Pub. Rec./Terrorist Organizations; Provides exemption from public records requirements for certain information relating to designation of organization as domestic terrorist organization or foreign terrorist organization by Chief of Domestic Security; provides for future legislative review & repeal of exemption; provides statement of public necessity.
Systems of Law and Terrorist Organizations; Providing that the Department of State may administratively dissolve a corporation that has been designated as a terrorist organization in certain situations; providing that a person who receives military training from a domestic terrorist organization in certain situations commits a specified crime; providing a person who knowingly provides or attempts or conspires to provide material support or resources to a domestic terrorist organization commits a specified crime; providing that a person who willfully becomes a member of a domestic terrorist organization and serves under the direction or control of such organization with a specified intent commits a specified crime; authorizing the Chief of Domestic Security to designate an organization a domestic terrorist organization or a foreign terrorist organization if certain requirements are met; requiring the Chief to provide specified written notice to the Governor, the Cabinet, and the organization of the designation; providing that the Governor and the Cabinet may by a majority vote approve or reject the designation; requiring the Chief to publish such designation in the Florida Administrative Register within a specified time period after approval of the designation by the Governor and the Cabinet; providing that certain students of school districts and Florida College System institutions are ineligible for specified fee waivers; prohibiting students who promote domestic terrorist organization or foreign terrorist organizations from being awarded certain public institution funds, etc.
HB 249 designates the S.S. American Victory - a 1944 World War II merchant vessel now operating as a maritime museum in Tampa - as Florida's official state flagship, replacing the previous designation. The bill amends Florida Statutes to formally recognize this ship, which served in multiple conflicts and now functions as an educational and tourism site. This is a ceremonial designation with no new funding, regulations, or direct impact on residents or businesses, solely updating the state's symbolic representation. The change takes effect July 1, 2026.
Elections; Revising definitions; revising the information the uniform statewide voter registration application is designed to elicit from an applicant to include a certain acknowledgment; requiring that the online voter registration system transmit specified information to the supervisor of elections under specified circumstances; requiring that the applicant's legal status as a United States citizen be recorded in the statewide voter registration system; requiring that if the records of the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles indicate that an applicant is not a United States citizen or has not provided acceptable evidence of citizenship, the online voter registration system must notify the supervisor of the applicant's legal status and transmit the application to the supervisor; requiring that the online voter registration system populate an applicant's information and direct the applicant to perform specified actions under specified conditions; requiring supervisors to verify a voter's legal status as a United States citizen using specified sources and initiate a certain notice if applicable; requiring that the voter's legal status as United States citizen and the type of document accepted as evidence of United States citizenship be recorded in the statewide voter registration system, etc.
OGSR/Administration of Small Business Loan Programs Held by an Economic Development Agency; Amending a provision which provides an exemption from public records requirements for certain information relating to the administration of small business loan programs held by an economic development agency; deleting the scheduled repeal of the exemption, etc.
Candidate Qualification; Specifying that a person seeking to qualify for office as a candidate must be a registered member of a political party, or registered without any party affiliation, for 365 consecutive days preceding the beginning of qualifying for an election; specifying that such person may not have legally changed his or her name through a specified petition during such 365-day period; providing that compliance with specified requirements is mandatory; providing construction; authorizing qualified candidates or certain political parties to challenge compliance with specified provisions by filing suit in a specified circuit court; prohibiting a person from being qualified as a candidate for nomination or election and appearing on the ballot under specified circumstances.
Rural Electric Cooperatives; Prohibiting a cooperative that sells electricity at retail from adopting, enacting, or enforcing a fee meeting specified criteria, etc.
OGSR/Florida Public Service Commission; Deleting the scheduled repeal of an exemption from public meeting requirements for portions of a hearing before the Florida Public Service Commission wherein certain proprietary confidential business information is discussed, etc.
SB 572 updates ethics rules for Florida public employees by expanding the definition of "relative" to explicitly include foster parents and foster children. This change affects public employees whose foster family relationships might create conflicts of interest, such as when a foster parent or child has business dealings with the employee's agency. The bill amends Section 112.312 of Florida Statutes to add foster parents (while the employee was a minor) and foster children to the list of relationships covered under ethics laws. These revised definitions will apply to existing rules, such as the gift restrictions for school board members in Section 1001.421, effective July 1, 2026.
Sexual Offenses; Replaces term "child pornography" with term "child sexual abuse material"; revises criteria related to reclassification of specified offenses; revises mandatory minimum sentences for certain sexual offenses by persons previously convicted of sexual offenses; increases penalty for employing, authorizing, or inducing child of specified age to engage in sexual performance; prohibits person from employing, authorizing, or inducing child younger than 12 years of age to engage in sexual performance; requires mandatory minimum sentences for certain offenses when committed by specified offenders; increases penalty for knowingly soliciting, possessing, controlling, or intentionally viewing certain materials that include child sexual abuse material; provides applicability of specified mandatory minimum sentences; increases penalty for intentionally creating generated child sexual abuse material; prohibits person from transmitting child sexual abuse material to another person; revises punishments for certain sexual activities involving animals; requires certain court order to be effective for certain number of years; increases criminal penalties for possessing child-like sex doll; provides that prosecution for certain acts in connection with obscene, lewd, etc., materials does not prohibit person from prosecution for other specified offenses; requires mandatory minimum sentences for certain offenses when committed by specified offenders; ranks offenses on offense severity ranking chart of Criminal Punishment Code.
HB 245 replaces the term "child pornography" with "child sexual abuse material" across multiple Florida statutes, including those defining offenses (like Chapter 847), court records (Section 92.56), and disqualification rules for child care workers (Section 435.07). It directly affects legal documents, court proceedings, and background checks related to child exploitation cases. The bill changes terminology only - no new penalties or policies are created - and applies to all referenced statutes, such as those governing sexual performance by children (Section 827.071) and possession of abusive material (Section 847.001). This is a procedural update to align terminology with current understanding of the harm caused.
Dangerous Crimes; Requires court to remand person who pleads guilty or nolo contendere to, or is found guilty of, dangerous crime to custody immediately; requires such person to remain in custody pending sentencing without possibility of release on bond; revising definition of "dangerous crime."
