TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis signed another 15 bills on Thursday, including a measure to name two Florida roads after slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk and President Donald Trump.
The signings come just days before July 1, the date many of Florida’s new laws will take effect.
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DeSantis also used his veto pen for the first time this year, nixing three bills that had unanimous support from the Florida Legislature.
RELATED: DeSantis vetoes new e-bike rules, citing concerns over ‘enhanced surveillance by local governments’
Here’s the full list of the latest laws signed by DeSantis:
CS/HB 33 – Transportation Facility Designations
The bill establishes the following honorary designations for transportation facilities and directs the Florida Department of Transportation to erect suitable markers:
- That portion of S.R. 985/S.W. 107th Avenue between S.W. 24th Street and S.R. 90/S.W. 8th Street in Miami Dade County as “Charlie Kirk Memorial Avenue”; and
- That portion of S.R. 870/Commercial Boulevard between Tradewinds Avenue and the eastern terminus of Commercial Boulevard in Broward County as “President Donald J. Trump Boulevard.”
These provisions take effect on July 1.
CS/CS/HB 47 – Specific Medical Diagnoses in Child Protective Investigations
The bill amends statutes related to child protective investigations to allow for the consideration of certain preexisting medical diagnoses for a child who has been removed from his or her home by the Department of Children and Families (DCF) due to allegations of child abuse, abandonment, or neglect. Specifically, the bill:
- Authorizes the DCF to delay forwarding allegations of criminal conduct to law enforcement pending the outcome of the child protective investigation if the parent or legal custodian alleges the child has a preexisting condition of Rickets, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Osteogenesis imperfecta, or Vitamin D deficiency or has requested a second medical examination of the child to determine whether the child may have one of those preexisting conditions. The bill requires allegations of criminal conduct that may remain upon completion of the investigation to be immediately forwarded to law enforcement.
- Requires the DCF, upon commencement of a child protective investigation, to notify parents or legal custodians of their duty to report preexisting medical diagnoses and the contact information of the healthcare professional that diagnosed or treated the child within 10 days after being informed of the duty to report. The bill also amends the procedures of a child protective investigation to require the DCF to request relevant medical records from the diagnosing or treating healthcare professional of the child.
- Requires a Child Protection Team (CPT), when evaluating a child with a listed reported preexisting condition, to consult with a licensed physician or licensed advanced practice registered nurse with experience in treating children with that reported medical diagnosis. The bill allows a parent or legal custodian from whom the child has been removed to request a second medical examination or the consideration of a differential diagnosis after an initial allegation. The bill requires the parent or legal custodian to request such examination within 10 days of the initial examination and to bear the cost of the examination.
- Requires the health care practitioner who performs the second medical examination to submit a written report to the DCF and the parent or legal custodian within 10 days of the examination with their findings and conclusions. If the second examination conflicts with the initial examination, the bill requires the DCF to convene a case staffing to reach a consensus.
- Establishes a 14-day time limit in which a health care practitioner must furnish patient records to the DCF after receiving a records request from the DCF.
These provisions take effect on July 1.
CS/HB 253 – Veterans Dental Care Grant Program
The bill expands eligibility for the Veterans Dental Care Grant Program established within the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs. The bill effectively requires veterans to have an income of up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level to be eligible for the program. The department set the current program eligibility to veterans with incomes up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level by administrative rule.
These provisions take effect on July 1.
CS/HB 967 – Electronic Payments Made to Units of Local Governments
The bill requires each unit of local government, including all municipalities, special districts, counties, and county constitutional officers, to accept payment by use of credit cards, charge cards, bank debit cards, and electronic fund transfers for financial obligations owed to the local government, except when another form of payment is required by law. The bill also requires local governments to have an online method to accept payments.
These provisions take effect on Jan. 1, 2027.
CS/CS/CS/HB 1081 – Cybersecurity Experiential Learning
The bill requires the Florida Center for Cybersecurity (Cyber Florida) at the University of South Florida to develop a Cybersecurity Experiential Learning Program and:
- Identify specific cybersecurity internship and experiential learning opportunities;
- Consult with employers in the state with openings in cybersecurity roles;
- Review best practices for cybersecurity learning opportunities at other National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity-designated educational institutions;
- Establish minimum qualifications that a student should possess prior to enrolling in the Cybersecurity Experiential Learning program; and
- Identify educational institutions seeking to participate in the program and the projected number of students to be served at each participating institution.
