Florida Senate - 2026 CS for SB 524
By the Committee on Fiscal Policy; and Senator Simon
594-03158-26 2026524c1
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the Department of Law Enforcement;
3 amending s. 112.195, F.S.; authorizing the Department
4 of Law Enforcement to adopt rules relating to the
5 Florida Medal of Valor and the Florida Blue/Red Heart
6 Medal; amending s. 406.02, F.S.; specifying the
7 circumstances under which an appointment or
8 reappointment to the Medical Examiners Commission is
9 considered in force; requiring the commission to
10 approve the appointment of district medical examiners
11 by a majority vote to fill vacancies; amending s.
12 406.06, F.S.; requiring the commission, rather than
13 the Governor, to appoint district medical examiners
14 for each medical examiner district; specifying that
15 upon approval by the commission, rather than by the
16 Governor, a physician member of the commission is
17 eligible to serve as a district medical examiner;
18 amending s. 406.135, F.S.; authorizing eye banks,
19 organ procurement organizations, and tissue banks, in
20 order to facilitate anatomical gifts or
21 transplantations, to view or copy specified autopsy
22 reports under certain circumstances; amending s.
23 624.34, F.S.; defining terms; providing legislative
24 findings; requiring the Department of Law Enforcement
25 to accept and process fingerprints taken of natural
26 persons who are control persons of a licensee or are
27 applicants for licensure; deleting provisions
28 authorizing the department to accept fingerprints of
29 specified persons or entities; requiring that a full
30 set of fingerprints of a certain natural person be
31 submitted to the Department of Financial Services or
32 specified authorized vendors, entities, or agencies;
33 requiring the forwarding of the fingerprints to
34 specified entities; providing for the fees and costs
35 of such fingerprints; authorizing the Department of
36 Law Enforcement to exchange criminal history records
37 with the Department of Financial Services for a
38 specified purpose; requiring that the full set of
39 fingerprints be submitted in accordance with rules
40 adopted by the Department of Financial Services;
41 providing duties and responsibilities regarding the
42 fingerprints and fingerprinting; requiring the
43 Department of Financial Services to use certain
44 criminal history records for specified purposes;
45 creating s. 624.341, F.S.; defining terms; providing
46 legislative findings; requiring the Department of Law
47 Enforcement to accept and process fingerprints taken
48 of natural persons who are control persons of a
49 licensee or are applicants for licensure; requiring
50 that a full set of fingerprints of a certain natural
51 person be submitted to the Office of Insurance
52 Regulation of the Financial Services Commission or
53 specified authorized vendors, entities, or agencies;
54 requiring the forwarding of the fingerprints to
55 specified entities; providing for the fees and costs
56 of such fingerprints; authorizing the department to
57 exchange criminal history records with the office for
58 a specified purpose; requiring that the full set of
59 fingerprints be submitted in accordance with rules
60 adopted by the Financial Services Commission;
61 providing duties and responsibilities regarding the
62 fingerprints and fingerprinting; requiring the office
63 to use certain criminal history records for specified
64 purposes; creating s. 943.0417, F.S.; requiring the
65 Florida Deputy Sheriffs Association, Inc., to continue
66 the statewide law enforcement grant program certified
67 by the Department of Education for certain purposes;
68 creating s. 943.0536, F.S.; defining the terms
69 “immigration detainer” and “law enforcement agency”;
70 requiring the Department of Law Enforcement’s Criminal
71 Justice Information Program to collect, process,
72 store, maintain, and disseminate immigration detainer
73 information; requiring each law enforcement agency to
74 capture and electronically submit to the department
75 the fingerprints of certain qualifying offenders;
76 requiring the department to create certain records;
77 amending s. 943.0581, F.S.; authorizing the department
78 to adopt rules; requiring law enforcement agencies to
79 apply to the department for the administrative
80 expunction of specified nonjudicial records containing
81 immigration detainer information of minors and adults
82 made contrary to law or by mistake; authorizing
83 individuals to apply to the department for the
84 administrative expunction of such records; specifying
85 application requirements; amending s. 943.11, F.S.;
86 requiring the Criminal Justice Professionalism Program
87 to provide staff support to the Criminal Justice
88 Standards and Training Commission; requiring the
89 commission to act independently of any criminal
90 justice agency; amending s. 943.1395, F.S.; requiring
91 commission staff to provide service by certified mail
92 to a certain licensee’s last known address of record
93 and, if possible, by e-mail; requiring commission
94 staff to take specified action if the person providing
95 service does not provide commission staff with proof
96 of service; amending ss. 943.1726, 943.17261,
97 943.1727, and 943.17299, F.S.; requiring the
98 commission, rather than the Department of Law
99 Enforcement, to establish or develop specified
100 training components or courses; providing effective
101 dates.
