Sen. Gayle Harrell

Agency for Health Care Administration; Requiring the Agency for Health Care Administration to require certain background screening for certain persons; providing eligibility requirements for admission to a medically complex children’s home; providing for the denial, suspension, and revocation of a license; requiring the agency, by a specified date, to review and determine eligibility for specified criminal history checks, etc.

Political Activity at Public Institutions of Higher Education; Defining the term “public institution of higher education”; requiring such institutions to promote specified discussion and debates; requiring such institutions to take specified actions relating to candidates for public office; requiring certain persons or entities to obtain prior approval from such institutions before conducting specified political activities on campus, etc.

Information Technology; Providing for a type two transfer of the duties and functions of the Florida Digital Service from the Department of Management Services to the Division of Integrated Government Innovation and Technology; creating the Division of Integrated Government Innovation and Technology (DIGIT) within the Executive Office of the Governor; requiring DIGIT to operate as the state enterprise organization for information technology governance and as the lead entity responsible for understanding needs and environments, creating standards and strategy, supporting state agency technology efforts, and reporting on the state of information technology in this state, etc.

Medicaid Coverage of Continuous Glucose Monitors; Requiring the Agency for Health Care Administration, within a specified timeframe, to seek federal approval as needed to provide coverage of continuous glucose monitors and related supplies as a durable medical equipment benefit under the Medicaid program; providing for the reimbursement of such equipment, etc.

Health Care; Authorizing the Agency for Health Care Administration to authorize certain agencies and organizations to access, use, and run reports in a specified database for certain purposes; authorizing assisted living facilities to retain certain licenses under certain circumstances; requiring referral agencies for assisted living facilities to disclose specified information to a consumer; providing requirements for contracts entered into between a referral agency and an assisted living facility; creating the Assisted Living Task Force adjunct to the agency for specified purposes, etc.

Maddy summarySB 146 requires Florida’s Digital Service to study how state agencies use artificial intelligence (AI), including which agencies use AI, why they use it, and the associated costs. The study must be completed by March 1, 2027, and reported to the Governor and Legislature. This bill does not change current AI use but mandates a formal inventory to inform future policy decisions. It directly affects all Florida state agencies using AI and the Florida Digital Service, which must conduct the study. The bill focuses on gathering factual data, not implementing new AI regulations.

Designation of the State Birds; Designating the American flamingo as the official state bird and the Florida scrub-jay as the official state songbird; providing that such designations supersede the designation of the mockingbird as the official state bird, etc.

Self-storage Spaces; Revising the notice requirements of owners of self-storage units in order to enforce a lien on a tenant’s property; requiring that rental agreements for renters of self-storage units which are entered into on or after a specified date provide certain information in compliance with the Self-storage Facility Act; providing that failure or refusal of a tenant to designate an alternate contact does not affect a tenant’s or an owner’s rights or remedies, etc.

Maddy summarySB 402 amends Florida law to reclassify certain crimes as more severe when they show prejudice based on the victim's political ideology, alongside existing factors like race, religion, or sexual orientation. It upgrades penalties: for example, a second-degree misdemeanor becomes a first-degree misdemeanor, a first-degree misdemeanor becomes a third-degree felony, and higher-level felonies face even harsher classifications (up to life felony for first-degree felonies). The bill directly affects individuals convicted of offenses where the victim was targeted due to their political views, increasing their potential penalties. It takes effect on October 1, 2026, and is currently under review by Florida's Criminal Justice and Appropriations committees.

Animal Cremation; Creating “Sevilla’s Law”; requiring a provider of companion animal cremation services to provide certain individuals and entities with a written description of the services the provider offers; requiring certain providers to include a certification with the returned animal’s cremation remains; providing that certain acts are unlawful; providing civil penalties for initial and subsequent offenses, etc.