Bills passed during 2021 & 2022 Session – Senator Dennis Baxley, SD 13
Relief of Christeia Jones/Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles; Providing for the relief of Christeia Jones, as guardian of Logan Grant, Denard Maybin, Jr., and Lanard Maybin; providing an appropriation to compensate them for injuries and damages sustained as a result of an automobile accident caused by Trooper Raul Umana, an employee of the Florida Highway Patrol, a division of the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles; providing a limitation on the payment of compensation and specified fees, etc.
Approved by Governor on 5/20/2022
Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsels; Specifying the responsibilities of regional counsels regarding witness coordination; removing the requirement that regional counsel employees be governed by Justice Administrative Commission classification and salary and benefits plans; authorizing regional counsels to access certain confidential information relating to proceedings involving children under specified circumstances; authorizing regional counsel offices to obtain fictitious names for motor vehicle and vessel plates or decals, etc.
Signed by Governor on 6/20/2022
Public Records/Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel Office; Expanding a public records exemption to include all records pertaining to a registration application submitted by any criminal conflict and civil regional counsel office for a registration certificate and registration license plate or decal issued under a fictitious name; providing for future legislative review and repeal; providing a statement of public necessity, etc.
Approved by Governor on 6/20/2022
Directing the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to develop a Learn to Fly license plate; providing for distribution and use of fees collected from the sale of the plate, etc.
Structural Engineering Recognition Program for Professional Engineers; Establishes Structural Engineering Recognition Program for Professional Engineers; requires Board of Professional Engineers to recognize licensed professional engineer who has successfully passed specified examination; provides requirements for application & recognition; prohibits fee for such application or for recognition; authorizes professional engineer recognized by program to identify such recognition in her or his professional practice & marketing & advertising materials.
Approved by Governor on 4/27/2022
Rare Disease Advisory Council; Creating the advisory council adjunct to the Department of Health; specifying the purpose of the advisory council; defining the term “rare disease”; prescribing duties and responsibilities of the advisory council, etc.
Approved by Governor on 6/21/2021
Sponsorship Identification Disclaimers; Modifying provisions governing general independent expenditure disclaimers to conform to changes made by the act; removing an exemption for text messages from certain requirements governing political advertisement disclaimers to conform to changes made by the act; establishing sponsorship identification disclaimer requirements for certain text messages; modifying existing requirements governing telephone call disclaimers; requiring specified persons and organizations sending certain paid text messages to have and maintain a registered agent for specified purposes, etc.
Approved by Governor on 6/4/2021
Elections; Prohibiting certain persons from settling certain actions, consenting to conditions, or agreeing to certain orders in certain circumstances; revising requirements governing the acceptance of voter registration applications; revising the oath for candidates seeking to qualify for nomination as a candidate of a political party; limiting the duration of requests for vote-by-mail ballots to all elections through the end of the calendar year of the next regularly scheduled general election; prohibiting certain solicitation activities within a specified area surrounding a drop box, etc.
Approved by Governor on 5/6/2021
Gives law enforcement 180 days to investigate a sexual offense against a minor prior to subpoena recipient alerting customer they are under investigation.
Signed by governor on 3/23/2018
First Aid Training in Public Schools; Revises grade levels that school districts are encouraged provide certain first aid training; requires school district provide specified grade levels with certain first aid training; provides requirements for such training.
Approved by Governor on 6/21/2021
Elder-focused Dispute Resolution Process; Authorizing the courts to appoint an eldercaring coordinator and refer certain parties and elders to eldercaring coordination; prohibiting the courts from referring certain parties to eldercaring coordination without the consent of the elder and other parties to the action; specifying the duration of eldercaring coordinator appointments; requiring the courts to conduct intermittent review hearings regarding the conclusion or extension of such appointments; requiring the Florida Supreme Court to establish certain minimum standards and procedures for eldercaring coordinators, etc.
Community Associations; Prohibiting insurance policies from providing specified rights of subrogation under certain circumstances; authorizing a condominium association to extinguish discriminatory restrictions; authorizing the board of administration of an association to take certain actions relating to electric vehicle charging stations and natural gas fuel stations; authorizing parties to initiate presuit mediation under certain circumstances; revising the allowable uses of certain escrow funds withdrawn by developers; authorizing certain developers to include reserves in the budget, etc.
Approved by Governor on 6/16/2021
The bill provides that the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) may allow the purchaser of a voucher for a specialty license plate that has met its presale requirement but has not been issued, to use the annual fee that was collected towards any other specialty license plate or apply for a refund.
The bill requires the DHSMV to discontinue the existing specialty license plate of an independent college or university which elects to use the standard template specialty license plate.
The bill revises provisions regarding license plate eligibility or uses of annual use fees for the following existing specialty license plates:
Florida Indian River Lagoon;
Wildlife Foundation of Florida; and
Divine Nine.
The bill creates the following specialty license plates and specifies the design and the distribution of the associated annual use fees:
Florida State Parks;
Support Healthcare Heroes;
Biscayne Bay;
Disease Prevention & Early Detection;
Honor Flight;
Protect Marine Wildlife; and
30A.com/Scenic Walton.
The bill also creates one new special military plate for recipients of the Army of Occupation Award and revises requirements for the issuance of certain special license plates.
The bill amends a current prohibition against a person operating a bicycle other than upon or astride a permanent and regular attached seat, providing that the prohibition applies unless the bicycle was designed by the manufacturer to be ridden without a seat. Under the bill, a person riding a bicycle manufactured without a seat would not be subject to an existing penalty for a violation of the prohibition.
The bill also amends existing electric bicycle regulations that afford an electric bicycle or electric bicycle operator the same rights, privileges, and duties of a bicycle or bicycle operator, providing that such regulations do not prevent a municipality, county, or agency of the state with jurisdiction over a beach or dune from restricting or prohibiting the operation of an electric bicycle on such beach or dune.
Administration of Vaccines; Revising the specified immunizations or vaccines that certified pharmacists and registered interns may administer to adults; authorizing certain pharmacists to administer influenza vaccines to individuals 7 years of age or older under certain circumstances, etc.
Approved by Governor on 6/21/2021
The bill extends sovereign immunity protections to any member of a child protection team (CPT), including a member who is an independent contractor, when the team member is carrying out her or his duties under the control, direction, and supervision of the state or any of its agencies or subdivisions.
A CPT is a group of professionals who receive referrals, primarily from child protective investigators and sheriff’s offices, when child abuse, abandonment, or neglect is alleged. The team, directed by a physician, evaluates the allegations, assesses risks, and provides recommendations for child safety and support services.
Out-of-state Fee Waiver for Nonresident Students; Requiring a state university to waive the out-of-state fee for a nonresident student who meets certain requirements; requiring each state university to report specified information regarding such out-of-state fee waivers to the Board of Governors annually; enacting the Grandchild Out-of-State Fees Waiver Compact; requiring postsecondary educational institutions located within member states to waive out-of-state fees for students who meet specified criteria, etc.
