Of the 3,517 bills filed this Session (including 1,634 proposed House appropriations projects, which are considered bills), only 207 passed both the Senate and House. That is 10 more bills than last year’s total. Here is a recap of some interesting bills that passed and failed this Session.
Bills That Passed
EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMALS This amends Florida’s Fair Housing Act by prohibiting discrimination in rental housing for persons with disabilities who require an emotional support animal. It also details what is acceptable documentation for an emotional support animal and lays out penalties for individuals falsifying documentation.
INFRASTRUCTURE REQUIREMENTS The Department of Transportation, in consultation with the Department of Emergency Management, will be in charge of determining emergency response staging areas on the Florida Turnpike. The Public Service Commission, along with FDOT and the Department of Agriculture, must also develop a plan for electric vehicle charging station infrastructure along the state highway system.
PURPLE HEART MEMORIAL HIGHWAY The entire section of Interstate 95 from Nassau County to Miami-Dade County will be designated the Purple Heart Memorial Highway. Several other road designations were included in a comprehensive bill. Expect to see road markers in the future.
SALES TAX HOLIDAYS Part of the approved tax package includes a seven-day sales tax “holiday” for disaster supplies before the hurricane season and a three-day tax holiday in August for purchases of back-to-school clothes, supplies and personal computers.