TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – On Thursday, 12 more bills were sent to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk, potentially adding to the growing list of new laws if he signs them.
These bills cover subjects like farm products, capital felonies, DNA testing, and even new designations for several roadways across the state — including one for President Donald Trump.
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If approved, nearly all of these bills are slated to take effect on July 1, alongside over 80 other pieces of legislation. For a full list of those laws, click here.
In the meantime, the full list of these latest bills is as follows:
HB 211 — Farm Products
House Bill 211 amends the definition of “farm product” to include plants and plant products, regardless of whether these plants and plant products are edible.
In addition, the bill prohibits local governments from regulating a farm from collecting, storing, processing and distributing farm products on agricultural land.
If approved, the bill is set to take effect on July 1.
HB 633 — Managing Entities
House Bill 633 requires the Department of Children and Families to perform audits of behavioral health managing entities that help provide certain mental health services for uninsured people.
Because these managing entities are contracted by the DCF to plan, subcontract for, and coordinate these services, the law aims to ensure they’re operating appropriately.
If approved, the bill is set to take effect on July 1.
HB 653 — Capital Felonies
House Bill 653 lets juries consider new aggravating factors when determining whether someone convicted of a capital felony should receive the death penalty.
More specifically, this bill lets juries examine whether the crime was committed against a head of state, such as the U.S. president or state governor, as an aggravating factor.
If approved, the bill is set to take effect on July 1.
HB 681 — Apprenticeships
House Bill 681 requires state officials to develop new standards regarding apprenticeship programs in the state.
Under this bill, these policies must address negotiations between schools and their registered apprenticeship partners to ensure that all parties know the responsibilities and total amount of funding for these apprenticeship programs.
If approved, the bill is set to take effect on July 1.
HB 683 — Construction Regulations
House Bill 683 establishes a variety of new rules regarding construction standards in the state.
Some of these rules are as follows:
- Requires the state to adopt standards for installing synthetic turf in residential areas
- Mandates that only one support rail in an elevator must be continuous and at least 42 inches long, as opposed to all interior support rails
- Exempts equipment from the Florida Building Code if it’s located at a spaceport that is used for space launch vehicles, payloads or spacecraft
- Prohibits local building departments from requiring copies of contracts and related documents in order to receive a building permit
If approved, the bill is set to take effect on July 1.
HB 847 — DNA Testing
House Bill 847 creates the Expedited DNA Testing Grant Program, which gives funding to law enforcement to help test evidence for DNA.
If approved, the bill is set to take effect on July 1.
HB 897 — Community Associations
House Bill 897 exempts community association managers (CAM) from certain requirements regarding conflicts of interest.
This applies if the CAM manages a timeshare plan governed by the Timeshare Act and provides conflict-of-interest disclosures covered under that act.
If approved, the bill is set to take effect on July 1.
HB 987 — Highway Designations
House Bill 987 designates 20 new stretches of road across the state for memorial and honorary purposes.