Implementation of the bill is subject to appropriation. Additionally, Cyber Florida must publish a report annually on its website, beginning July 1, 2028, containing specified data on the program and recommendations for program improvements.
These provisions take effect on July 1.
HB 1405 – Statewide Project for Missing Persons with Special Needs
The bill re-establishes the Missing Persons with Special Needs Statewide Project (“Project Leo”), which was repealed in 2019. Project Leo is administered through selected service-area centers for autism and related disabilities.
The bill requires each participating Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD or center) to develop criteria for selecting individuals for participation in the project, which must account for an individual’s risk of elopement. The project is implemented on a first-come, first-served basis to the extent funding is available. Participation is voluntary and provided at no cost to the participant.
The bill requires each participating CARD to provide personal search-and-rescue devices to the sheriff’s offices of participating counties. The bill requires county sheriffs’ offices to distribute the devices to project participants in coordination with the respective CARD. The participating CARD is also required to fund any costs associated with monitoring the devices.
Additionally, the bill appropriates $1 million in nonrecurring General Revenue funds for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, allocating $250,000 each to the University of Florida, Florida Atlantic University, University of South Florida, and Florida State University centers, to be used solely for the purchase of personal search-and-rescue devices.
These provisions take effect on July 1.
CS/HB 273 – Special District Funding
Current law requires agreements for state or federal funds between a state agency and a county or municipality that is a rural community or rural area of opportunity to allow for the state agency to pay invoices to the local government for verified and eligible performance under the agreement. The bill adds special districts located entirely within a county or municipality, or to an independent special district that provides water and wastewater services within a rural area of opportunity, to such agreement requirements. Additionally, the bill clarifies that the provision is not intended to require reimbursement to a rural county, municipality, or special district, but to allow the agency to pay invoices as they become due and to expedite payment requests for these local governments.
The bill revises the definition of “rural community” for the purposes of the Rural Economic Development Initiative to include special districts located in rural counties, as well as to include independent special districts that provide water and wastewater services within a rural area of opportunity. This inclusion will allow these special and independent districts to participate in state financial assistance programs, such as the Rural Infrastructure Fund.
These provisions take effect on July 1.
CS/CS/HB 797 – Nonprofit Corporations
The bill comprehensively revises ch. 617, F.S., the Florida Nonprofit Corporation Act (the Act), which incorporates updates from the Model Nonprofit Corporation Act and harmonizes the Act with the Florida Business Corporation Act.
The bill modifies and creates several provisions regarding governance of nonprofits. Importantly, the bill:
- Modifies the process for filing and correcting documents;
- Alters the provisions for corporations to change a registered agent or office;
- Consolidates share distribution prohibitions into one section;
- Modernizes the service of process provisions;
- Changes membership and meeting requirements, including allowing remote meetings and proxy voting;
- Allows directors and officers to bring derivative actions;
- Amends standards of conduct and liability for directors and officers;
- Updates the process to amend a nonprofit’s articles of incorporation;
- Modifies the processes of judicial dissolution of a nonprofit and appointment of receivers and custodians made in the process thereof;
- Parallels processes for foreign nonprofits to those of domestic nonprofits;
- Updates a nonprofit’s duties to maintain and provide access to corporate records;
- Clarifies what constitutes a director’s conflict of interest;
- Modernizes provisions regarding mergers, conversions, and dissolutions; and
- Makes conforming changes to parallel the Florida Business Corporation Act.
These provisions take effect on July 1.
CS/CS/HB 1285 – Biosolids Management
The bill prohibits the Department of Environmental Protection from issuing or renewing a permit for a land application site which authorizes the disposal or land application of septage as Class B biosolids if there is a permitted wastewater treatment facility that accepts septage for higher levels of treatment which is:
- Less than 30 miles from a proposed Class B biosolids land application site;
- Owned or operated by the federal government or a federal agency, a state government body or agency, or a political subdivision of this state; and
- Not defunct, used for other purposes, or out of capacity.
These provisions take effect on July 1, 2027.
CS/SB 110 – Homestead Exemptions
The bill amends s. 196.041, F.S., to provide that a lessee that owns the leasehold interest in a bona fide lease of 98 years or more in a residential or condominium parcel is eligible for a homestead exemption on the property, even if the lease contains a provision that terminates the leasehold interest upon the death of the lessee.
