Sen. Bryan Ávila

Maddy summarySB 464 requires all Florida public K-12 school districts to observe Veterans’ Day as an official school holiday, directly affecting every district and its academic calendar. The bill amends Florida Statute 1001.42 to mandate that school boards designate Veterans’ Day (as defined in section 110.117(1)(f)) as a holiday in their annual calendars. This policy change standardizes holiday observance across all districts, eliminating the current option for schools to treat Veterans’ Day as a non-holiday. The requirement takes effect July 1, 2026, applying to all public K-12 schools statewide.

Security for Statewide Constitutional Office Candidates; Requiring the Department of Law Enforcement to provide certain candidates with a protective security detail for a specified time period, etc.

Portable Benefits Accounts for Independent Contractors and Sole Proprietors; Creating the “Voluntary Portable Benefits Act”; authorizing certain parties to make voluntary contributions to portable benefits accounts for independent contractors and sole proprietors; prohibiting contributions to a portable benefits account from being used as a criterion for determining a worker’s employment classification, etc.

Property Damage Caused by Limestone Mining Operations; Providing that certain property owners who have sustained property damage as a result of limestone mining operations have a right to file a claim for compensation; providing requirements for such claims; requiring the Division of Administrative Hearings to adjudicate specified claims, etc. APPROPRIATION: Indeterminate

Technology Education; Providing requirements for general education core courses with a technology component; requiring high school computer science courses to include instruction on artificial intelligence, etc.

Clinical Laboratory Personnel; Requiring that an applicant who qualifies for licensure under specified provisions provide proof of such qualification and pay the required fees to be eligible for licensure; requiring that applicants for licensure as a technologist or technician who meet specified criteria be deemed to have satisfied minimum qualifications for licensure to perform high or moderate complexity testing as a technologist or technician, as applicable, etc.

Commercial Service Airports; Preempting the naming of major commercial service airports to the state; providing names for major commercial service airports; providing that such airport names continue to be valid under certain circumstances; requiring the Department of Transportation to annually review provisions naming major commercial service airports for a certain purpose; providing that a political subdivision is in compliance with certain provisions under specified circumstances, etc.

Administrative Procedures; Requiring agencies to publish a notice of rule development within a specified timeframe; requiring a certain number of days between a notice of rule development and notice of proposed rule; requiring that certain rules be withdrawn if not ratified within the legislative session immediately following the filing for adoption; providing that if a proposed rule is not ratified within a specified timeframe, the emergency rule expires; providing that a proposal for a lower cost regulatory alternative submitted after a notice of change is made in good faith only if the proposal contains certain statements, etc.

Electrocardiograms for Student Athletes; Citing this act as the “Second Chance Act”; authorizing certain out-of-state licensed practitioners to conduct medical evaluations; requiring certain electrocardiograms to be administered in accordance with specified standards; requiring certain students to complete at least one electrocardiogram screening to participate in interscholastic athletic competition beginning in a specified school year; requiring the Florida High School Athletic Association to adopt bylaws and policies prohibiting students with abnormal electrocardiograms from participating in interscholastic athletic competition until a written medical clearance is submitted to the school, etc.

Mental Health; Citing this act as the “Tristin Murphy Act”; expanding the programs and diversion initiatives supported by implementation or expansion grants to include training for 911 public safety telecommunicators and emergency medical technicians for certain purposes and to include veterans treatment court programs; encouraging communities to apply for specified grants to establish misdemeanor or ordinance violation mental health diversion programs; encouraging communities to apply for specified grants to establish pretrial felony mental health diversion programs; expanding eligibility for the Forensic Hospital Diversion Pilot Program to include Hillsborough County, etc. APPROPRIATION: $794,880