Rep. Alina García

Community Associations; Provides requirements & penalties for community association managers & management firms relating to conflicts of interest; revises & provides provisions relating to condominium & cooperative associations, including milestone inspections, reporting requirements, financial reports, unit owner & board meetings, director education, criminal activity & penalties, official records, legal actions, electronic voting, & notices; requires Division of Florida Condominiums, Time Shares, & Mobile Homes to submit report to Governor & Legislature & create database. APPROPRIATION: $7,416,269

Mental Health and Substance Abuse; Revises written notice requirements relating to filing petitions for involuntary services; revises requirements relating to voluntary admissions to facility for examination & treatment, ordering person for involuntary services & treatment, petitions for involuntary service, appointment of counsel, & continuances of hearings; revises actions that constitute unlawful activities relating to assessment & treatment & court actions relating to involuntary assessments. APPROPRIATION: $50,000,000

Safe Exchange of Minor Children; Provides requirements for parenting plan relating to exchange of child; requires court to order parties to parenting plan to exchange child at neutral safe exchange location or supervised visitation program; requires sheriffs to designate areas as neutral safe exchange locations; provides immunity from liability; revises forms for injunctions for protection against domestic violence; requires court-ordered injunctions for protection against domestic violence to designate locations for exchange of child of parties.

Homeowners' Associations; Providing requirements for certain community association managers and community association management firms; requiring certain associations to post certain documents on its website or make available such documents through an application by a date certain; providing that an association or its agent is not liable for the disclosure of certain information; requiring an association or any architectural, construction improvement, or other such similar committee of an association to apply and enforce certain standards reasonably and equitably; etc.

Surrendered Infants; Authorizes parent to surrender infant with medical staff or licensed healthcare professional at hospital after delivery; authorizes parent to surrender infant by dialing 911 to request that EMS provider meet surrendering parent at specified location; requires surrendering parent to stay with infant until EMS provider arrives to take custody of infant.

Continuing Contracts; Revises maximum estimated construction cost of construction projects for which governmental entity may enter into continuing contract; requires DMS to annually adjust maximum amount allowed under specified contracts using specified index & publish adjusted amount on DMS's website.

Maddy summaryThis bill updates Florida's residential tenancy laws by formally defining "Florida financial institution" to include specific types of banks and credit unions with insured deposits. It requires landlords holding tenant security deposits or advance rent to place those funds in separate accounts at these approved institutions, either in non-interest-bearing accounts or interest-bearing accounts where tenants receive at least 75% of the interest earned or a 5% annual rate. The legislation also clarifies that fees or bonds used instead of traditional security deposits are not classified as security deposits and updates fire safety requirements for certain multi-story lodging and timeshare buildings. These changes directly affect landlords, tenants, and financial institutions operating within the state.

Anti-human Trafficking; Extends future repeal date of direct-support organization for Statewide Council on Human Trafficking; revises hotline number to be included in human trafficking awareness signs; requiring adult entertainment establishments to check identification of entertainers.

Anchoring Limitation Areas; Revises anchoring limitation areas in certain sections of Biscayne Bay in Miami-Dade County; revises documentation & evidence criteria for proving location of vessel within anchoring limitation area.

Health Care Practitioners and Massage Therapy; Requires DOH to report specified data; authorizes DOH to suspend license of certain health care practitioners & massage establishments in certain circumstances; revises advertising requirements for massage therapists & massage establishments; prohibits establishments from sheltering or harboring, or being used as sleeping quarters for any person; requires DOH investigators to request government identification from all employees while in massage establishment; specifies additional documents person operating massage establishment must present, upon request, to DOH investigators & law enforcement officers; requires DOH to notify federal immigration office if specified persons fail to provide government identification; revises definition of “unlicensed massage establishment”. APPROPRIATION: $1,034,032