2024 Legislative Items Being Watched

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2024 LEGISLATIVE SESSIONS CONCLUDES

The 2024 Legislative session concluded on schedule.  FRPA and our contractual government representative monitored 32 pieces of legislation this year.  Those proposals either directly impacted parks and recreation, or had an impact that could have eventually impacted the field.

The list below captures some of the legislation we followed.  Most bills died in Committee with a few expiring on the House and Senate calendars in the final days of session.  For those that passed, we have maintained their progress throughout the session with links to the final bills.  Once the Governor has signed the bills you will see a "Chapter" number assigned - this records the bill as law and reflects the language that will be incorporated into state statutes.

As always we encourage you to read the final passage documents and seek the input of your city/county officials on how your agency is specifically impacted.

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AUTOMATED EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATORS AT PARKS AND YOUTH RECREATION OR SPORTS FACILITIES

SB 1774 by Senator Powell - Died in Community Affairs Committee
HB 1477 by Representative Williams - Died in Local Administration, Federal Affairs & Special Districts Subcommittee

Requires functioning automated external defibrillators be located on premises of specified parks & facilities; provides requirements for training & location registration of such defibrillators.

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BACKGROUND SCREENING - YOUTH SPORTS COACHES

HB 975 by Health and Human Services Committee

Provides qualifications for person seeking certification as person with lived experience; requires continuum of care lead agencies to submit certain information to DCF for purposes of background screening; expands certain background screening requirements to apply to all health care practitioners; revises licensure, registration, or certification requirements for acupuncturists; optometrists; pharmacists; dentists; midwives; speech-language pathologists & audiologists; nursing home administrators; occupational therapists; respiratory therapists; dietitian/nutritionists; practitioners of orthotics, prosthetics, or pedorthics; electrologists; clinical laboratory personnel; medical physicists; genetic counselors; opticians; physical therapists; psychologists & school psychologists; clinical social workers, marriage & family therapists, & mental health counselors.

Status of SB 975

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CHILD CARE FACILITY SAFETY MEASURES

SB 596 by Senator Garcia -  Died in Children, Families, and Elder Affairs Committee
HB 1562 by Representative Powell - Died in Criminal Justice Committee

Requiring child care facility personnel to maintain certification in first aid training and pediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation procedures; requiring certain child care facilities to place video recording equipment in certain designated areas; requiring child care facilities to provide in-service cardiopulmonary resuscitation training to child care personnel at least twice a year, etc.

Monitor Closely for impact to parks and recreation, and for additional language added that may adversely affect parks and recreation programs.

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CHILD WATER SAFETY REQUIREMENTS

HB 123 by Representative Chambliss - Died in Children, Families & Seniors Subcommittee
SB 274 by Senator Rodriguez - Died in Messages to House

Citing this act as the "Kareem Angel Green Act"; providing that certain organizations that care for or supervise children must require parents or legal guardians to attest certain information in writing before taking children under their care or supervision to public bathing places or public swimming pools; providing requirements to provide personal floatation equipment for children when such organizations conduct certain activities in public bathing places or public swimming pools.   Providing an exception for children participating in swimming instruction.

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DREDGING AND BEACH RESTORATION

SB 608 by Senator Rodriguez - Died in Environment and Natural Resources
HB 163 by Representative Gossett-Seidman - Died in Water Quality, Supply & Treatment Subcommittee

Directing the Department of Environmental Protection to require that, as a condition of permits issued for certain dredging and beach restoration projects, any adverse impact analysis conducted for the activity meet certain requirements; requiring a local government to provide notice of its intent to conduct an analysis to certain adjacent local governments, etc.

Monitor Only at this point.  You may wish to forward to those handling dredging and beach restoration projects in your agency for implications to permitting process.

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FUNDING FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

SB 1638 by Senator Hutson
HB 1417 by Representative Buchanan - Laid on the Table, see CS/SB 1638

Creating, subject to appropriation, the Local Trail Management Grant Program within the Department of Environmental Protection for a specified purpose; requiring the Department of Revenue to distribute, on a monthly basis, a specified percentage of the revenue share payments received under the 2021 gaming compact; creating the Water Quality Work Program within the Department of Environmental Protection.

Status of SB 1638

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LAND AND WATER MANAGEMENT

SB 664 by Senator Burgess - Died in Environment and Natural Resources
HB 527 by Representative Maggard - Died in Water Quality, Supply & Treatment Subcommittee

Requiring certain buffer zones for land or water delineations established by a county or municipality to be purchased by the county or municipality; preempting regulation of specified dredge and fill activities to the Department of Environmental Protection; repealing provisions relating to land management review teams, etc.

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MANGROVE REPLANTING AND RESTORATION

SB 32 by Senator Garcia - Died in Rules Committee

Mangrove Replanting and Restoration; Requiring the Department of Environmental Protection to adopt rules for mangrove replanting and restoration; providing requirements for the rules, etc.

