Criminal Justice

Correctional Facilities Financing and Capital Improvements; Provides appropriation to DOC; requires appropriated funds to be used in certain manner; requires department to begin planning & design phase for construction of certain facilities; requires department to make certain recommendations to Legislature; requires department to contract with construction management entity in certain circumstances; authorizes Division of Bond Finance of SBA to issue bonds for certain purposes; creates financing oversight committee; provides membership & duties of committee. APPROPRIATION: Indeterminate

This bill proposes to reduce the number of judges in several Florida judicial circuits and counties, specifically decreasing the count in the First, Fifth, Seventh, Eighteenth, Nineteenth, and Twentieth circuits, as well as in Duval, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lee, Miami-Dade, Orange, and Walton counties. The legislation amends state statutes to lower these judicial positions by a specific number in each location, ranging from a reduction of one to eight judges depending on the jurisdiction. These changes are scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2026, and the bill is currently being reviewed by a conference committee to finalize details before becoming law.

State Agency Law Enforcement Radio System; Abrogating the scheduled expiration of provisions relating to the remission of surcharges for specified criminal offenses and noncriminal moving traffic violations to the Department of Revenue to fund the state agency law enforcement radio system and to provide technical assistance with respect to statewide systems of regional law enforcement communications, etc.