Rep. Dean Black

Elimination of Non-school Property for Homesteads; Proposes amendment to State Constitution to make homestead property exempt from all ad valorem taxation other than school district levies beginning in a specified year, to prohibit local governments from reducing total funding for services provided by law enforcement, firefighters, and other first responders, and provide an effective date.

Maddy summaryHB 551, titled "Medical Conscience," allows healthcare providers and payors in Florida to file lawsuits if their conscience rights are violated, such as when forced to provide services conflicting with their beliefs. The bill creates a two-step enforcement process: first, the Attorney General can sue violators, but if they don’t act within 180 days, providers/payors can directly file civil suits for damages, injunctions, or attorney fees. It amends Florida Statute 381.00321 to clarify these rights and remedies, affecting healthcare workers and insurers who face mandatory service requirements. The law would take effect on July 1, 2026, if passed.

Antisemitism Task Force; Creates Antisemitism Task Force within Office of Civil Rights of DLA for specified purpose; requires department to provide administrative & staff support to task force; provides for appointment & terms of members; provides for per diem & travel expenses; provides membership & duties of task force; requires report to Governor & Legislature by specified date; provides for future review & repeal of task force.

Public Employees Relations Commission; Revises provisions relating to certain final orders issued by PERC; specifies annual salaries of chair & other commissioners of PERC; revises provisions for delivery of service; requires employee organization, within specified timeframe, to revoke membership of, & cease collection of membership dues from, public employee; revises requirements for registration, registration renewal, certification, recertification, or decertification of employee organizations; removes provisions relating to revocation of certification of employee organizations; requires commission or one of its designated agents to conduct investigation if challenge is filed; provides prohibitions on public employers, their agents or representatives, & any person acting on their behalf; revises provisions relating to impasse; authorizes certain actions by public employees upon agreement between public employer & bargaining agent; provides exceptions for certain bargaining units; increases fines for certain violations.

Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Initiative ; Requires DOEA to contract for development & implementation of Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Initiative; provides requirements for initiative; provides requirements for type of entity with which department contracts; requires Alzheimer's Disease Advisory Committee to make certain recommendations to department & Legislature annually.

Sexual Offenders and Sexual Predators; Revises residency restrictions for persons convicted of certain sexual offenses occurring on or after specified date; provides applicability; revises distance required for specified offender to commit specified offense of loitering or prowling; prohibits such offender from knowingly contacting, communicating with, or approaching with intent to contact or communicate with certain children at certain locations; provides exception; requires such offender to provide notice to school or child care facility; authorizes warrantless arrest of person if law enforcement officer has probable cause to believe that such person has committed specified offenses; revises requirements for search of sexual predator or sexual offender registration information by state agency or governmental subdivision before appointing or employing person to work at specified locations; revises special conditions for certain sexual offenders subject to conditional release supervision for offenses committed on or after specified date; revises conditions of probation or community control for certain sexual offenders for offenses committed on or after specified date.

Official Actions of Local Governments; Prohibits counties & municipalities, respectively, from funding or promoting or taking official action as it relates to diversity, equity, & inclusion; prohibits counties & municipalities, respectively, from expending funds for diversity, equity, & inclusion offices or for diversity, equity, & inclusion officers; prohibits counties & municipalities, respectively, from providing or authorizing funds to be used to promote diversity, equity, & inclusion initiatives; authorizes cause of action against counties & municipalities, respectively; requires potential recipients of county or municipal contracts or grants to make certain certification to county or municipality before being awarded such contract or grant.

Assessments Levied on Recreational Vehicle Parks; Provides that certain special assessments on recreational vehicle parks levied by counties, municipalities, & special districts, respectively, may not be levied against certain portion of recreational vehicle parking space or campsite; requires counties, municipalities, & special districts, respectively, to consider recreational vehicle park's occupancy rates for certain purpose.

Improving Screening for and Treatment of Blood Clots; Requires hospitals with emergency departments to develop & implement policies & procedures & conduct training for rendering of appropriate medical attention for persons at risk of forming venous thromboembolisms; repeals provisions requiring DOH to contract with private entity to establish statewide venous thromboembolism registry at no cost to state; provides requirements for private entity; requires hospitals with emergency department, beginning on date certain, to regularly report certain information; requires department to require private entity to use nationally recognized platform to collect certain data; requires private entity to provide regular reports to department on such data; requires agency, by date certain, to provide to Governor & Legislature specified report; provides requirements for such report; provides applicability; revises requirements for certain annual inservice training for certified nursing assistants employed by nursing home facilities; revises training requirements for certain certified nursing assistants who may be delegated tasks in nursing home facilities; provides legislative findings; requires assisted living facilities to provide a consumer information pamphlet containing specified information to residents.

Taxation; Revising the purposes for which a county may use tax revenues derived from the tourist development tax; revising certain conditions that must be satisfied for a county to use certain tax revenue; requiring that the notice for scheduled appearances before the value adjustment board provide certain information; requiring the board to allow petitioners to appear at a hearing using certain electronic or other communication equipment if such petitioners request in writing to do so within a specified timeframe; authorizing successive owners of certain property receiving a tax exemption to receive such exemption in certain circumstances; providing that property is eligible for a specified tax exemption if it meets certain conditions. APPROPRIATION: $1,655,282