The Florida Legislature is nearing the end of its regular session and there are still several items still left on the agenda while other bills await the governor’s signature.
As the last day of the regular session approaches this Friday, the Senate has 23 bills on the agenda, all scheduled for third readings and are largely related to education and healthcare.
Education was a big part of the Legislature’s agenda this session, with several new laws already coming into effect, including the massive school expansion bill House Bill 1. The following measures expand on several areas in education.
HB 1259 is an education bill sponsored by Rep. Jennifer Canady, R-Lakeland, and would revise the eligibility criteria for charter schools to qualify for capital outlay funds. It also would revise how to calculate how funds are distributed to eligible charter schools, how much of those funds come from school districts, and the requirements for charter schools to use the funds.
HB 733 is sponsored by Rep. John Temple, R-The Villages, and would revise start times for middle school and high school students. The bill would ban middle schools from starting their instructional day before 8 a.m. and high schools would be prohibited from starting lessons before 8.30 a.m. This would go into effect on July 1, 2026.
