Rep. Paula Stark

Speech and Debate Education; Designates Florida Speech & Debate Week annually in February; subject to legislative appropriation, establishing Florida Debate Initiative, Inc., (FDI) as statewide speech & debate organization that performs certain functions in support of Florida Civics & Debate Initiative (FCDI) in DOE; provides duties of FDI & FCDI.

Criminal Offenses Against Law Enforcement Officers and Other Personnel; Revises prohibition on use or threatened use of force to resist arrest or detention; provides for enhanced punishment for manslaughter when committed against specified officers; revises provisions concerning assault or battery upon specified officers & other personnel; revises provision concerning resisting, obstructing, or opposing specified officers or legally authorized persons; increases level on offense severity ranking chart for committing battery on law enforcement officers & other specified personnel.

Law Enforcement Officer Interactions with Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder; Requires DHSMV to establish program to improve communication between individuals with autism spectrum disorder & law enforcement officers under certain circumstances; requires DHSMV to develop & make available to such individuals certain envelope & card by specified date; provides requirements for envelope & card; authorizes such individuals to request envelope & card from DHSMV or tax collector's office beginning on specified date; requires Criminal Justice Standards & Training Commission within FDLE to establish employment training component relating to such individuals; provides requirements for training law enforcement officers on interacting with such individuals; requires training component to be included in specified course by specified date; requires specified law enforcement officers to complete training component by specified date.

Local Housing Assistance Plans; Authorizes county or eligible municipality to expend certain funds on lot rental assistance for mobile home owners for specified time period; requires counties & eligible municipalities to develop certain strategies in their local housing assistance plans; provides that lot rental assistance is approved home ownership activity for certain purposes; authorizes certain funds to be provided to mobile home owners for rehabilitation & emergency repairs; removes prohibition that only certain percentage of funds may be used for manufactured housing.

Firefighter Cancer Benefits; Requires former employer to provide death benefits to certain beneficiaries for specified time period; provides finding & declaration of important state interest.

Maddy summaryThis bill is a ceremonial resolution designating October 18-24, 2026, as "Spina Bifida Awareness Week" in Florida. It does not create new laws, funding, or requirements - it is purely a symbolic recognition. The resolution highlights Florida's spina bifida rates (2.5 cases per 10,000 live births) and the associated healthcare costs, but the designation itself has no direct impact on policy or affected individuals. It was adopted by publication on March 2, 2026.

My Safe Florida Condominium Pilot Program; Limits participation in My Safe Florida Condominium Pilot Program to certain structures & buildings on condominium property; prohibits condominium association from applying for hurricane mitigation inspection or mitigation grant under pilot program unless certain association property or condominium property is established as common element & association has complied with specified requirements; revises approval requirements to receive mitigation grant; removes amount of grant funding for certain projects; revises improvements for which mitigation grant may be used; requires improvements to be identified in final hurricane mitigation inspection in order for association to receive grant funds; requires grant funds to be awarded for mitigation improvement that will result in mitigation credit, discount, or other rate differential; requires mitigation improvements to be made to all openings.

Condominium and Cooperative Associations; Prohibits a person whose community association manager license is revoked from having an indirect or direct ownership interest in, or being an employee, a partner, an officer, a director, or a trustee of, a community association management firm for a specified timeframe; requires a licensee to create and maintain an online licensure account with the Department of Business and Professional Regulation; requires a community association manager to identify on his or her online licensure account certain information; requires a licensee to provide specific information on his or her online licensure account; requires that such information be updated within a specified timeframe; requires a community association management firm to identify on its online licensure account the community association managers it employs to provide community association management services.

Siblings Placed in Out-of-home Care; Authorizes sibling who is separated from his or her other siblings to file specified motion; provides standing; requires court to hold hearing, take evidence, & hear arguments if motion for sibling visitation or contact is contested; prohibits court from denying such motion unless certain circumstances exist; requires immediate provision of certain services; authorizes certain parties to appeal court order in specified manner; prohibits court from restricting sibling visitation or contact without need for motion; provides that court retains jurisdiction over dependent child in permanent guardianship for certain purposes relating to sibling visitation or contact; revises required response DCF or community-based care lead agency must provide to prospective adoptive parent; prohibits court from denying postadoption visitation or contact between siblings unless certain circumstances exist; requires immediate provision of certain services; specifying that certain factors must be considered for postadoption visitation or contact between adopted child & certain persons; provides that court retains jurisdiction over adopted child for certain purposes until child is specified age.

Classroom Teacher Mental Health Care; Requires district school boards to provide classroom teachers with access to mental health services; provides requirements for such mental health services.