Rep. Ashley Gantt

Maddy summaryHB 253 clarifies eligibility for Florida's Veterans Dental Care Grant Program, which provides dental care to veterans residing in the state. The bill specifies that veterans must have incomes at or below 400 percent of the federal poverty level to qualify for the program. Administered by the Department of Veterans' Affairs, the program ensures access to oral health care for eligible veterans. This clarification takes effect on July 1, 2026.

Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances; Prohibits, beginning on specified date, certain use & sale, purchase, or distribution of aqueous film-forming foam; requires, beginning on specified date, certain entities to submit aqueous film-forming foam inventories & disposal plans to DEP; prohibits, beginning on specified date, possession & use of aqueous film-forming foam; authorizes DEP to administer certain grants or cost share programs; provides penalties & injunctive relief; requires certain public entities disposing of domestic wastewater biosolids and treated effluent to quarterly conduct specified samplings & submit results to DEP; limits purpose such samplings until specified standards are established by EPA & adopted by DEP.

Domestic Violence and Protective Injunctions; Reclassifying penalties for committing a domestic violence offense if a person has a prior conviction for domestic violence; providing that sentencing and incentive gain-time eligibility determinations are made without regard to a penalty enhancement; establishing an electronic monitoring pilot program in a specified county; requiring the sheriff, in consultation with certain persons, to design and implement the pilot program; providing requirements for the pilot program; requiring the Department of Corrections to complete an evaluation and provide specified reports to the Legislature; requiring the Department of Law Enforcement to enter injunctions against dating violence and sexual violence into a statewide verification system, etc.

Trustee Settlement and Discharge; Authorizing a trustee to obtain a settlement of his or her accounts and be discharged under certain circumstances; requiring a trustee seeking settlement and discharge to send a trust disclosure document to specified persons; providing that a trustee is discharged upon completion of distributions or transfers if no timely written objections are received and is discharged from all liability and claims arising out of any matter disclosed in the trust disclosure document, etc.

Sexual Assault Education and Support; Requires school districts to appoint districtwide sexual assault response liaison; establishes Safe Students & Survivors Grant Program; revises required health instruction for students in grades 7 through 12 to include instruction on sexual assault prevention & consent.

Florida Museum of History; Authorizes DOS to partner with certain county commissions & local entities for specified purpose; requires each Florida Museum of History to be owned, managed, & operated by certain entity; establishes Florida Museum of History Advisory Committee; provides membership & duties of committee; requires each county commission & local entity to create Florida Museum of History Board; provides for membership & duties of operating board; requires that certain entities develop & execute marketing plan to promote each Florida Museum of History; requires financial feasibility studies; provides for funding from specific sources for certain purposes; provides requirements for Florida Museum of History.

Protection of Specified Persons Against the Fraudulent and Exploitative Conveyance of Property Interests; Revises persons who must report abuse, neglect, or exploitation of vulnerable adults to include clerk of court; requires quitclaim deed be executed in presence of specified number of subscribing witnesses; prohibits recording of such deeds until after specified cooling-off period; authorizes specified adult to designate certain person through filing of power of attorney; requires clerk to contact such person before cooling-off period elapses; authorizes person designated in power of attorney to object in writing to quitclaim deed being recorded; requires clerk to notify persons of right to file rescission; requires clerk to enroll specified adult in statewide Property Alert Service; requires clerk to conduct preliminary investigation; requires clerk to refer objection to not-for-profit legal aid organization for further investigation; authorizes not-for-profit legal aid organization to request additional time to investigate; requires clerk to record quitclaim deed if no fraud or exploitation of specified adult is suspected; requires clerk or not-for-profit legal aid organization that suspects quitclaim deed was obtained through fraudulent or exploitative means to refer matter to state attorney for further investigation & prosecution; requires clerks to provide certain materials written in plain language.

Serving as Personal Representative After a Felony Conviction; Creates exception to allow person convicted of felony who is not currently incarcerated to serve as personal representative if they have specified relationship to deceased; requires court to consider certain criteria when determining if such person may serve as personal representative.

Business Development Incentives for Veterans and Military Spouses ; Requires DOS to waive specified fees for certain businesses; provides eligibility & registration requirements for such waivers; provides tax exemptions for certain businesses; provides eligibility requirements for such exemptions; requires DOR to establish procedures for claiming such exemptions; provides for rulemaking & interagency cooperation; provides annual reporting requirements.

Educational Facilities; Removes provision authorizing school of hope to colocate with another school in public school facility; removes provision requiring school district to permit school of hope to use underused, vacant, or surplus school district facility; removes requirement for students enrolled in school of hope to be included in school district's total capital outlay full-time equivalent membership; & removes provision authorizing hope operator establishing school of hope to use such facility at no cost.