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Florida Senate passes scores of bills on special order calendar, including education, safety and consumer measures
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Summary
On Feb. 11 the Senate advanced and passed a package of bills on the special order calendar, including updates to the Florida Virtual School statute, body‑camera standards for code inspectors, linked public‑records exemptions, consumer right‑to‑repair provisions, and bills establishing a diabetes research institute and housing assistance eligibility for mobile homeowners.
Tallahassee — The Florida Senate on Feb. 11 cleared a long special‑order calendar, approving a range of bills that lawmakers said address consumer rights, school governance, public safety and health research.
Among the bills the Senate passed by voice or recorded vote were:
- SB 124: Statutory clean‑up and clarifications for Florida Virtual School, clarifying funding, governance and reporting rules; passed 39–0.
- Committee substitute for SB 504 and linked SB 506: SB 504 sets minimum standards for local governments allowing voluntary body cameras for code enforcement officers; SB 506 creates a limited public‑records exemption for that footage. Sponsors said the pair balances transparency and privacy; SB 504 passed 39–0 and SB 506 passed (recorded 38–1 in one voice line then shown passed on the board).
- Committee substitute for SB 806: The Portable Wireless Device Repair Act and an agricultural equipment fair‑repair provision aimed at expanding repair options for consumers and independent mechanics; passed 39–0.
- SB 656 (committee substitute): Codifies and renames grant programs supporting Internet crimes against children task forces and expands authorized grant uses to support proactive investigations; passed 39–0.
- SB 816: Establishes a University of Florida Diabetes Institute in statute to advance research and clinical outcomes; passed 39–0.
- SB 594: Adds mobile homeowners to local housing assistance plans to make them eligible for lot‑rental assistance and home rehabilitation; passed 39–0.
Several uncontested local claims bills were also approved, including SB 14 (settled claim for Jose Correa, $4.1M), SB 16 (Erberto Sanchez Mayen, substituted by HB 6517, $2.3M) and SB 24 (Lourdes and Edward Latour, substituted by HB 6515, $500,000). Sponsors noted these bills resolve litigation or settlement agreements with local governments.
What’s next: Senate leaders moved to retain remaining special‑order bills and to certify the bills passed on Feb. 11 to the House the same day. Several measures passed unanimously; bills now await any House action or the governor’s consideration.
