BILL SUMMARY DETAILS

HB 213 (Andrade) preempts Cabinet members from adopting any regulations relating to firearms and ammunition. (Taggart)

SB 450 (Bracy) requires each county to establish a citizens review board to independently investigate each law enforcement agency within the county. The bill would require one member of the citizens review board to participate in a law enforcement agency's investigative team for any complaints related to use of force, abuse of authority, discourtesy and discriminatory language. (Taggart)

SB 732 (Bracy) increases the amount of time a law enforcement agency must retain body camera recordings from 90 days to 365 days. (Taggart)

SB 296 (Taddeo) – Public Records Relating to Redistricting

SB 972 (Rodriguez) – Administrative Entity Telecommunication Meetings

HB 781 (Robinson) and SB 844 (Hooper) authorize the clerk of circuit court to give access to information recorded in the official records of a county that is otherwise exempt from public records requirements to specified parties such as attorneys who are admitted to the Florida Bar, members in good standing, authorized title insurers, their affiliates, title insurance agents or title insurance agencies, financial institutions and their affiliates, and entities that provide access to title information, tax information and document images for insurance companies, real estate and mortgage investors, attorneys and governmental agencies through a limited access licensing agreement. (Taggart)

CS/SB 400 (Rodrigues) and HB 913 (McClure) prohibit a city, after receiving a public record request, from filing an action for declaratory judgement against the individual or entity making the request. The bills would prevent cities from seeking clarification from the courts as to whether a record is exempt or exempt and confidential. (Taggart)

SB 456 (Bracy) requires meetings between the chief executive officer of a municipality, or its representative, and the municipality’s governing body to discuss disciplinary procedures for a law enforcement officer to be subject to Florida’s public meeting requirements. (Taggart)

SB 298 (Taddeo) requires municipalities to provide an electronic payment option for any fee related to a public records request. (Taggart)

SB 384 (Rodriguez) and HB 581 (Joseph) – Unlawful Employment Practices 

SB 364 (Gruters) – Discrimination on the Basis of Personal Health Information 

SB 78 (Rodrigues) – Dues and Uniform Assessments

HB 107 (Thompson) and SB 256 (Stewart) – Discrimination in Labor and Employment 

HB 121 (Garrison) and SB 228 (Bradley) – Notaries Public

SB 84 (Rodrigues) – Retirement 

SB 360 (Hooper) and HB 415 (Botana) – Fire Prevention and Control

SB 854 (Brandes) – Minimum Wage

SB 304 (Taddeo) and HB 6031 (Smith, C.) repeal the preemption on political subdivisions' ability to establish a minimum wage other than the state or federal minimum wage. (Hughes)

SB 476 (Bracy) and HB 179 (Brown) amend the Florida Civil Rights Act of 1992 to incorporate certain hairstyles as protected from discrimination. The bills prohibit employers from discriminating against an individual for having a protected hairstyle. (Hughes)

SB 692 (Polsky) and HB 335 (Duran) prohibit a public employer from taking adverse personnel action against an employee or a job applicant who is a qualified patient using medical marijuana. However, an employer may take appropriate adverse personnel action against any employee if the employer establishes by a preponderance of the evidence that the lawful use of medical marijuana is impairing the employee’s ability to perform his or her job responsibilities. The bills require an employer that has a drug testing policy to provide written notice of an employee's or job applicant’s right to explain a positive marijuana test result within a specified time frame. (Hughes)

SB 230 (Hutson) adds employees of water, sewer or other public works departments of participating employers who work in hazardous conditions to the Special Risk Class of the Florida Retirement System. (Hughes)

SB 7018 (Governmental Oversight and Accountability) establishes the contribution rates paid by employers participating in the Florida Retirement System beginning July 1, 2021. These rates are intended to fund the full normal cost and the amortization of the unfunded actuarial liability of the FRS. With these modifications to employer contribution rates, the FRS Trust Fund will receive roughly $373.5 million more in revenue on an annual basis beginning July 1, 2021. The public employers that will incur these additional costs are state agencies, state universities and colleges, school districts, counties, municipalities and other governmental entities that participate in the FRS. (Hughes)

SB 7016 (Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee) provides that the State Board of Administration may not pay benefits to a member of the Florida Retirement System who has committed certain criminal offenses prior to retirement. The bill clarifies that criminal forfeiture provisions apply equally to employees whether a member of the investment plan or a member of the pension plan. The State Board may develop one or more investment products to be offered in the investment plan, consistent with its fiduciary responsibilities. The bill also requires that the spouse of a member who does not designate his spouse as a primary beneficiary be notified and acknowledge any such designation. (Hughes)

HB 1 (Fernandez-Barquin) and SB 484 (Burgess) are aimed at curbing riots and violent protests. Of specific interest to municipalities are provisions that make it difficult to reduce municipal law enforcement funding, in certain cases waive the sovereign immunity of cities for damages arising from riots, and provisions that create specific law enforcement actions when responding to riots.

