Rep. Chip LaMarca

Entities that Boycott Israel ; Revises provisions related to prohibitions on investments & contracts to companies that boycott Israel to include certain institutions, organization, agencies, & governments; prohibits arts & cultural grants for entities that engage in boycotts or discrimination; provides penalties; revises provisions relating to prohibition on contracting with entities.

Holocaust Remembrance Day; Requires Governor to proclaim specified day annually as "Holocaust Remembrance Day"; authorizes "Holocaust Remembrance Day" to be observed in this state's public schools & be observed by public exercise as Governor may designate; authorizes specified instruction.

Maddy summaryHB 147 addresses prohibited practices in consumer debt collection. The bill focuses on clarifying the applicability of certain actions that are not allowed when collecting debts from consumers. This legislation directly affects individuals who owe consumer debts and the entities responsible for collecting those debts.

Sampling of Beach Waters and Public Bathing Spaces; Revises provisions related to bacteriological sampling of beach waters & public bathing places, including rule adoption & enforcement; issuance of health advisories; closure of beach waters & public bathing places; & notification & signage requirements.

Town of Hillsboro Beach, Broward County; Requires Division of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco of DBPR to issue special alcoholic beverage license to residential condominium that meets certain requirements; limits issuance of such license & provision & sale of alcoholic beverages under such license; authorizes division to regulate & supervise residential condominiums to which such licenses have been issued; authorizes division to revoke or suspend such licenses.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates a specific stretch of State Road A1A in twelve Florida counties as the "Jimmy Buffett Memorial Highway." To mark this change, the state Department of Transportation is required to install appropriate signage along the road by August 30, 2024. The legislation applies only to the named highway and does not alter any existing traffic rules or funding allocations.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new section in Florida law that officially defines the term "antisemitism" using the working definition adopted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance in 2016. The legislation provides specific contemporary examples of antisemitism, such as denying the Holocaust, holding Jewish people collectively responsible for actions by Israel, or applying double standards to the State of Israel compared to other nations. It explicitly states that criticizing Israel in a manner similar to how other countries are criticized does not count as antisemitism under this definition. The law aims to help monitor and report hate crimes while ensuring it does not infringe on First Amendment rights or conflict with existing antidiscrimination laws.

Release of Balloons; Revises prohibition on release of certain balloons to delete specified timeframe & number of balloons; deletes exemption from such prohibition for certain biodegradable or photodegradable balloons; provides that person who violates prohibition commits noncriminal infraction of littering; revises penalty for such violation; deletes provision authorizing petitions to enjoin release of balloons.

Veterinary Practices; Authorizing licensed veterinarians to practice veterinary telehealth in accordance with specified criteria; specifying the powers of the Board of Veterinary Medicine related to the practice of telehealth; providing that the practice of veterinary medicine is deemed to occur under specified circumstances; specifying the drugs that a veterinarian practicing telehealth may not provide unless specified conditions are met; providing specific authorizations for cases in which the patient is a food-producing species, etc.

Insurance; Revising the entities for which the Office of Insurance Regulation is required to conduct market conduct examinations; requiring insurers and insurer groups to file a specified supplemental report on a monthly basis; prohibiting insurers from canceling and nonrenewing policies covering dwellings and residential properties damaged as a result hurricanes or wind losses within certain timeframes; providing exceptions to such prohibitions against eligible surplus lines insurers within certain timeframes; etc.