Florida Bills

Temporary Licensure of Anesthesiologist Assistants; Requiring the Department of Health to issue a temporary license to practice as an anesthesiologist assistant to applicants meeting specified criteria; providing that temporary licensees may practice only under the direct supervision of an anesthesiologist and pursuant to a written protocol, etc.

Protections for Public Employees who use Medical Marijuana as Qualified Patients; Prohibiting a public employer from taking adverse personnel action against an employee or a job applicant for his or her use of medical marijuana if the employee or job applicant is a qualified patient; providing exceptions; requiring a public employer to provide, within a specified timeframe, written notice of an employee’s or a job applicant’s right to explain or contest a positive marijuana test result, etc.

Utilities; Authorizing a county to adopt an ordinance for the decommissioning of certain solar facilities that have reached the end of their useful life; authorizing a county to require financial assurance from a solar facility owner to establish that the solar facility owner has the capability to satisfy the estimated cost of decommissioning the solar facility; requiring that improvements included in certain transmission and distribution storm protection plans have forecasted customer benefits that exceed their forecasted cost, etc.

Utilities; Authorizes counties to adopt ordinance for decommissioning of certain solar facilities; provides for rebuttal of certain presumptions; requires DEP to develop, revise, & update best management practices for construction of solar facilities; requires solar facility operators to implement specified BMPs; revises factors that PSC must consider in reviewing such plans; requires PSC to submit proposed rule for adoption by specified date.

Public Postsecondary Reports on Pell Grant Eligibility and Food Insecurity; Requires Commissioner of Agriculture to report specified information relating to Pell-grant eligible students at state universities & Florida College System institutions to Legislature by specified date; & requires OPPAGA to conduct study to evaluate food insecurity on campuses of state universities & Florida College System institutions.

Investments and Deposits of Public Funds; Provides option for public money to be invested in digital assets & exchange-traded products; authorizes CFO, in managing state funds, to include digital assets & exchange-traded products as stores of value & potential hedges against inflation; provides requirements for holding acquired digital assets; authorizes CFO & other parties to loan digital assets in state funds if such loans are collateralized & comply with fiduciary standards; requires taxes & fees paid in digital assets to be transferred to General Revenue Fund; requires General Revenue Fund to reimburse designated funds in United States currency for such payments; authorizes Board of Trustees of SBA to invest & reinvest available funds of System Trust Fund in digital assets; provides limits & custody requirements for such investments.

Elimination of Non-School Property Tax for Homesteads for Persons Age 65 or Older; Proposes amendment to State Constitution to exempt homestead property from all levies other than school district levies for persons who have attained age 65, prohibit counties and municipalities from reducing total funding for law enforcement, and provide an effective date.

Public Accountancy; Authorizing the Board of Accountancy to competitively procure contracted services with certain corporations not for profit for the performance of certain duties assigned to the Division of Certified Public Accounting of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation; revising the education and work experience requirements for a certified public accountant license; directing the board to prescribe specified coursework for licensure; revising requirements for the approval of providers who administer continuing education on ethics for certified public accountants, etc.

Public Records/Petitions for Injunctions for Protection Against Serious Violence by a Known Person; Providing an exemption from public records requirements for petitions, and the contents thereof, for injunctions for protection against serious violence by a known person; providing an exemption from public records requirements for information that can be used to identify a petitioner or respondent in such a petition for an injunction; providing a statement of public necessity, etc.

Practice of Chiropractic Medicine ; Revises definition of term "practice of chiropractic medicine"; authorizes chiropractic physicians to possess, for emergency purposes only at chiropractic physician's office or place of business, prescription medical oxygen; authorizes chiropractic physicians to order, store, possess, prescribe, & administer, only by means of injection at chiropractic physician’s office, sterile substances, including vitamins, minerals, & nutritional supplements; prohibits chiropractic physicians from administering certain sterile substances by means of injection unless he or she has been certified by board; prohibits chiropractic physicians from administering certain any substance through intravenous therapy; requires chiropractic physician to be certified before administering sterile substances in specified manner; requires Board of Chiropractic Medicine to establish minimum standards of practice for administration of certain sterile substances by means of injection by chiropractic physicians; provides requirements for such standards; requires board to issue chiropractic physician letter certifying that he or she is authorized to administer specified sterile substances by means of injection under certain conditions.

Property Insurance Relief Homestead Exemption Non-school Property Tax; Proposes amendment to State Constitution to increase by $200,000 the exemption for homestead property from all ad valorem taxation other than school district levies for homestead properties that have property insurance, to prohibit local governments from reducing total funding for first responders, and to provide an effective date.

Public Records; Provides that it is a violation of specified provisions to fail to acknowledge public records request promptly & respond to such request in good faith; revises various provisions relating to custodians of public records, agencies, fees, & penalties; requires written, detailed cost estimate be provided upon request to persons seeking to inspect or copy public record; requires courts to assess specified costs, fees, & penalties.