Sen. Don Gaetz

Patriotic Displays at Public Schools; Requiring, subject to legislative appropriation, each district school board to adopt rules to require the display of portraits of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln at each public school in the district; requiring the Department of Education to select the portraits and make them available to each school district, etc.

School Safety; Requiring sheriffs to assist public postsecondary educational institutions in implementing guardian programs under certain provisions; authorizing public postsecondary educational institutions to participate in the school guardian program; creating the offense of discharging a weapon or firearm within 1,000 feet of a school, etc.

Statewide Project for Missing Persons with Special Needs; Amending a provision relating to the missing persons with special needs statewide project; providing that the project is created through the centers for autism and related disabilities; requiring that participants for the project be selected based on certain criteria, etc. APPROPRIATION: $1,000,000

Veterinary Licensure; Deleting the requirement for an applicant for licensure by endorsement to have held a valid active license to practice veterinary medicine in another state, the District of Columbia, or a territory of the United States for a specified amount of time; requiring applicants to hold a valid, active license in good standing to practice veterinary medicine in another state, the District of Columbia, or a territory of the United States, etc.

Biosolids Management; Prohibiting the Department of Environmental Protection from issuing or renewing a permit for certain biosolids land application sites if there is a permitted wastewater treatment facility that accepts septage for higher levels of treatment and which meets specified requirements, etc.

Health Care Coverage; Establishing the Joint Legislative Committee on Medicaid Oversight for specified purposes; revising encounter data reporting requirements for prepaid Medicaid plans; requiring managed care plans to report to the agency and the Office of Insurance Regulation the existence of and specified details relating to certain affiliations by a specified date and annually thereafter; revising requirements for contracts between a pharmacy benefit manager and a participating pharmacy; revising and specifying additional practices pharmacy benefit managers are prohibited from engaging in, etc.

Public Education; Providing members of a district school board with specified rights; requiring that certain documents from district school board meetings be kept as public records; providing that a school district employee may not be required or incentivized to sign a nondisclosure agreement or confidentiality agreement; prohibiting a school district from imposing certain conditions on employment, etc.

Maddy summaryThis Senate Resolution designates August 9, 2026, as "Bob Graham Day" throughout the State of Florida to honor the legacy of former Governor and U.S. Senator Bob Graham. The bill directly affects state officials and the public by establishing an official commemorative date that recognizes Graham's contributions to Florida's environmental preservation, public service, and political leadership. Key provisions include formal recognition of the date August 9, which marks the founding of the Save Our Everglades program in 1983, and acknowledge Graham's extensive career spanning 38 years in public office. The resolution serves as a symbolic tribute rather than creating new laws or regulations, focusing on celebrating Graham's achievements in areas such as environmental conservation, education, and national security.

Maddy summarySB 646 revises Florida's definition of "drug paraphernalia" to exclude specific drug-testing products, such as fentanyl test strips and reagent kits, that identify dangerous substances like fentanyl, fentanyl analogs, xylazine, cocaine, and methamphetamine. The bill explicitly removes criminal penalties for possessing, distributing, or using these testing tools, which the legislature states are evidence-based harm reduction strategies to prevent overdoses. It directly affects residents and communities by enabling access to life-saving information about illicit drugs before use. The change applies only to products designed solely to detect the presence of these specific substances - not to measure potency or quantity - and takes effect July 1, 2026.

Deductions for Certain Losses of Alcoholic Beverages; Authorizing a distributor of vinous, spirituous, or malt beverages to make an excise tax deduction in its monthly tax report for alcoholic beverages that have become unsellable through warehouse breakage, spoliation, evaporation, or expiration or that have become unfit for human consumption; requiring distributors that distribute more than one type of alcoholic beverage to deduct their gross taxes for products according to those specified in a specified manner; requiring a distributor to immediately notify the Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco when an extraordinary loss occurs, etc.