Stacks of bills by Florida lawmakers await decisions by DeSantis

by | May 24, 2024



The Florida Legislature finished a busy lawmaking season this year, and while a barrage of bills were signed, some are still awaiting a signature or a possible veto by the governor.

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed 10 bills in the last week and has until June 5 to act on another 27 bills that he received from the Legislature on Tuesday.

House Bill 1305 would define a “Florida Financial Institution” for the Florida Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. The change would expressly permit landlords to comply with the act by depositing a tenant’s security deposit into any qualifying bank in Florida.

HB 1331 would prohibit the state from contracting with companies that use forced labor to produce their products. The Department of Management Services must create and maintain a forced labor vendor list, identifying companies disqualified from public contracting or purchasing for 365 days.

HB 415 would require the Department of Health, in consultation with the Department of Children and Families and the Agency for Health Care Administration to maintain a specific website to provide information to expectant families and new parents. This includes educational materials on parenting and pregnancy, maternal health services, and prenatal and postnatal services.

HB 275 would provide criminal penalties for improperly tampering with critical infrastructure, resulting in damage or the cost of restoration. The bill further would provide civil liability upon conviction for violations, including trespassing on or around critical infrastructure.

HB 691 would require the Division of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco to issue special alcoholic beverage licenses to certain restaurants that meet minimum requirements in the town of Horseshoe Beach in Dixie County.

HB 191 would authorize the town of Orchid in Indian River County to hold public meetings within specified mileage of its jurisdictional boundary under certain circumstances.

HB 1025 would revise provisions relating to terms of office of District Trustees in the Municipal Service District of Ponte Vedra Beach in St. Johns County. The bill also would revise the capital expenditure amount required to be approved by voters.

Senate Bill 92 would revise the regulation of yacht and ship brokers and salespersons, deleting certain requirements, including that an applicant for a broker license must have been licensed as a salesperson for at least two years.

SB 892 would prohibit a contract between a health insurer and a dentist from restricting certain payment methods and from denying claims for procedures included in a prior authorization.

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