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POSSESSION OR USE OF FIREARM IN SENSITIVE LOCATION

SB 130 by Senator Berman - Died in Criminal Justice Committee
HB 209 by Representative Rayner - Died in Criminal Justice Subcommittee

Prohibits possession or use of a firearm in sensitive locations – defined to include any park, recreational facility or area, or playground owned or controlled by a state, county, or municipality or other governmental entity. 

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PUBLIC RESTROOM FACILITIES

SB 44 by Senator Stewart - Died in Regulated Industries Committee

Requiring the Florida Building Commission to adopt certain requirements in the Florida Building Code for certain public restroom facilities newly constructed or renovated after a specified date, etc.

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RELEASE OF BALLOONS

HB 321 by Representative Chaney - see CS below
SB 602 by Senator DiCegile - Laid on Table, refer to CS/HB 321

Provides that intentional release of certain balloons is considered littering; revises penalty for such release.

Status of HB 321

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SAFETY OF CHILD CARE FACILITIES

HB 541 by Representative Williams - Died in Criminal Justice Subcommittee

Requires law enforcement agencies to notify child care facilities of certain incidents at nearby schools. 

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SMOKING IN STATE PARKS

HB 495 by Representative Woodson - Died in Agriculture, Conservation & Resiliency Subcommittee

Prohibits smoking & vaping within boundaries of state parks; requires DOH to post specified signs; provides penalties. 

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SPECIAL DISTRICTS

SB 1058 by Senator Hutson - Laid on Table, refer to CS/CS/HB 7013
HB 7013 by State Affairs Committee ; Ways & Means Committee ; Local Administration, Federal Affairs & Special Districts Subcommittee ; Persons-Mulicka

Special Districts; Prohibiting the creation of new safe neighborhood improvement districts after a date certain; providing term limits for elected members of governing bodies of independent special districts; requiring continuation of independent special districts that levy ad valorem taxes; providing additional criteria for declaring a special district inactive; requiring special districts to establish performance measures to assess performance, etc.

Status of HB 7013

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SWIMMING LESSON VOUCHER PROGRAM

SB 544 by Senators Hutson and Berman
HB 581 by Representative Cabrera - Laid on Table - see CS/SB 544

Swimming Lesson Voucher Program; Creating the program within the Department of Health for a specified purpose; requiring the department to contract with and establish a network of swimming lesson vendors to participate in the program; requiring the department to attempt to secure a vendor in each county; specifying eligibility criteria for the program, etc.

Status of SB 544

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TREE TRIMMING

SB 122 by Senator Stewart - Died in Community Affairs Committee

Relating to trees on residential property; 3 repealing s. 163.045, F.S., relating to tree pruning, 4 trimming, or removal on such property. 

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UNAUTHORIZED PUBLIC CAMPING AND PUBLIC SLEEPING

SB 1530 by Senator Martin - Laid on Table, refer to CS/CS/HB 1365
HB 1365 by Garrison ; (CO-INTRODUCERS) Jacques ; Rudman

Defining the terms “public camping” and “public sleeping”; prohibiting counties and municipalities, respectively, from authorizing or otherwise permitting public sleeping or public camping on public property without a specified permit; authorizing counties and municipalities to designate certain public property for such purpose for a specified time period; requiring the Department of Children and Families to conduct inspections of such property at specified intervals and to produce a report; providing an exemption from certain requirements for a fiscally constrained county or municipality, etc.

Status of HB 1365

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WATER SAFETY

SB 1538 by Senator Torres - Died in Environment and Natural Resources

Requiring state parks to have a certified lifeguard on duty at designated swimming areas within the park during certain timeframes; requiring the Department of Environmental Protection to install a water rescue station at each designated swimming area; requiring that the staffing for each shift at a fire station include at least one firefighter who is certified in rescue diving, etc.

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YOUTH ATHLETIC ACTIVITIES

SB 830 by Senator Collins - Laid on Table, refer to CS/HB 865
HB 865 by Representative Yeagar

Youth Athletic Activities; Requiring an entity that administers or conducts a high-risk youth athletic activity or training related to such activity on certain property to require certain unpaid or volunteer personnel to complete a specified course; requiring such personnel to complete the course within a specified timeframe and annually thereafter; providing that the course may be offered online or in person; revising the requirements for certain athletic coaches to include certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, first aid, and the use of an automatic external defibrillator, etc.

Impact: This proposal is very broad in its definition of "high-risk youth athletic activity".  Training would be approved by the Department of Health, and through an administrative rule clarification would be provided as to what minimum concepts would be required, where training applications would be submitted, etc.  This does not require DOH to provide education, only to approve it.  There is a provision that athletic volunteers/personnel can NOT be charged for the training.  This could impact  training providers.

Status of HB 865