Sen. Tom Leek

Florida Building Code; Requiring local governments to use certain excess funds from fees collected for code enforcement to perform necessary services or repairs on their stormwater management systems; prohibiting a local government from receiving state funds for that purpose if the local government has such excess funds; prohibiting a local government from receiving state funds through a local funding initiative unless it has expended all funds and has no excess funds available for stormwater management systems improvements, etc.

Property Owner Liability; Citing this act as the "Fallen Tree Act"; providing that a property owner is liable for damages caused by trees or shrubs located on his or her property when they fall on another’s property; providing that trees and shrubs located on two or more parcels may be removed by any of the property owners after serving proper notice and posting on the other parcels; providing an exception, etc.

Criminal Offenses Against Law Enforcement Officers and Other Personnel; Citing this act as the “Officer Jason Raynor Act”; revising a prohibition on the use or threatened use of force to resist arrest or detention; defining the term “acting in good faith”; providing for enhanced punishment for manslaughter when committed against specified officers; revising provisions concerning assault or battery upon specified officers and other personnel, etc.

Crisis Care Coordination; Requiring the Department of Children and Families to implement, subject to appropriation, Crisis Care Coordination Pilot Programs in specified counties for certain purposes; requiring the department to contract for an independent evaluation of the pilot programs and submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature by a specified date, etc.

Assessment of Property Used for Residential Purposes; Defining the term “changes or improvements made to improve the property’s resistance to wind damage”; prohibiting consideration of the increase in just value of a property attributable to changes or improvements made to improve the property’s resistance to wind damage in determinations of the assessed value of certain property, etc.

Florida Museum of Black History; Providing legislative intent; establishing the Florida Museum of Black History Board of Directors; prohibiting specified members of the board from holding state or local elective office while serving on the board; requiring that the board work jointly with the Foundation for the Museum of Black History, Inc., etc.

Maddy summarySB 502 defines "domestic animal" for criminal cruelty statutes and establishes specific sentencing guidelines for animal cruelty offenses. It directly affects individuals convicted of animal cruelty by setting standardized punishment levels based on offense severity. The bill's key provision clarifies which animals are covered under cruelty laws (like pets and livestock) and creates a structured sentencing scale for judges. This changes how courts handle such cases by replacing vague terms with defined categories and penalties. (Note: The provided context lacks specific details about the sentencing scale or exact animal definitions, so this summary reflects only the abstract's general scope.)

Transportation Facility Designations/Harris Rosen Way and Geraldine Thompson Way; Providing honorary designations of certain transportation facilities in a specified county; directing the Department of Transportation to erect suitable markers, etc.

Public Lodging and Public Food Service Establishments; Revising notification requirements for removing guests from public lodging and public food service establishments; requiring public food service establishments that charge an operations charge to provide specified notice; requiring bills and receipts to contain certain information, etc.

Unlawful Demolition of Historical Buildings and Structures; Authorizing a code enforcement board or special magistrate to impose a fine that exceeds certain limits for the unlawful demolition of certain historical buildings or structures under certain circumstances; providing that such fine may not exceed a certain percentage of just market valuation, etc.