Florida House passes bill allowing teachers to be armed, sending it to Gov. DeSantis

After about seven hours of angry, sometimes deeply painful debate about race and gun violence that spanned two days, the Florida House passed a bill Wednesday that would allow classroom teachers to be armed, expanding a program lawmakers created last year after the Parkland shooting.  The debate reached emotional heights that had Democrats shouting or…

Florida lawmakers approve school-safety bill that allows teachers to be armed

The Florida Legislature is sending a controversial bill to the governor that allows teachers to carry guns on campus, despite protests from educators and students urging them not to put more firearms in schools. The Florida House voted 65-47 Wednesday in favor of the school safety measure, which prompted hours of heated and emotional debate.…

FSBA Session Spotlight — May 1, 2019

Bills of interest on today’s schedule include 3rd Reading of SB 7030 (school safety) in the House.  Other bills of interest on the schedule today include bills relating to early learning, personnel, mental health, and public records.  In addition to bills on the agenda, bills will be moving back and forth between chambers in Messages. …

Major education bill to create new school voucher and redo teacher bonuses passes Florida House

A far-reaching, omnibus education bill that creates a new private school voucher and restructures the state’s teacher bonus program is on its way to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk, after the Florida House passed it on Tuesday. The bill, Senate Bill 7070, achieves a goal that has been sought by Republicans since Jeb Bush was governor:…

FSBA Session Spotlight — April 30, 2019

With only four days remaining in the 2019 Legislative Session, you may wish to take a few minutes to view our FSBA Weekly Video Update featuring FSBA Executive Director Andrea Messina providing a recap of the main events during the eighth week of the Session.  As we’ve mentioned, the pace will be very fast for…

Florida Legislature finishes K-12 education budget with $248 increase per student

Florida lawmakers said they were finished negotiating the preK-12 education portion of the budget during a Sunday evening meeting, closing out one of the largest and typically one of the most contentious areas of the state’s massive funding plan.  If the session is to finish on time, the entire state budget must be finished by…

Florida House moves to limit school impact fees

With almost no discussion, the Florida House adopted a bill Monday that would scale back school districts’ ability to increase the fees they charge to offset the impact of new construction.  The action came in legislation (HB 1299) that also limited local governments from banning the use of plastic straws or setting age restrictions for…

FSBA Session Spotlight — April 29, 2019

As we enter what is scheduled to be the last week of the 2019 Legislative Session, new procedural rules will kick in that will make the schedule both hectic and unpredictable. During this week in floor sessions, both chambers will focus on bills on 2nd and/or 3rd Reading, on bills passed back and forth in…