BILL SUMMARY DETAILS

HB 419 (Hinson) prohibits the storage of firearms in unoccupied private conveyances and vessels unless the firearm is kept from ordinary view and locked within a trunk, utility or glove box, or another locked container, or secured with a device or mechanism that is securely affixed to the private conveyance or vessel. The bill requires local law enforcement agencies to engage in a promotional campaign to educate the public and gun owners about the requirements above. (Wagoner)

SB 130 (Berman) and HB 209 (Rayner) would prohibit the possession or use of a firearm in “sensitive locations.” The bills define a sensitive location as numerous public facilities including but not limited to buildings or facilities owned, leased or operated by government entities, including public transportation. (Wagoner)

CS/HB 75 (Rizo) and SB 184 (Avila) would make it unlawful for any person, after receiving a warning from a first responder not to approach, to violate such warning and approach or remain within 20 feet of a first responder who is engaged in the lawful performance of any legal or emergent duty, with the intent to: 1. Interrupt, disrupt, hinder, impede or interfere with the first responder’s ability to perform such duty; 2. Provoke a physical response from the first responder; or 3. Directly or indirectly harass the first responder or make so much noise that a first responder is prevented from performing their official duties or providing medical aid. SB 184 specifies that peaceful recording or observation is not harassment. (Wagoner)

HB 231 (Baker) and SB 718 (Collins) provide criminal penalties for persons who unlawfully and intentionally possess and expose first responders who are acting in their official capacity to Fentanyl and Fentanyl Analogs. (Wagoner)

HB 49 (Chaney) makes changes to the employment restrictions for minors. Under the bill, minors 16 and 17 years of age will now be permitted to work the same number of hours as a person 18 years of age or older. The bill would also prohibit local governments from adopting or enforcing curfews on minors that are more stringent than those listed within the bill. (Wagoner)

HB 601 (Duggan) makes it unlawful for municipalities or citizen oversight boards to pass or enforce any ordinance relating to the receipt, processing or investigation of complaints of misconduct by law enforcement officers and correctional officers. The bill also prohibits the creation of any laws in relation to civilian oversight of a law enforcement agency in relation to the investigation of complaints. (Wagoner)

SB 350 (Osgood) addresses cold case murders by establishing a process for reviewing and reinvestigating such cases. The bill mandates that law enforcement agencies review cold cases upon receiving a written application from a designated person and outlines the criteria for conducting a full reinvestigation, including the identification of new probative leads or a likely perpetrator. The bill requires law enforcement agencies to develop a written application for cold case reviews and mandates training for employees on the procedures and requirements outlined in the bill. 

The bill also requires law enforcement agencies to report quarterly all relevant data to the Global Forensic and Justice Center at Florida International University. The bill directs the Center to establish a case tracking system and searchable public website. The bill also allows medical examiners to issue death certificates with nonspecific causes of death and manner of murder under certain conditions. (Wagoner)

HB 191 (Brackett) – Town of Orchid, Indian River County

SB 528 (Pizzo), SB 526 (Pizzo) and HB 299 (Woodson) – Public Records/Property Appraiser

HB 289 (Woodson) and HB 243 (Woodson)– Public Records/Property Appraiser

SB 290 (Wright) requires that certain public agency contracts include a requirement that service providers comply with public records laws. The bill defines a services provider as an individual, a partnership, a corporation or a business entity that enters into a contract for services with a public agency and is not acting on behalf of the public agency. Linked to SB 290, SB 292 (Wright) creates a public records exemption for contractors' and service providers' records related to audit or claims resolution, which are provided to a public agency pursuant to contract requirements. (Wagoner)

CS/HB 103 (Arrington) and SB 712 (Powell) create a public records exemption for the personal identifying and location information of current county and city attorneys and assistant/deputy county and city attorneys, as well as information regarding the spouses and children of those attorneys. (Wagoner)

SB 811 (Gottlieb) and HB 862 (Jones) create a public records exemption for the personal identifying and location information of current county administrators and assistant/deputy county and city managers, as well as information regarding the names and locations of schools and day care facilities attended by the children of current administrators, deputy and assistant county managers, city managers, deputy city managers and assistant city managers. (Wagoner)

HB 157 (Caruso) would allow local governments to meet and conduct official business via teleconferencing or other technological means, no more than two times per calendar year, as long as the meetings meet all of the requirements for public notice, public access and public participation. The bill does specify that meetings that include formal action on ordinances or are quasi-judicial hearings may not be conducted via teleconferencing or other technological means. (Wagoner)

