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Productive Politics: Weekly Legislative Report
By Livia Caputo • The Florida Standard, May 8, 2023

After 60 grueling days, it is finally over: the 2023 Florida Legislative Session came to a close on Friday, May 5 – and with it, one of the most high-yielding sessions in the state’s history.

With 70 percent super-majorities in both legislative chambers, Republicans passed a massive amount of legislation, sticking as closely to Governor Ron DeSantis’ agenda as possible.

“This has undoubtedly been the most productive and successful legislative session in the history of our state,” Governor Ron DeSantis’ Chief of Staff James Uthmeier told us in an exclusive interview. “When we look at the policy that came out of the last 60 days, it’s absolutely incredible.”

Senate President Kathleen Passidomo echoed his comments, stating her satisfaction with the session’s conclusion: “I am proud that with the tireless work of our Senators, and strong partnerships with the Florida House and Governor DeSantis, we are concluding today having passed significant legislation in nearly every area of public policy, along with a balanced budget, meaningful tax relief for families and seniors, and historic reserves,” Passidomo said in a press release.

“From workforce housing, to school choice, to insurer accountability, to public safety – we listened to our constituents, incorporated ideas and feedback from our communities, and made our mark with historic reforms to keep our state affordable and her people free.”

Some of the most noteworthy policies signed into law are a six-week abortion ban, a decreased threshold for death penalty recommendations, an extension of the death penalty to child rapists, and permitless concealed carry.

The Florida Legislature passed other significant bills, though they still await the governor’s signature to make them law. These include a ban on transgender surgeries for minors, comprehensive immigration reform, a ban on DEI college majors and the expansion of the Parental Rights in Education law.

See our full rundown of all the major bills this session below:

Major Bills Signed into Law from the 2023 Session:

SB 300: Six-Week Abortion Ban
Prohibits abortion access after six weeks. It exempts rape, incest and human trafficking victims until 15 weeks, provided there is medical or court documentation. It was signed into law and goes into effect contingent on Supreme Court case decisions.

HB 1297: Allows Death Penalty for Child Rapists
Allows for the execution of pedophiles who rape children under the age of 12. The legislation permits a supermajority of eight jurors to recommend death. It was signed into law and goes into effect October 1.

HB 543: Permitless Concealed Carry
Allows Floridians to carry concealed weapons with no permit, raising the argument of Second Amendment rights vs. gun safety. It was signed into law and goes into effect July 1.

SB 450: Lowers Juror Threshold for Death Penalty Recommendations
Reforms Florida’s death penalty statutes by reducing the number of jurors needed to sentence someone to death. Juries may now impose the death penalty with a supermajority of eight out of 12. It was signed into law and is now in effect.

SB 1604: Voids Disney’s Power
Retroactively nullifies the “unlawful” agreements Disney pushed through in a February 8 land-use agreement. It was signed into law and goes into effect July 1.

HB 1: Expands School Choice
This expansion of Florida’s School Choice Scholarships allocates dollars the state has appropriated for each child in the public education system and gives parents the ability to choose among a variety of options to customize their child’s education. It was signed into law and goes into effect July 1.

HB 837: Massive Tort Reform
HB 837 curbs frivolous lawsuits levied against insurance companies, though it can allow damages to be set at 140 percent of Medicaid rates. It was signed into law and is already in effect.

HB 269: Expands Penalties For and Definition of Hate Crimes
Imposes third-degree felonies for threatening another based on religious or ethnic insignia, defacing a memorial or school associated with religious or ethnic heritage or littering private property with materials demonstrating “religious or ethnic animus.” It was signed into law and is now in effect.

SB 1550: Lowers Drug Costs
Regulates Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) – middlemen that manage prescription drug benefits on behalf of insurance carriers. It was signed into law, and goes into effect July 1.

Major Bills Awaiting Signature from the 2023 Session:

SB 254: Bans Transgender Surgeries for Minors
Prohibits physicians from administering puberty and hormone disrupting drugs or performing sex reassignment surgeries on anyone under 18 years old. Doctors who violate the law would be subject to a third-degree felony.

SB 1718: Strictest Immigration Reform in the Country
Imposes a third-degree felony on illegal immigrants using falsified documents to gain employment and a third-degree felony for knowingly transporting undocumented immigrants. It also requires all public businesses – and private businesses with more than 25 employees – to use E-Verify in hiring processes.

