community-care-for-the-elderly service providers to dispute certain referrals.
- CS/HB 1461 – Health Access Dental Licenses: Reenacts provisions relating to issuance, renewal, & revocation of health access dental licenses; provides for retroactive application.
- HB 7013 – A Review Under the Open Government Sunset Review Act: Revises definition of term "proprietary business information" as used in exemption from public record requirements relating to information provided by title insurance agencies & insurers to OIR; removes scheduled repeal of exemption.
- CS/HB 103 – Subpoenas: Revises definition of term "properly served"; authorizes applicant to petition court to compel compliance with subpoena; authorizes court to address noncompliance as indirect criminal contempt & impose daily fine.
- CS/HB 73 – Environmental Regulation: Specifies requirements for contracts between residential recycling collectors or recovered materials processing facilities & counties or municipalities for collecting, transporting, & processing residential recycling material & contaminated recyclable material; prohibits local governments from requiring further verification from DEP for certain projects; revises types of dock & pier replacements & repairs that are exempt from such verification & certain permitting requirements.
- HB 7001 – A Review Under the Open Government Sunset Review Act: Revises definition of term "proprietary business information" as used in exemption from public record requirements relating to information provided by title insurance agencies & insurers to OIR; removes scheduled repeal of exemption.
- CS/HB 43 – Child Welfare: Requiring the Florida Court Educational Council to establish certain standards for instruction of circuit and county court judges for dependency cases; requiring the Department of Law Enforcement to provide certain information to law enforcement officers relating to specified individuals; requiring Child Protection Teams to be capable of providing certain training relating to head trauma and brain injuries in children younger than a specified age; requiring the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission to establish standards for the instruction of law enforcement officers in a specified subject, etc.