These provisions take effect upon becoming law.
CS/CS/SB 1180 – Community Development Districts
CDD Board of Supervisors Recall Procedure
The bill creates a recall election process for a member of a community development district’s (CDD) board of supervisors that largely mirrors existing procedures for municipalities and charter counties. The bill provides the grounds for removal of a member of the board of supervisors is limited to certain offenses, including:
- Malfeasance;
- Misfeasance;
- Neglect of duty;
- Drunkenness;
- Incompetence;
- Permanent inability to perform official duties; or
- Conviction of a felony involving moral turpitude.
In addition, the bill sets requirements for initiating a recall petition, creates processes regarding petition filing and signature verification, and specifies ballot language. The bill also provides noticing requirements, establishes a procedure for filling vacancies created by a recall, and prescribes penalties for offenses related to the petition process. A person who is removed by a recall or resigns after a petition has been filed against him or her is not eligible to be appointed to the CDD’s governing body for two years after the date of the recall or resignation.
Synthetic Turf Regulations
In 2025, the Legislature directed the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to adopt by rule minimum standards for the installation of synthetic turf on single-family residential properties of one acre or less. Upon adoption of the rule, local governments may not prohibit property owners from installing synthetic turf that complies with DEP standards or regulate synthetic turf inconsistent with DEP’s standards. This bill provides that the prohibition on local government regulation of synthetic turf in s. 125.572, F.S., does not limit a CDD’s ability to enforce deed restrictions.
Compact, Urban, Mixed-Use CDD
The bill expands the definition of “compact, urban, mixed-use district,” which is a specialized type of CDD that aims to provide for a compact downtown, high intensity development, with mixed uses. The bill amends the definition to include a district that consists of a maximum of 75 acres, which is located within a municipality, and is within a qualified opportunity zone designated by the U.S. Department of the Treasury or a community redevelopment area which district has development entitlements of:
- At least 400,000 square feet of retail development and 500 residential units; or
- At least 250,000 square feet of commercial development and 500 residential units that are affordable for very low-income, low-income, or moderate-income persons.
These provisions take effect on July 1.
The bill provides that for the purposes of the Live Local Act, passed during the 2023 Regular Session, related to the preemption of certain zoning and land use regulations to authorize affordable housing developments, farms or farm operations, including the packaging and sale of those products raised on the premises, are excluded from the definitions of commercial, industrial, or mixed use zoning which would require the local government to approve certain affordable housing developments.
These provisions take effect upon becoming law.
CS/HB 4003 – City of Marco Island, Collier County
Requires special election be held to fill any vacancy on city council upon resolution adopted by council; provides exception for vacancies occurring within 1 year before general election; revises circumstances under which Governor is required to fill vacancies; provides for Governor to call special election in certain circumstances; requires referendum.
Effective Date:This act shall take effect only upon its approval by a majority vote of qualified electors residing in the City of Marco Island voting in a referendum held on Nov. 3, 2026, concurrent with the 2026 general election, except that section 2 and this section shall take effect upon becoming a law.
Creates Uplands Steward District; establishes legal boundaries; provides for jurisdiction & charter of district; provides for board of supervisors, district manager, personnel & treasurer; provides for selection of public depository, district budgets & financial reports; provides for general & special powers of district; provides for bonds, borrowing, trust agreements, future ad valorem taxation, special assessments, issuance of certificates of indebtedness & tax liens; provides for termination, contraction, expansion, or merger of district; provides for required notices to purchasers of residential units within district; provides severability & referendum.
This act shall take effect upon becoming law. More details here
HB 6515 – Relief/Lourdes Latour and Edward Latour/Miami-Dade County
This is an uncontested claim bill for local funds in the amount of $500,000, payable from unencumbered funds of Miami-Dade County. The bill is based on a settlement agreement between Lourdes and Edward Latour and Miami-Dade County. The settlement agreement resolved a civil action that arose from the alleged negligence of the County that caused injuries to Lourdes Latour and her husband, Edward.
The bill provides that the total amount paid for attorney fees relating to this claim may not exceed 25 percent of the total amount awarded under the bill.
These provisions take effect upon becoming law.