Sen. Ileana Garcia

Maddy summaryThis bill proposes to reduce the number of judges in several Florida judicial circuits and counties, specifically decreasing the count in the First, Fifth, Seventh, Eighteenth, Nineteenth, and Twentieth circuits, as well as in Duval, Highlands, Hillsborough, Lee, Miami-Dade, Orange, and Walton counties. The legislation amends state statutes to lower these judicial positions by a specific number in each location, ranging from a reduction of one to eight judges depending on the jurisdiction. These changes are scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2026, and the bill is currently being reviewed by a conference committee to finalize details before becoming law.

Coastal Resiliency; Prohibiting the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund from approving the dredging or filling of the submerged lands of the Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve unless such dredging and filling occurs for certain reasons; authorizing certain dredging and filling of submerged lands and placement of certain shorelines and seawalls within the Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve; authorizing the erection of certain structures within aquatic preserves; requiring the Department of Environmental Protection, by a specified date, to develop guidelines and standards for nature-based methods to address coastal resiliency and to adopt rules, subject to legislative ratification, for a statewide permitting process for such coastal resiliency, etc.

Public Records/Autopsy Reports of Certain Sudden and Unexpected deaths; Creating an exemption from public records requirements for autopsy reports of certain sudden and unexpected deaths; specifying circumstances under which such autopsy reports and certain information contained therein may be disclosed; providing for future legislative review and repeal of the exemption; providing a statement of public necessity, etc.

Required Notice of Intent to Contact a Victim; Requiring specified persons acting on behalf of a criminal defendant to file a specified notice within a specified timeframe before contacting a victim in a criminal proceeding for a specified purpose; requiring that such notice be filed on a standard form developed by the state attorney in each judicial circuit, etc.

Small Employer Health Insurance; Deleting and revising definitions; deleting provisions relating to the creation of the Florida Small Employer Health Reinsurance Program, etc.

Redesignations of State University and Florida College System Institution Roads; Requiring state university and Florida College System institution boards of trustees to redesignate specified roads or portions of roads to certain names relating to Charlie James Kirk within a specified time period; requiring that state funds be withheld for any university or institution that fails to redesignate a road or portion of a roadway within such time period, etc.

Access to Applied Behavior Analysis Services; Requiring the Agency for Health Care Administration to consider certain factors when evaluating network adequacy for applied behavior analysis services under the Medicaid program; requiring Medicaid managed care plans to take reasonable steps to support workforce retention and recruitment; requiring managed care plans to notify providers of credentialing deficiencies in a specified manner and timeframe; prohibiting managed care plans from imposing a moratorium on applied behavior analysis services providers unless such providers can demonstrate specified criteria to the agency, etc.

Caller Identification Information; Prohibiting the transmission of misleading or inaccurate caller identification information; requiring a telecommunications company to provide the telephone number and location from which each telephone call originates; defining the term “STIR/SHAKEN authentication framework”; requiring each telecommunications company to file a certification with the Federal Communications Commission, etc.

Newborn Screenings; Citing this act as “Mattie’s Law”; requiring that newborns, beginning on a specified date, be screened for biliary atresia; requiring the Department of Health to consult with the Genetics and Newborn Screening Advisory Council before adopting certain rules; requiring hospitals that provide birthing services to screen for biliary atresia in a specified manner, etc.

Speech and Debate Education; Creating the Florida Speech and Debate Hall of Fame; designating Florida Speech and Debate Week annually in February; establishing the Florida Debate Initiative, Inc., (FDI) as a statewide speech and debate organization that performs certain functions in support of the Florida Civics and Debate Initiative (FCDI) in the Department of Education; requiring the Board of Governors of the State University System and the State Board of Education to develop specified undergraduate and graduate coursework, certificates, and micro-credentials, etc. APPROPRIATION: $2,400,000