TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed eight more measures passed by the Florida Legislature into law on Friday.
The legislature passed the eight bills during the annual session earlier this year.
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There are still dozens of bills passed by the legislature this year that the governor has to sign. The legislature passed 325 bills during the session.
Here is what the new laws do.
HB 1203 — Homeowners’ Associations
House Bill 1203 aims to make several changes involving homeowners’ associations in the state.
These changes include:
- An HOA with 100 or more parcels must post certain official records on the HOA’s website by Jan. 1, 2025.
- Community Association Managers and HOA directors must satisfy educational requirements.
- HOAs may not limit the interior of a home when that space can’t be viewed from the front of the property, an adjacent property, an adjacent common area or a community golf course.
- HOAs may not require the review and approval of plans for a central A/C, refrigeration, heating or ventilation system by the HOA if such system is not visible from the front of the property, an adjacent property, an adjacent common area or a community golf course.
- HOAs may not prevent a homeowner from installing vegetable gardens if they aren’t visible from the front of the property, an adjacent property, an adjacent common area or a community golf course.
- HOA officers, directors or managers could face criminal penalties for accepting a kickback.
If approved, the bill would go into effect on July 1.
HB 1259 — Cardiovascular Services
House Bill 1259 aims to amend license requirements for Level I Adult Cardiovascular Service (ACS) programs.
More specifically, the bill allows these programs to perform adult percutaneous cardiac intervention for the treatment of chronic total occlusions, as well as use atherectomy devices or electrophysiology when performing this procedure.
If approved, the bill would go into effect on July 1.
HB 1363 — Traffic Enforcement
House Bill 1363 would add requirements to the state statutes that authorize red light cameras.
If passed, the bill would require county governments to pass an ordinance to authorize the installation of traffic infraction detectors after July 1, 2025 (so long as they’re in an area where no such detectors are already installed).
Counties using these detectors would also have to annually report the results of all traffic infraction detectors at a public meeting.
If approved, the bill would go into effect on July 1.
HB 7009 — Baker Act Record Exemptions
House Bill 7009 involves the Open Government Sunset Review Act.
This act requires the state Legislature to review each public record exemption five years after enactment, though if the Legislature doesn’t reenact the exemption, it automatically repeals on Oct. 2 of the fifth year after enactment.
In this case, the Florida Mental Health Act — also known as the Baker Act — has public record exemptions for confidential admissions regarding mental health treatments under the Baker Act. However, these exemptions are set to be repealed on Oct. 2.
As a result, HB 7009 seeks to prevent these public record exemptions from being repealed.
If approved, the bill would go into effect on Oct. 1.
HB 7085 — Sickle Cell Disease
House Bill 7085 aims to create the Sickle Cell Disease Research and Treatment Grant Program within the Florida Department of Health.
Under this program, FDOH officials would award grants to community-based sickle cell disease research and treatment centers.
If approved, the bill would go into effect on July 1.
SB 1350 — Salvage
Senate Bill 1350 involves the salvage of motor vehicles, mobile homes and boats.
Specifically, the bill would:
- Incorporate vessels into the definition of “independent entity” for incorporating vessels into the salvage certificate of title statute
- Define “major component parts” of electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles for verifying the source of these parts during the rebuilt inspection process
- Require that if the owner maintains possession of a total-loss vehicle or mobile home, that owner or insurance company notify the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to receive a salvage certificate of title or a certificate of destruction
- Incorporate damaged or dismantled “vessel” to the salvage statute and provide procedures for the release and application for titling by an independent entity in possession of the vessel
- Reenact statutes related to the sale of specified motor vehicles and the rebuilt motor vehicle inspection program to incorporate changes to the definition of “major component parts”
If approved, the bill would go into effect on July 1.
SB 1456 — Areas of Critical State Concern
Senate Bill 1456 aims to make changes to state law regarding the Florida Keys as “Areas of Critical State Concern.”
The Florida Keys were dubbed as such in 1975, including the areas of Islamorada, Marathon, Layton, Key Colony Beach, and unincorporated Monroe County.
Under this bill, hurricane evacuation clearance time criteria would be revised, and land authorities would be authorized to require compliance with income limitations on land conveyed for affordable housing by memorializing the original land authority funding or contribution in a recordable perpetual deed restriction.
The bill also exempts counties and municipalities in areas of critical state concern within the past five years from having to provide assistance to very low-income and low-income persons. This is for such places where the state Legislature has already declared an intent to provide affordable housing, and it would make it so that these local governments would not have to pay from their local housing assistance trust funds.
Lastly, a county that has been designated as an “Area of Critical State Concern” and that levies a tourist development tax and tourist impact tax would be allowed to use the accumulated surplus from those taxes (incurred through Sept. 30) for affordable housing.
If approved, the bill would take effect on July 1.
SB 7054 — Private Activity Bonds
Senate Bill 7054 aims to revise state statutes regarding private activity bonds.
These types of bonds are issued by state or local governments and are used to give special benefits to firms that are undertaking certain kinds of projects — typically those in the public’s interest.
Among minor changes, this bill would:
- Provide Legislative intent to maximize the annual use of private activity bonds to finance improvements, projects and programs serving public purposes
- Revise the regions, pools and timelines related to bond allocations to consolidate infrequently-used pools and expedite usage of bonds
- Allow for all volume cap allocated in a confirmation to be entitled to be carried forward, rather than limiting to specific types of projects or basing it on the amount of the confirmation
If approved, the bill would take effect on Jan. 1, 2025.
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