HB 1069: Expands Parental Rights In Education Law
Bans instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity from pre-K through eighth grade, allows citizens to request inappropriate books be removed from schools, defines sex as “immutable and unchanging” — requiring public schools to adopt a policy acknowledging this — and bans teachers from providing or asking for preferred pronouns that do not correspond with an individual’s biological sex.

SB 266: Bans Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Majors
Bans majors falling under diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at public colleges and universities. This would include gender studies and critical race theory.

SB 1438: Bans Drag Shows Admitting Minors
Bans the admission of children into adult live shows and penalizes violators with a first-degree misdemeanor. It defines these performances as any showcase containing sexual conduct or simulated nudity.

HB 1521: The “Bathroom Bill”
Imposes a trespassing charge on adults entering the opposite sex’s bathroom and refusing to leave when asked by an authorized person – defined as a business manager or school administrator.

SB 7050: The Removal of Resign-to-Run For President
The law imposes greater restrictions on third party voter registration organizations and vote-by-mail eligibility. An amendment removes “resign-to-run” for those running for President or Vice President of the United States.

SB 252: Bans Covid Vaccine Requirements For Employment
Aims to reduce workplace discrimination for medical freedom by banning mask mandates, COVID vaccines and other pandemic measures as prerequisites for employment or access to services.

SB 1580: Doctors Can Opt-Out of Procedures Due to Medical Conscience
Gives healthcare personnel, providers and insurance corporations the right to decline the performance of medical procedures due to “conscience-based objections”.

HB 7063: Huge Tax Relief Package For Floridians
Implements massive tax holidays for citizens, provides permanent sales tax relief for baby items and more, and expands who can qualify for property and business sales tax exemptions.

SB 214: Bans Credit Card Companies From Tracking Gun Sales
The bill prohibits the implementation of a Merchant Category Code (MCC) for firearms merchants, and prevents financial institutions from tracking gun and ammo sales.

SB 256: Revamps Public Sector Unions
Requires public sector unions to maintain 60 percent membership to remain certified, though exempts police, firefighters, and correctional officer unions. It additionally ends the automatic paycheck deduction for union dues, making workers pay in person: through check or electronically.

HJR 31: Partisan School Board Elections
Makes district school board elections a partisan event, contradicting the current provisions in the Florida Constitution. Because it is a resolution, it will not go to DeSantis but to the ballot for Floridians to vote on: it needs 60 percent approval to go into effect.

HB 379: Bans Social Media in Schools
Require schools to instruct on the risks of social media, such as human trafficking and cyberbullying, and effectively bans any and all social media use in schools.

SB 942: Pitbulls Return to South Florida
Prohibits counties and public housing authorities from constraining breeds, sizes, or weights of dogs in their ordinances, aiming to increase dog equality across the board.

HB 1259: Grants Charter Schools Funding Based on Number of Students
Gives charter schools their fair share of funding collected in local school districts through property taxes. Bases the amount of allocated money on how many students are enrolled.

HB 179: Kratom Sales Illegal for Under 21 Years Old
Restricts Kratom to users 21 years and older. Anyone who attempts to sell the substance to a customer under 21 will face a second-degree misdemeanor.

The Bills That Didn’t Make It:

SB 1248: Cancel Florida Democrats
Filed by Sen. Blaise Ingoglia (R-Spring Hill), the bill was nicknamed the “Ultimate Cancel Act”. It called for the termination of any political party that once supported slavery. It never made it to committee.

SB 1220: Expands Ability to Sue for Defamation
Proposed by Sen. Jason Brodeur (R-Seminole), the bill would have required journalists to disclose their confidential sources in a defamation case, jeopardizing their journalistic privilege. After being postponed for three weeks in a row, the bill disappeared from the session calendar.

SB 1252: Distinguishes Sex Predators With Red Letters on Their Licenses
Sponsored by Sen. Nick DiCeglie (R-St. Pete), it would have revamped designations on sex offenders’ and predators’ driver licenses, requiring bright red markings on their driver licenses. It made it to the Senate floor, but after being postponed for three days in a row, it disappeared.

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