Bankson reviews first day of official 2023 Florida Legislature session

(Click on the bill title to view the bill in its entirety)

• Actions Against Public-use Airports: Provides exemption from civil liability & criminal prosecution for owner, operator, or user of public-use airport with respect to noise pollution; provides exemption from nuisance action for such owner, operator, or user; prohibits court from enjoining use or operation of public-use airport on basis of noise or noise pollution; prohibits owner of certain property from maintaining nuisance action against owner or operator of public-use airport; exempts public-use airport from specified rules.
• Vertiports: Provides legislative intent; requires DOT to take certain actions regarding vertiports; provides design and layout plan requirements for vertiport owners; provides limitations regarding exercise of political subdivision's zoning & land use authority in regulating vertiports.
• Temporary Airports: Requires certain documentation to be submitted to DOT for temporary airport site approval & registration; requires temporary airport to obtain registration before operation of aircraft; requires DOT to publish certain notice of receipt of registration application; specifies period during which such application may be approved or denied; requires DOT to issue registration concurrent with site approval; removes condition for licensure or registration; prohibits approval of certain subsequent registration applications; revises exemption for airport used for aerial application or spraying of crops. *Passed the Transportation & Modals Subcommittee on 03/10/23
• Emergency Medical Services Training Programs: Revises requirements for application form for institutions applying for program approval for education of emergency medical technicians & paramedics.
• Recognition of Chiropractic Accrediting Entities: Replacing references to "the Council of Chiropractic Education" with "an accrediting agency recognized by U.S. DOE" for accreditation purposes. *Passed the Healthcare Regulation Subcommittee on 03/09/23
• Florida Education Finance Program: Revises requirements for calculation of additional FTE membership based on IB examination scores of students to include students who earn specified grades in certain IB courses; provides additional bonus to teachers whose students earn specified grades in such courses.
• West Orange Healthcare District, Orange County: Abolishes district, transfers assets & liabilities of district; requires certain books to be deposited into Winter Garden Heritage Museum; provides effective date.
• Child Maintenance Restitution: Authorizes court to order defendant to pay child maintenance restitution to surviving parent or guardian of minor under certain conditions; provides for collection, disbursement, & enforcement of child maintenance restitution; prohibits person from discharging, refusing to employ, or taking disciplinary action against employee subject to child maintenance restitution; provides civil penalties; provides for payments after defendant's incarceration; provides circumstances under which child maintenance restitution may not be ordered or under which there must be offset by judgment award; provides that court may modify order of child maintenance restitution.
• Commercial Financing Product Brokers and Providers: Provides requirements for disclosure of certain information by commercial financing product providers; provides prohibited acts by commercial financing product providers; provides exclusive authority of Attorney General to enforce specified provisions; provides fines.

Legislation Highlights from Special Session A (December 2022):

HB 1A/SB 2A – Property Insurance (Sponsor: Chair Leek/Sen. Boyd)

• Comprehensive bill intended to ensure policyholders in this state have access to quality, affordable private market property insurance
• Requires insurers to more promptly communicate, investigate and pay valid claims
• Anticipated shortages in the reinsurance market are addressed through a new optional state reinsurance program
• Excessive litigation is addressed by eliminating one-way attorney fees for property insurance and instead allowing both parties to obtain fees through the offer of judgment statute
• Strengthens the regulatory authority of the Office of Insurance Regulation over property insurers

 HB 3A/SB 4A – Disaster Relief (Sponsor: Rep. McClain/Sen. Hutson)

• Provides for a number of disaster relief efforts in the wake of the 2022 hurricane season, in which 2 disastrous hurricanes struck the state of Florida, resulting in widespread destruction of homes, infrastructure, agricultural lands, beaches and more
• Provides provisions to further supplement hurricane relief efforts across the state
• Provides for the creation of a direct-support organization for the DEM to provide assistance, funding, and support to DEM in its disaster response, recovery, and relief efforts for natural emergencies

HB 5A/SB 6A – Toll Relief (Sponsor: Rep. Busatta Cabrera/Sen. DiCeglie)

• Directs the Florida Turnpike Enterprise (FTE) to establish a toll relief program, effective from January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2023, for all Florida toll facilities that use a Florida-issued transponder or are interoperable with the Florida Department of Transportation’s (FDOT’s) prepaid electronic transponder toll system (SunPass)
• Provides that an account that records 35 or more transactions per eligible transponder per calendar month is eligible for an account credit equal to 50 percent of the amount paid for the qualifying transactions

I am proud to serve on the following Committees and Subcommittees:

• Education & Employment Committee
• Choice & Innovation Subcommittee
• Ways & Means Committee
• Constitutional Rights, Rule of Law & Government Operations Subcommittee
• Transportation & Modals Subcommittee