These new designations are as follows:
| Designation | Location | Roadway |
|---|---|---|
| Heroes Memorial Overpass | Bradford County | Portion of overpass on SR-100 between S. Temple Ave. and E. South Street |
| Sergeant Elio Diaz Memorial Highway | Charlotte County | Portion of US-41 between Melbourne Street and Church Street |
| PBSO Motorman Highway | Palm Beach County | Portion of Southern Blvd. between Lion County Safari Road and Royal Palm Beach Blvd. |
| Staff Sergeant Matthew Sitton Memorial Highway | Pinellas County | Portion of SR-688 between 122nd Avenue N. and Walsingham Road |
| Sheriff Gary S. Borders Memorial Highway | Lake County | Portion of SR-19 and CR-48 in Howey-In-The-Hills |
| Master Deputy Bradley Link Memorial Highway | Lake County | Portion of US-27 within the boundaries of Minneola |
| Sergeant Karl Strohsal Memorial Highway | Seminole County | Portion of SR-400 east of the Central Parkway Bridge in the city of Longwood |
| SPC Daniel J. Agami Bridge | Broward County | Bridge on SR-7 over Sample Road |
| Deputy William May Memorial Highway | Walton County | Portion of US-90 between Lancelot Road and Oakridge Way |
| Manolo Reyes Boulevard | Miami-Dade County | Portion of SW 57th Ave. between US-41 and West Flagler Street |
| Master Patrol Officer Jesse Madsen Memorial Highway | Hillsborough County | Portion of I-275 between mile markers 47 and 48 |
| Geraldine Thompson Way | Orange County | Portion of W. South Street between S. Division Ave. and US-441 |
| Harris Rosen Way | Orange County | Portion of International Drive between SR-528 and Sand Lake Road |
| Harry Frisch Street | Duval County | Portion of SR-10 between King Street and Acorn Street |
| Senator James A. Sebesta Memorial Highway | Hillsborough County | Portion of US-92 between S. West Shore Blvd. and 4th Street N. in Pinellas County |
| Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart Memorial Highway | Miami-Dade County | Portion of US-41 between SW 27th Ave. and Brickell Ave. |
| Jose Wejebe Bridge | Monroe County | Bride No. 900111 on SR-5 over South Pine Channel |
| Celia Cruz Way | Miami-Dade County | Portion of SR-932 within the city of Hialeah |
| President Donald J. Trump Boulevard | Palm Beach County | Portion of Southern Boulevard between Kirk Road and S. Ocean Blvd. |
| Sonia Castro Way | Miami-Dade County | Portion of SW 58th Street between SR-985 and S. Ocean Blvd. |
If approved, the bill is set to take effect on July 1.
HB 1091 — Mental Health Services
House Bill 1091 requires the DCF to provide oversight of the 988 Lifeline call centers.
In addition, the bill requires clinical psychologists to have at least three years of clinical experience to transfer a patient from voluntary to involuntary status.
If approved, the bill is set to take effect on July 1.
HB 1145 — Workforce Education
House Bill 1145 allows charter schools to receive funding under the Workforce Development Capitalization Incentive Grant Program.
This program provides grants to school districts and colleges to fund career and technical education for students.
If approved, the bill is set to take effect on July 1.
HB 1549 — Financial Services
House Bill 1549 implements several new rules regarding financial services in the state.
Some of these rules are as follows:
- Allows the Office of Financial Regulation to issue a certificate of acquisition to an acquiring financial institution after certain criteria are met
- Repeals the requirement for credit unions to maintain a regular reserve and modifies the definition of the term “equity” to remove reference to “regular reserve”
- Removes a timeframe for certain requirements by directors of a proposed new bank or trust company
- Modifies the period in which a proposed bank must open and conduct a general commercial bank
If approved, the bill is set to take effect on July 1.
HB 6521 — Car Crash Victim
House Bill 6521 seeks to provide relief to Jacob Rodgers, a man who was injured in a car crash back in 2015.
According to the bill, Rodgers had been a passenger in a car when it was struck by another vehicle owned by the city of Gainesville. The bill states that the city employee had run a stop sign, leading to the crash.
As a result, Rodgers suffered spinal fractures that left him paraplegic, the bill notes.
This bill would authorize the city of Gainesville to pay $10.8 million to Rodgers as compensation.
If approved, the bill would take effect immediately.
Meanwhile, other batches of bills recently signed into law by DeSantis include the following:
- June 11 — South Florida
- June 10 — Sex Crime Crackdown
- June 9 — Auburndale Park
- June 6 — Oviedo Special Zone
- June 5 — Boating Crimes
- June 3 — Sewer Systems
- May 30 — New School Laws
- May 29 — Big Gun Law
- May 28 — Animal Cruelty Laws
- May 27 — Sexual Images
- May 23 — Cryptocurrency Debts
- May 22 — Execution Methods
- May 21 — Swatting Crackdown
- May 20 — Disability History
- May 19 — Motor Crimes
- May 15 — Massive Farming Bill
- May 2 — Citizen Amendment Petitions
- April 29 — Surrendered Infants
- April 18 — Pet Insurance
- April 14 — Gulf of America