Sen. LaVon Bracy Davis

Education; Providing that students may not be dismissed from certain charter schools based on academic performance; requiring students in specified grades to receive instruction in cursive writing; 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; establishing the School Teacher Training and Mentoring Program within the Department of Education, etc.

My Safe Florida Home Program; Requiring the Department of Financial Services to notify applicants in specified circumstances; authorizing applicants to submit subsequent applications in certain circumstances; prohibiting an application from being deemed withdrawn if an applicant responds to notice and makes certain demonstrations and corrections, etc.

Rent Reporting to Credit Reporting Agencies; Defining the terms “credit reporting agency” and “rent reporting service”; authorizing a landlord to report a tenant’s rent payment history to credit reporting agencies under certain circumstances; providing requirements for such written consent; requiring a landlord to inform a tenant that he or she is authorized to opt out of rent reporting at any time without penalty; requiring a landlord to provide written notice under certain circumstances, etc.

Elections; Requiring that the Secretary of State be elected, rather than appointed, and serve a specified term; requiring the Florida Commission on Offender Review to develop and maintain a database for a specified purpose; authorizing a person who meets certain requirements to register to vote for the early voting period or election day at an early voting site or his or her polling place and cast a ballot immediately thereafter; authorizing the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to preregister certain individuals to vote; revising the information a third-party voter registration organization is required to provide to the Division of Elections of the Department of State, etc.

Newborn Screenings; Citing this act as “Mattie’s Law”; requiring that newborns, beginning on a specified date, be screened for biliary atresia; requiring the Department of Health to consult with the Genetics and Newborn Screening Advisory Council before adopting certain rules; requiring hospitals that provide birthing services to screen for biliary atresia in a specified manner, etc.

Speech and Debate Education; Creating the Florida Speech and Debate Hall of Fame; designating Florida Speech and Debate Week annually in February; establishing the Florida Debate Initiative, Inc., (FDI) as a statewide speech and debate organization that performs certain functions in support of the Florida Civics and Debate Initiative (FCDI) in the Department of Education; requiring the Board of Governors of the State University System and the State Board of Education to develop specified undergraduate and graduate coursework, certificates, and micro-credentials, etc. APPROPRIATION: $2,400,000

Temporary Cash Assistance Eligibility; Providing that benefits may not be denied to certain persons solely on the basis of a drug trafficking conviction under certain circumstances, etc.

Coverage for Orthotics and Prosthetics Services; Authorizing the Agency for Health Care Administration to authorize and pay for specified orthotics and prosthetics services for Medicaid recipients who are eligible individuals; requiring the agency to seek federal approval and amend contracts as necessary to implement the act; requiring individual health insurance policies; group, blanket, and franchise health insurance policies; and health maintenance contracts, respectively, to provide coverage for specified orthotics and prosthetics services for eligible individuals, etc.

Mobile Home Park Lot Tenancies; Revising the powers and duties of the Division of Florida Condominiums, Timeshares, and Mobile Homes; authorizing a person injured by a violation of state law to file a complaint with the Department of Legal Affairs; prohibiting a mobile home park owner or such owner’s employees or agents from engaging in certain actions relating to electronic billing or payment systems; requiring certain proof of expenses or factors to be included in a notice for a proposed increase in lot rental amount; revising the circumstances under which, and the timeframe in which, a park owner may terminate a tenancy; authorizing specified persons or entities to pay a lot rental amount in a certain manner, etc.

Maddy summarySB 1624 clarifies and updates Florida's legal definitions of "harass" and "cyberstalk" in the criminal code. It defines "harass" as conduct causing substantial emotional distress with no legitimate purpose, and "cyberstalk" as sending electronic communications causing distress or accessing someone's online accounts without permission. These changes directly affect victims of harassment or cyberstalking, as well as law enforcement and courts applying these definitions. The bill also updates related laws in schools (for bullying) and religious/ethnic harassment to align with these new definitions, effective July 1, 2026.