Rep. Michele Rayner

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.

Clerks of the Court; Authorizing the cumulative excess of funds to be used in the development of the total combined budgets of the clerks of the court; conforming provisions to changes made by the act; revising the definition of the term “publicly accessible website”; increasing the percentage of certain penalties which must be deposited into the fine and forfeiture fund and decreasing the percentage of certain penalties that must be paid to a municipality, etc.

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.

Victims of Violence; Creates rebuttable presumption that persons who use force in accordance with specified provisions against known abuser act with reasonable fear of imminent peril of death or great bodily harm; specifies when rebuttable presumption applies; requires court to instruct jury regarding existence of rebuttable presumption & shift in burden of proof if rebuttable presumption applies; authorizes court to determine whether defendant has met rebuttable presumption; specifies admissibility of specified evidence at trial; requires FDLE, in consultation with specified persons, to develop, implement, & mandate evidence-based, trauma-informed training program for specified persons; provides training program requirements; requires department to adopt rules & submit annual reports beginning on specified date; requires Florida Commission on Offender Review to establish Survivor Self-Defense Case Review Panel; requires panel to perform specified tasks; requires commission to adopt rules & submit annual reports beginning on specified date.

Rent Reporting to Credit Reporting Agencies; Authorizes landlord to report tenant's rent payment history to credit reporting agencies under certain conditions; requires tenant to provide written consent to participate in rent reporting; provides requirements for such consent form; authorizes tenant to opt out of rent reporting at any time without penalty; provides notice requirements; authorizes landlord to charge specified fee for providing rent reporting services; prohibits landlord from taking certain actions; authorizes landlord to stop reporting tenant's rental payments; prohibits tenant from participating in rent reporting for specified amount of time; prohibits landlord from taking retaliatory actions if tenant refuses, declines, or opts out of rent reporting.

Food Waste Reduction; Requires DOE to develop specified policy relating to food waste reduction in K-12 schools; provides policy requirements, adoption rates for such policy, & school district requirements.

Maddy summaryHB 1353 revises Florida's legal definitions of "harass" and "cyberstalk" to clarify what constitutes these offenses. The bill defines "harass" as repeated actions causing serious emotional harm with no legitimate purpose, and "cyberstalk" as using electronic communication or unauthorized access to online accounts to cause such harm. These updated definitions will apply to existing laws banning religious/ethnic harassment and school bullying, ensuring consistent terminology. The changes take effect on July 1, 2026.

School and Child Care Facility Emergency Alerts; Requires local law enforcement agency to activate emergency alert system & issue Ya Ya Alert to public & private schools & child care facilities; requires local law enforcement agencies to create & maintain list of such schools & facilities within their jurisdictions; provides requirements for maintenance of such list; provides immunity from civil liability to certain persons for damages for complying in good faith with specified provisions; provides presumption of good faith; requires FDLE, in cooperation with specified departments, to activate emergency alert system & issue Imminent Threat Alert at request of local law enforcement agency; provides requirements for issuance of Imminent Threat Alerts; provides immunity from civil liability to certain persons for damages for complying in good faith with specified provisions; provides presumption of good faith.

Court Fees; Increases service charges clerk of circuit court charges for certain services rendered by clerk's office; increases certain filing fees & service charges that may be charged by clerk in probate matters; increases certain filing fees & service charges in trial & appellate proceedings; increases certain filing fees & service charges for civil actions, suits, or proceedings in county court; revises distribution formula for additional filing fees; increases service charge clerk is entitled to for disbursement of surplus proceeds for certain judicial sales procedures; increases filing fee for additional timeshare interests joining consolidated timeshare foreclosure action; increases fee clerk of circuit court may charge for auditing of return of ward's estate; requires Office of Economic & Demographic Research to prepare certain report; requires such report to be submitted to Legislature.

Food Insecure Areas; Authorizes local government to enact land development regulations to permit land use for small-footprint grocery store located in food insecure area; authorizes local government to include in its comprehensive plan provision permitting land use for small-footprint grocery store located in food insecure area; authorizes local government to require mandatory reporting of certain information from small-footprint grocery store.