The Florida legislative session is winding down, and though lawmakers may have to extend the session to come back to the budget, we already know which laws have made it through both chambers.
If signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, they will take effect on July 1, 2025.
Watch NBC6 free wherever you are
WATCH HEREThese are five of the laws that could impact you.
Electrocardiograms for student athletes
Get local news you need to know to start your day with NBC 6's News Headlines newsletter.
SIGN UP
This law would require student athletes in Florida public high schools to undergo an electrocardiogram in order to participate in sports, including "any practice, tryout, workout, conditioning, or other physical activity associated with the student’s candidacy for an interscholastic athletic team, including activities that occur outside of the school year."
In Miami-Dade County in April, the school board voted to mandate heart screenings for high school athletes less than three weeks after a private school athlete suffered a sudden cardiac arrest.
“Screening about 333 athletes will pick up about one patient that may have a potential life-threatening disease, so absolutely, it’s worth it when you think of the number of athletes in our county,” said Dr. Madeleen Mas, the director of Pediatric Cardiology at Holtz Children’s Hospital.
Local
Condo safety
Florida lawmakers gave final approval Wednesday to a bill aimed at reforming a condominium safety law passed in 2022 in the wake of the partial collapse of Champlain Towers South, which killed 98 people in Surfside in June 2021.
Condo owners have been facing higher costs because of the 2022 law, which requires condo associations to have sufficient reserves to cover major repairs and to conduct a survey of reserves every decade.
Sponsors of this year’s bill said further changes were needed to allow for more flexibility and to lessen the burden of new costs shouldered by residents, while ensuring protections remain in place to prevent another potential collapse.
“Without moving one step backwards on safety, this bill provides options, flexibility, and relief so condo owners and associations can prioritize the most important repairs first,” said Republican state Sen. Jennifer Bradley, a sponsor of the bill.
Scalping of DMV and tax collector appointments
The state legislature has passed a bill that makes it illegal to sell service appointments with the DMV or tax collector offices, the office of the Miami-Dade Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez announced.
Fernandez's office issued a statement on Thursday that commended the state for its "unanimous passage of HB 0961."
Miami-Dade has led the way in trying to stop people from overbooking DMV appointments in order to sell them, after scalping led to overnight lines and hours of waiting for residents trying to renew licenses and more.
Statewide fluoride ban
The Florida House on Tuesday gave final approval to a bill that would prevent local governments from adding fluoride to water supplies and take aim at labeling of plant-based products as milk, meat and eggs.
The Republican-controlled House voted 88-27 to pass the bill (SB 700), which also includes a series of other issues related to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The Senate passed the bill April 16, which means it is now ready to go to Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The bill came amid debates in cities and counties, including Miami-Dade, across the state about ending the decades-old practice of adding fluoride to public water supplies to improve dental health.
DeSantis and state Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo support removing fluoride from water supplies. If DeSantis signs the bill, Florida would follow the lead of Utah, which this year became the first state to ban fluoride in public water supplies.
State land management and development
State parks would be protected from pickleball courts, golf courses and hotel development under a bill passed unanimously by the Florida House in April in response to last summer’s statewide outcry over plans for these kinds of projects.
The bill now heads to Gov. Ron DeSantis for final approval, and his office hasn’t said if he’ll sign it. The Republican governor distanced himself from the proposal following the backlash, saying he never saw or approved plans to allow resorts and sports facilities on state park land. DeSantis leads and appoints the heads of all state agencies.