SB 224 (Wright) and HB 413 (Altman) authorize citizen volunteer advisory committees that are comprised of representatives from four or more counties to conduct virtual public meetings and workshops using communications media technology. HB 413 specifies that there must also be a 100-mile distance between the two most distant counties. The public notice must specify whether the meeting or workshop will be held in person or virtually and how members of the public can participate. (Wagoner)

SB 400 (Burgess) specifies that retired law enforcement officers can be reemployed in a position that qualifies for the Special Risk Class by an employer that participates in the Florida Retirement System. The bill reduces the timeframe from 12 months to 6 months during which a former employee is prohibited from receiving both a reemployment salary and retirement benefits. (Chapman)

SB 628 (Simon) requires certain contractors who contract with governmental entities to provide an affidavit attesting the contractor does not use coercion for labor or services. (Cruz)

HB 195 (Chambliss) requires the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission to consult with a national organization with expertise in mental health crisis intervention to establish minimum standards for basic skills and continued education training for law enforcement officers by July 1, 2025. (Cruz)

SB 710 (Ingoglia) and HB 443 (Alvarez) make several changes to the "The Police Officers' Bill of Rights." The Police Officers Bill of Rights is designed to ensure certain protections for law enforcement and correctional officers are provided to officers throughout the process of investigating complaints against an officer if the investigation can lead to disciplinary action, demotion or dismissal of the officer. The bills delete provisions from current law relating to complaint review boards. The bills authorize an officer to file a civil suit if he or she is subject to disciplinary action in violation of the Officer Bill of Rights. The bills grant officers certain increased protections for alleged violations of the process required in the Officer Bill of Rights. Lastly, the bills authorize an officer to address and remedy any violation in a court of competent jurisdiction and provide for the reversal of any disciplinary action requiring the employing agency to pay for an officer’s monetary damages, attorney fees and costs for any intentional violation of the Officer Bill of Rights. (Cruz)

HB 637 (Yeager) and SB 808 (DiCeglie) authorize a firefighter, a law enforcement officer, a correctional officer or a correctional probation officer requiring medical treatment for tuberculosis, heart disease or hypertension resulting in a total or partial disability to be treated by a medical specialist of their choosing. The treatment by a medical specialist must be reasonable, necessary, and related to tuberculosis, heart disease or hypertension and reimbursed at no more than 200% of the Medicare rate. (Cruz)

HB 151 (Busatta Cabrera) and SB 242 (Hooper) create an unfunded mandate for government entities that provide retirement benefits through the Florida Retirement System (FRS). Beginning on July 1, 2024, the cost-of-living benefit of each retiree and annuitant shall be adjusted without a requirement for the Legislature enacting sufficient funding. (Chapman)

SB 40 (Stewart) – Review of Employment Contracts

HB 175 (Benjamin) – Judgement Liens

HB 15 (Rudman) – Contracts for Live Entertainment

HJR 335 (Roth) – Requiring Broader Public Support for Constitutional Amendments or Revisions

HB 217 (Mooney) and SB 222 (Rodriguez) – College Campus Facilities in Areas of Critical State Concern

HB 109 (Andrade) and SB 246 (Harrell) – Conversion Charter Schools

HB 275 (Canady) and SB 340 (Yarborough) – Intentional Damage to Critical Infrastructure

SB 674 (Boyd) and HB 779 (Griffitts) – United States-produced Iron and Steel in Public Works Projects

SB 706 (Rodriguez) and HB 719 (Lopez) – Residential Swimming Pool Requirements

HB 35 (Rudman) and SB 106 (Jones) – Acceptance of Cash Payments by Businesses

HB 141 (Abbott) and SB 196 (Simon) – Regional Rural Development Grants Program

HB 173 (Daniels) – Not-for-profit Corporations that Operate Residential Homeowners' Associations

HB 177 (Andrade) and SB 204 (Brodeur) – Competition for the Sale of Event Tickets

HB 189 (Salzman) – Gambling 

HB 433 (Esposito) – Workplace Heat Exposure Requirements

SB 482 (Berman) – Amblyopia Awareness Month

HB 495 (Woodson) – Prohibition of Smoking and Vaping in State Parks

HB 633 (Berfield) – Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Awareness and Assistance Training Program

SB 682 (DiCeglie) and HB 487 (Chaney) – Lost or Abandoned Property

HB 7003 (Ethics, Elections & Open Government Subcommittee, Holcomb) – OGSR/Preregistered Voters

HB 7005 (Ethics, Elections & Open Government Subcommittee, Holcomb) – GSR/Financial Disclosure

HB 7007 (Ethics, Elections & Open Government Subcommittee, Holcomb) – OGSR/Campus Emergency Response