Rep. Ashley Gantt

Housing; Creates Department of Housing & Tenant Rights; provides for secretary be appointed by Governor & confirmed by Senate; provides purpose of department; requires department submit a report; revises provisions relating to residential tenancies, landlords, & tenants, including requirements for rental agreements, security deposits, notices, evictions, rights to purchase, rent control, impact fees, & documentary stamp taxes.

Medicaid and Florida Kidcare Programs Expansion; Provides that certain enrollees in Florida Kidcare program & Florida Healthy Kids program with family incomes at or below specified federal poverty level are not required to pay any premiums; prohibits certain charges from being imposed on such enrollees; revises list of people eligible for & length of time covered by Medicaid optional payments; requires AHCA to create Office of Medicaid Ombudsman to provide consumer protection & perform advocacy functions related to Medicaid.

Evictions During Emergency Conditions; Prohibits sheriff from serving or executing writ of possession until specified time on certain premises that are under hurricane watch or hurricane warning; tolling notice period for writ of possession issued on certain premises that are under hurricane watch or hurricane warning.

Hate Crimes; Revises requirements for acquisition & publication of hate crime data; requires such data to be reported in specified format; requires specified training; requires law enforcement agencies to adopt hate crime policies; requires judges to consider noncarceral sentencing for certain first-time hate crime offenders; provides additional requirements for annual summary.

Juvenile Court Proceedings; Authorizes person to attend certain proceedings through audio or audio-video communication technology; requires parties to provide their primary e-mail address to court for notice purposes; provides exceptions; requires notices & summons to include instructions for parties to attend hearings through audio or audio-video communication technology; requires notices that failure to appear at hearings either in person or through audio or audio-video communication technology constitutes consent to adjudicating child as dependent or termination of parental rights.

Children's Initiative Projects; Revises objectives for specified working groups within Florida Children's Initiatives; provides that initiatives are administratively housed in DCF; exempts initiatives from control, supervision, or direction by DCF or any state department; requires initiatives to be managed by not-for-profit corporations.

Dental Services for Veterans; Establishes Veterans Dental Care Grant Program within DVA; specifies purpose of program; requires DVA to contract with direct-support organization to administer program; provides program funding is subject to legislative appropriation.

Reemployment Assistance; Defines "alternative base period" & revising definition of term "high quarter" for purposes of Reemployment Assistance Program; revises requirements for reemployment assistance benefits eligibility; prohibits DEO from denying person reemployment assistance on basis of pregnancy; requires alternative base period to be used when calculating wages in determining qualification for reemployment assistance benefits; requires DEO to contact individual's employer if certain wage information is unavailable; revises weekly benefit amounts; increases caps on total benefit amounts; increases duration of benefits.

Rent and Security Deposits of Communities for Adults Aged 55 or Older; Prohibits certain landlords from increasing rent of dwelling unit in excess of certain percentage; prohibits certain landlords from charging security deposit in excess of certain amount.

Criminal Defendants Adjudicated Incompetent to Proceed; Requires DCF to submit competency evaluation report to circuit court to determine if defendant adjudicated incompetent to proceed meets criteria for involuntary civil commitment if it is determined that defendant will not or is unlikely to regain competency; requires qualified professional to sign report; provides requirements for report.