Jesse Scheckner

1 week ago | floridapolitics.com | Jesse Scheckner

A bill to make it significantly easier for parents to trigger the conversion of a public school into a charter school is en route to the Senate floor after clearing its last committee on a divided vote. The Senate Rules Committee voted 18-5 for the measure (SB 140), which would change Florida’s standard by which municipalities can turn over public school facilities to a private education company.

1 week ago | floridapolitics.com | Jesse Scheckner

Legislation aimed at safeguarding minors from online predators is heading to the Senate floor after clearing its last committee hurdle. The Senate Rules Committee voted 21-0 for SB 868, which would require social media companies to provide Florida law enforcement authorities with tools to decrypt encrypted messages if the user is underage. Police and prosecutors would have to present the companies with a subpoena or warrant to gain access to messages.

1 week ago | floridapolitics.com | Jesse Scheckner

Four Florida counties could gain a new tool to better address mooring issues in their waters through legislation that just passed in the Legislature’s lower chamber. House members just voted 115-0 for HB 481, which would enable counties with 1.5 million or more residents — Miami-Dade, Broward, Hillsborough and Palm Beach, currently — to regulate vessels that anchor overnight within their jurisdiction.

1 week ago | floridapolitics.com | Jesse Scheckner

Legislation to revise Florida’s rules for payouts in government negligence lawsuits for the first time in 15 years just passed on the House floor, but it faces a gloomy future in the Senate. House members voted 103-11 for the bill (HB 301), which would update the state’s sovereign immunity statutes that restrict how people can seek compensation for government carelessness, and for how much. The measure, effective Oct.

1 week ago | floridapolitics.com | Jesse Scheckner

A bill to expand Florida’s existing prohibition on in-class student cellphone use to almost every area of school grounds just passed with uniform support in the House, but its future is uncertain. Representatives voted 117-0 for HB 949, which would ban students from using their mobile devices throughout the school day, rather than just during instructional time. There would be some exceptions.