Gov. Rick Scott signed 33 bills into law on Friday, including the "Dozier Boys" bill that provides for the care, reinternment and memorialization of remains exhumed from the former Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys.
Highlights from the bills Scott signed:
- Autism Awareness Training for Law Enforcement Officers – This bill requires the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to enhance Autism Spectrum Disorder training for law enforcement officers.
- Civil Remedies for Terrorism – This bill creates a civil cause of action for a person injured by an act of terrorism.
- Canvassing of Vote-by-Mail Ballots – This bill authorizes the use of a cure affidavit for a vote-by-mail ballot if a voter’s signature does not match the signature in the registration books or precinct registers. This bill also requires supervisors of elections to immediately notify an elector upon receipt of a vote-by-mail ballot with a missing or mismatched signature.
- Craft Distilleries – This bill allows craft distilleries to sell up to six factory-sealed containers of each branded product in the distiller's gift shop.
- Fictitious Name Registration – This bill requires those doing business in Florida under a name other than their legal name to register with the Division of Corporations of the Department of State.
- Natural Hazards – This bill creates an interagency workgroup under the Florida Division of Emergency Management to share information, coordinate efforts of state agencies and collaborate on the impacts of natural hazards.
- Agency Inspectors General – This bill prohibits state inspector general contracts from including bonuses for work performance.
- Medical Faculty and Medical Assistant Certification – This bill expands medical faculty certificates to John Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg.
- Cosmetic Product Registration – This bill reduces the regulatory burden on Florida's cosmetic manufacturers by restructuring fees and eliminating registration requirements for cosmetic products.
- Alarm Systems – The bill streamlines permitting of low-voltage electric fences and allows alarm monitors to contact law enforcement directly in certain circumstances.
- Public Records – This bill provides an exemption from public records requirements for personal identifying and location information of certain investigative personnel of Office of Financial Regulation and their spouses and children.
- Drug Overdoses – This bill creates guidelines for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to report drug overdoses and requires hospital emergency departments to develop policies to promote the prevention of unintentional drug overdoses.
- Middle Grades – This bill requires an independent study of other states with high-performing middle school students.
- Central Florida Expressway Authority – This bill revises provisions governing the Central Florida Expressway Authority to include Brevard County as a member.
- Relief of J.D.S. – This bill directs the Florida Agency for Persons with Disabilities to provide $950,000 in relief to J.D.S., a woman victimized while living in an Orange County group home.
- Relief of Sean McNamee, Todd McNamee and Jody McNamee by the School Board of Hillsborough County – This bill directs the School Board of Hillsborough County to provide $1.7 million in relief to Sean McNamee and his parents for a severe head injury sustained during football practice at Wharton High School.
- Relief of Angela Sanford by Leon County – This bill directs Leon County to provide $1.15 million in relief to Angela Sanford for injuries sustained in a car accident caused by collision with an ambulance.
- Relief of L.T. – This bill directs the Florida Department of Children and Families to provide $800,000 in relief to L.T., a child formerly in the care of the Department.
- Relief of Wendy Smith and Dennis Darling, Sr. – This bill directs Florida State University to provide $1.8 million in relief to Wendy Smith and Dennis Darling, Sr. for the wrongful death of their son, Devaughn Darling, during preseason football training.
- Relief of Amie Draiemann O'Brien, Hailey Morgan Stephenson and Christian Darby Stephenson II – This bill directs the Florida Department of Transportation to provide a total of $1,116,940 in relief to the Estate of Christian Darby Stephenson, Amie Draiemann O'Brien, Hailey Morgan Stephenson, and Christian Darby Stephenson II for the wrongful death of Christian Darby Stephenson.
- Relief of Mary Mifflin-Gee by the City of Miami – This bill directs the City of Miami to provide $2.3 million in relief to Mary Mifflin-Gee for a brain injury sustained while in the care of Miami paramedics.
- Relief of Lillian Beauchamp by the St. Lucie County School District – This bill directs the St. Lucie County School District to provide $1.5 million in relief to Lillian Beauchamp, for the wrongful death of her son, Aaron Beauchamp.
- Relief of Eddie Weekley and Charlotte Williams –This bill directs the Agency for Persons with Disabilities to provide $1 million in relief to Eddie Weekley and Charlotte Williams for the disappearance and wrongful death of their son, Franklin Weekley.
- Relief of Jerry Cunningham by Broward County - This bill directs Broward County to provide $550,000 in compensation relief to Jerry Cunningham for injuries sustained from a Broward County bus.
- Relief of Altavious Carter and Dustin Reinhardt by the Palm Beach County School Board – This bill directs the Palm Beach County School Board to provide $790,000 in relief to Altavious Carter for injuries sustained in a school bus accident and $4.7 million to Dustin Reinhardt for a head injury sustained in auto shop class at Seminole Ridge High School.
- OGSR/Nonpublished Reports and Data/Department of Citrus – This bill removes the October 2, 2017 repeal date for public records exemption of any nonpublished reports or data related to research conducted and funded by the Department of Citrus.
- Gulf Coast Economic Corridor – This bill makes changes to the administration of the money recovered from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill through Triumph Gulf Coast, Inc.
- Trust Funds – This bill creates the Triumph Gulf Coast Trust Fund within the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity to administer money recovered from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill through Triumph Gulf Coast, Inc.
- OGSR/Protective Injunctions for Certain Types of Violence – This bill continues the public record exemption for the identities and location information of victims of domestic or repeat violence requesting notice of service.
- OGSR/Agency Personnel Information –This bill revises and reorders existing public records exemptions for specific classes of personnel to extend protections to their spouses and children and amends the requirements to qualify for the exemptions.
- Corporate Income Tax – This bill updates the Florida corporate income tax with last year’s changes in the federal corporate income tax code.
- OGSR/Donor or Prospective Donor/Publicly Owned Performing Arts Center – This bill continues the public records exemption for identifying information provided by a donor or a prospective donor to a publicly owned performing arts center if the donor or prospective donor wishes to remain anonymous.
- Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys – This bill provides for the care, reinternment and memorialization of remains exhumed from the former Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys, establishes a memorial at the Capitol Complex in Leon County and the former school in Jackson County and preserves the areas known as the Boot Hill Cemetery and the White House.
