Universal Free School Breakfast and Lunch Program; Requiring the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, subject to the appropriation of funds by the Legislature, to establish and operate a program to provide universal free school breakfast and lunch meals to all public school students; deleting provisions requiring school districts to implement and charge students for a breakfast program; authorizing school districts to operate free school meal programs using offsite food preparation locations, etc.
Public Employee Housing Benefits; Provides requirements for receipt of Heroes Reward benefit; authorizes accrued sick leave & annual leave balances be combined in certain circumstances; provides that leave balances for Heroes Reward benefit are counted separately from other programs & leave balances are updated at time of payment; requires that payments be made using employee's current base pay; authorizes public employer to make payment directly to specified person; requires payments to be made within specified timeframe; requires DMS to adopt rules, authorizing political subdivisions to take certain actions to implement specified provisions.
Crimes Evidencing Prejudice; Requiring the reclassification of the penalty for a crime if the commission of the crime evidences prejudice based on the victim being a disabled adult; defining the term “disabled adult”, etc.
Refrigerant Safety and Agricultural Continuity; Creating the “Refrigerant Safety and Agricultural Continuity Act”; authorizing commercial and agricultural food processing and cold chain industries to continue to purchase, install, and service equipment utilizing R-410A refrigerants through a specified date; requiring the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to maintain certain records; providing immunity from liability for certain persons and business entities, etc.
SB 1212 prevents certain property tax reassessments when homestead property (a primary residence with tax benefits) is inherited. It specifies that transfers to heirs upon death - such as to children or dependent family members - do not count as a "change of ownership" under Florida's homestead assessment rules. This means the property's tax value remains unchanged, avoiding higher annual taxes that would normally trigger after a sale or transfer. The bill directly affects Florida homeowners who inherit homestead properties, ensuring their tax break continues without interruption.
Notification of Sexual Violence Policies and Supportive Measure in K-20 Education; Requires public & private K-20 educational institutions to have sexual violence policies; authorizes such educational institutions to have supportive measures; provides requirements for such policies & measures; requires schools to notify students, parents, school staff, & school volunteers of such policies & measures; & provides requirements for such notifications.
HB 1123 creates a 3-year pilot program (2026-2027 to 2028-2029) offering a mandatory 6-week summer reading program for first graders identified as at-risk for reading deficiencies based on standardized test scores. The program, implemented in two selected Florida school districts, focuses on foundational reading skills like phonics, fluency, and comprehension. Participating schools must invite at-risk students, administer the program per state guidelines, and report on student progress and participation rates. The Department of Education will collect data and submit a final report to the Legislature with outcomes and recommendations before the program expires.
School Safety Equipment; Revising the purpose of specified grants awarded by the Office of Safe Schools; requiring private schools and public schools, including charter schools, respectively, to have specified safety equipment on each campus of the school; requiring the Department of Education, in coordination with the Department of Law Enforcement, to establish minimum specifications for such equipment; authorizing schools to use specified funds to meet the requirements of such safety equipment, etc.
Medical Marijuana Treatment Center Licensure; Requiring the Department of Health to consider all deficiencies in an application for a medical marijuana treatment center license cured if the sole remaining deficiency is the fact that the application was submitted by an entity in legal partnership with a certain eligible recognized class member, or his or her heir, rather than by the class member or heir as an individual; prohibiting the department from using such fact as a reason to deny an application for licensure, etc.
HB 1079 removes the Small Employer Health Carrier Reinsurance Program from Florida law. This program helped small employers by enabling health insurers to share the cost of high medical claims with the state, keeping insurance premiums lower. The bill deletes the program's creation, governance structure, and operational rules from state statutes. As a result, small employers and insurers that relied on this cost-sharing mechanism would lose this specific benefit. The bill does not establish a replacement program.
Traffic Offenses; Prohibiting a person from operating a motor vehicle while using a wireless communications device in a handheld manner; providing an exception; requiring that sustained use of a wireless communications device by a person operating a motor vehicle be conducted through a hands-free accessory until such use is terminated; revising penalty provisions relating to the use of wireless communications devices in a handheld manner in certain circumstances, etc.
My Safe Florida Home Program; Requires DFS to notify applicants in specified circumstances; authorizes applicants to submit subsequent applications in certain circumstances; prohibits application from being deemed withdrawn or abandoned if applicant responds to notice & makes certain demonstrations; authorizes applicants to submit subsequent applications in certain circumstances.