The legislation creates a process for a resident of a city to file a petition to the Administration Commission within 30 days after the municipality posts its tentative budget if the budget contains a funding reduction to the operating budget of the municipal law enforcement agency. The governing body of the municipality has five working days to file a reply with the Executive Office of the Governor and must deliver a copy of the reply to the petitioner. After receiving the petition, the Executive Office of the governor must provide for a budget hearing to discuss the petition and the reply. The Administration Commission then has 30 days to provide a report of findings and approve or modify the municipal budget. The report by the Commission is final.

The bills also create civil liability for damages caused during a riot. A governing body of a municipality that intentionally obstructs or interferes with the ability of a municipal law enforcement agency to provide reasonable law enforcement protection during a riot or unlawful assembly is civilly liable for any damages arising from the riot. The bills waive sovereign immunity for any governing body found liable, which means cities would not be protected by statutory caps that normally limit the amount someone can recover when suing a government entity.

The bills require law enforcement officers to hold individuals committing crimes related to riots in jail until their first appearance. Law enforcement cannot simply give tickets to anyone cited for crimes related to riots. Lastly, the legislation increases criminal penalties for actions relating to violent protests or riots. (Hughes)

SB 334 (Gruters) and HB 239 (Altman) authorize cities and counties to restrict smoking within the boundaries of any public beach or park they own. The bills specify that municipalities can restrict smoking within the boundaries of a beach or park that is owned by the county, but located within the city, as long as it does not conflict with any county ordinance. Additionally, the bills prohibit smoking in state parks. (Taggart)

SB 204 (Brandes) – Abolishing the Constitution Revision Commission

HB 479 (Alexander) – Compensation for Victims of Excessive Use of Force by Law Enforcement Officers 

SB 212 (Brandes) – Contingency Risk Multipliers

SB 74 (Brandes) – COVID-19-related Claims Against Health Care Providers 

SB 344 (Diaz) – Legislative Review of Occupational Regulations 

SB 76 (Boyd) – Residential Property Insurance

SB 134 (Brandes) and SB 148 (Bradley) – Alcohol-To-Go

SB 630 (Baxley) and HB 687 (Shoaf) – Community Associations

SB 872 (Rodrigues) and HB 665 (McClure) – Homeowners' Association Rental Agreements

SB 902 (Rodrigues) and HB 463 (Roach) – Community Association Pools

SB 56 (Rodrigues) and HB 615 (Rodriguez) –  Community Association Assessment Notices 

HB 241 (Grall) and SB 582 (Rodrigues) – Parental Rights

SB 904 (Daiz) and HB 6053 (Yarborough) – Doorstep Waste Containers

SB 922 (Burgess) and HB 541 (Buchanan) – Veteran’s Preference in Employment

SB 1028 (Hutson) and HB 51 (McClain) – Charter Schools

SB 1030 (Polsky) and HB 763 (Diamond) – Repeal of the Multi-use Corridors of Regional Economic Significance Program and Reversion of Program Funds

SB 628 (Rouson) creates the Florida Urban Agriculture Act and expressly preserves local governmental authority to regulate urban agriculture under certain circumstances. Nonresidential farm buildings, fences or signs located on lands used for urban agriculture would not be exempt from the Florida Building Code or local governmental regulations. (Cruz)

HB 859 (Grant) and SB 912 (Albritton) add development permits and development agreements authorized by state law, including those authorized under the Florida Local Government Agreement Act or issued by local government or other governmental agency, to the list of permits and authorizations that are tolled and extended during a state of emergency for a natural emergency. The bills would apply to any declaration of a state of emergency issued by the governor for a natural emergency dating back to March 1, 2020. Both bills are effective upon becoming law. (Branch)