Rep. Taylor Yarkosky

Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances; Prohibits, beginning on specified date, certain use & sale, purchase, or distribution of aqueous film-forming foam; requires, beginning on specified date, certain entities to submit aqueous film-forming foam inventories & disposal plans to DEP; prohibits, beginning on specified date, possession & use of aqueous film-forming foam; authorizes DEP to administer certain grants or cost share programs; provides penalties & injunctive relief; requires certain public entities disposing of domestic wastewater biosolids and treated effluent to quarterly conduct specified samplings & submit results to DEP; limits purpose such samplings until specified standards are established by EPA & adopted by DEP.

Lewd or Lascivious Acts; Removes s. 800.02, F.S., relating to unnatural & lascivious acts; prohibits person from intentionally exposing or exhibiting his or her sexual organs in lewd or lascivious manner while observing child under 16 years of age or performing specified sexual acts while observing child under 16 years of age for specified purpose; provides criminal penalty; prohibits certain defense from being raised; provides exceptions.

Maddy summaryHB 429 revises Florida's legal definition of "criminal gang member" in section 874.03 of state statutes. The bill defines a criminal gang member as someone who either admits membership (in person or online) or meets two or more of 12 specific criteria, such as wearing gang-related clothing, using gang hand signs, having gang tattoos, associating with known members, using gang-related language on social media, or being identified by a reliable informant. It explicitly includes social media activity, communications, and recordings promoting gang activity as evidence of membership. The law would take effect on October 1, 2026, and applies to individuals potentially identified under these revised standards.

Clerks of the Court; Authorizing the cumulative excess of funds to be used in the development of the total combined budgets of the clerks of the court; conforming provisions to changes made by the act; revising the definition of the term “publicly accessible website”; increasing the percentage of certain penalties which must be deposited into the fine and forfeiture fund and decreasing the percentage of certain penalties that must be paid to a municipality, etc.

Domestic Violence and Protective Injunctions; Reclassifying penalties for committing a domestic violence offense if a person has a prior conviction for domestic violence; providing that sentencing and incentive gain-time eligibility determinations are made without regard to a penalty enhancement; establishing an electronic monitoring pilot program in a specified county; requiring the sheriff, in consultation with certain persons, to design and implement the pilot program; providing requirements for the pilot program; requiring the Department of Corrections to complete an evaluation and provide specified reports to the Legislature; requiring the Department of Law Enforcement to enter injunctions against dating violence and sexual violence into a statewide verification system, etc.

Faith-based Content in Batterers' Intervention Programs; Specifies that batterers' intervention programs may include faith-based activities, but may not require participation in such activities.

Education; Requires entities that offer fee-based services to individuals who are blind or visually impaired to disclose in writing whether the services may be obtained elsewhere at no cost; requires certain service providers to apply to, rather than register with, the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation; revises the date for a requirement to obtain a license as a marriage and family therapist; revises public information requirements relating to virtual instruction options; revises the conditions considered an educational emergency; authorizes a student to carry a United States Food and Drug Administration-approved epinephrine delivery devices, rather than epinephrine auto-injectors; deletes obsolete provisions related to calculation of kindergarten readiness rates; requires the Department of Children and Families to determine whether a child care provider is the primary cause of certain class I violations; revises provisions related to certain law schools; authorizes a school district to reserve funds for certain STEM-related educational services, etc.

Systems of Law and Terrorist Organizations; Providing that the Department of State may administratively dissolve a corporation that has been designated as a terrorist organization in certain situations; providing that a person who receives military training from a domestic terrorist organization in certain situations commits a specified crime; providing a person who knowingly provides or attempts or conspires to provide material support or resources to a domestic terrorist organization commits a specified crime; providing that a person who willfully becomes a member of a domestic terrorist organization and serves under the direction or control of such organization with a specified intent commits a specified crime; authorizing the Chief of Domestic Security to designate an organization a domestic terrorist organization or a foreign terrorist organization if certain requirements are met; requiring the Chief to provide specified written notice to the Governor, the Cabinet, and the organization of the designation; providing that the Governor and the Cabinet may by a majority vote approve or reject the designation; requiring the Chief to publish such designation in the Florida Administrative Register within a specified time period after approval of the designation by the Governor and the Cabinet; providing that certain students of school districts and Florida College System institutions are ineligible for specified fee waivers; prohibiting students who promote domestic terrorist organization or foreign terrorist organizations from being awarded certain public institution funds, etc.

Sexual Offenses; Replaces term "child pornography" with term "child sexual abuse material"; revises criteria related to reclassification of specified offenses; revises mandatory minimum sentences for certain sexual offenses by persons previously convicted of sexual offenses; increases penalty for employing, authorizing, or inducing child of specified age to engage in sexual performance; prohibits person from employing, authorizing, or inducing child younger than 12 years of age to engage in sexual performance; requires mandatory minimum sentences for certain offenses when committed by specified offenders; increases penalty for knowingly soliciting, possessing, controlling, or intentionally viewing certain materials that include child sexual abuse material; provides applicability of specified mandatory minimum sentences; increases penalty for intentionally creating generated child sexual abuse material; prohibits person from transmitting child sexual abuse material to another person; revises punishments for certain sexual activities involving animals; requires certain court order to be effective for certain number of years; increases criminal penalties for possessing child-like sex doll; provides that prosecution for certain acts in connection with obscene, lewd, etc., materials does not prohibit person from prosecution for other specified offenses; requires mandatory minimum sentences for certain offenses when committed by specified offenders; ranks offenses on offense severity ranking chart of Criminal Punishment Code.

Maddy summaryHB 245 replaces the term "child pornography" with "child sexual abuse material" across multiple Florida statutes, including those defining offenses (like Chapter 847), court records (Section 92.56), and disqualification rules for child care workers (Section 435.07). It directly affects legal documents, court proceedings, and background checks related to child exploitation cases. The bill changes terminology only - no new penalties or policies are created - and applies to all referenced statutes, such as those governing sexual performance by children (Section 827.071) and possession of abusive material (Section 847.001). This is a procedural update to align terminology with current understanding of the harm caused.