102
103 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
104
105 Section 1. Effective upon becoming a law, subsection (4) is
106 added to section 112.195, Florida Statutes, to read:
107 112.195 Florida Medal of Valor and Florida Blue/Red Heart
108 Medal.—
109 (4) The Department of Law Enforcement may adopt rules to
110 implement this section.
111 Section 2. Subsections (2) and (4) of section 406.02,
112 Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
113 406.02 Medical Examiners Commission; membership; terms;
114 duties; staff.—
115 (2) The term of office of the physicians appointed to the
116 commission shall be 4 years. The term of office of the state
117 attorney, public defender, sheriff, and county commissioner each
118 shall be 4 years unless she or he leaves that office sooner, in
119 which case her or his appointment will terminate. The term of
120 office of the funeral director shall be 4 years. Upon the
121 expiration of the present terms of office, the Governor shall
122 appoint two members for terms of 4 years, two members for terms
123 of 3 years, two members for terms of 2 years, and one member for
124 a term of 1 year. An appointment to fill a vacancy shall be for
125 the unexpired portion of the term. An appointment or
126 reappointment is considered in force until the appointee
127 resigns, the appointee is no longer qualified for the position,
128 or the Governor appoints a new member.
129 (4) The Medical Examiners Commission shall:
130 (a) Initiate cooperative policies with any agency of the
131 state or political subdivision thereof.
132 (b) Approve the appointment of district medical examiners
133 by a majority vote to fill vacancies.
134 (c) Remove or suspend district medical examiners pursuant
135 to this act and have the authority to investigate violations of
136 this act.
137 (d)(c) Oversee the distribution of state funds for the
138 medical examiner districts and may make such agreements and
139 contracts, subject to approval of the executive director of the
140 Department of Law Enforcement, as may be necessary to effect the
141 provisions of this chapter.
142 Section 3. Subsection (1) of section 406.06, Florida
143 Statutes, is amended to read:
144 406.06 District medical examiners; associates; suspension
145 of medical examiners.—
146 (1)(a) A district medical examiner shall be appointed by
147 The Medical Examiners Commission shall appoint a district
148 medical examiner, who must be a practicing physician in
149 pathology, Governor for each medical examiner district from
150 nominees who are practicing physicians in pathology, whose
151 nominations are submitted to the Governor by the Medical
152 Examiners Commission. The term of office of each district
153 medical examiner shall be 3 years. An appointment to fill a
154 vacancy shall be for the unexpired portion of the term.
155 (b) A physician member of the Medical Examiners Commission
156 is shall be eligible to serve as a district medical examiner
157 upon approval by the Medical Examiners Commission Governor.
158 Section 4. Paragraph (d) is added to subsection (3) of
159 section 406.135, Florida Statutes, to read:
160 406.135 Autopsies; confidentiality of photographs and video
161 and audio recordings; confidentiality of reports of minor
162 victims of domestic violence; exemption.—
163 (3)
164 (d) Notwithstanding subsection (2), in order to facilitate
165 an anatomical gift or a transplantation, an eye bank, an organ
166 procurement organization, or a tissue bank as those terms are
167 defined in s. 765.511, pursuant to a written request containing
168 proof of the intent of the deceased, the deceased’s family, or
169 the deceased’s health care surrogate to make an anatomical gift
170 in accordance with chapter 765, may:
171 1. View or copy an autopsy report of a minor whose death
172 was related to an act of domestic violence; and
173 2. View or copy an autopsy report of a person whose manner
174 of death was determined by a medical examiner to have been by
175 suicide.
176 Section 5. Effective upon becoming a law, section 624.34,
177 Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
178 624.34 Authority of Department of Law Enforcement to accept
179 fingerprints of, and exchange criminal history records with
180 respect to, certain persons.—
181 (1) As used in this section, the term:
182 (a) “Adjuster” means a public adjuster as defined in s.
183 626.854 or an all-lines adjuster as defined in s. 626.8548.
184 (b) “Agent” means a general lines agent, life agent, health
185 agent, or title agent, as each type of agent is defined under s.
186 626.015. The term includes a producer, but does not include a
187 customer representative, limited customer representative, or
188 service representative.
189 (c) “Applicant for licensure” means a person or an entity
190 that has applied to the department for a license as an agent, an
191 insurance agency, an adjuster, a customer representative, a
192 service representative, or a navigator.
193 (d) “Control person,” with respect to an applicant for
194 licensure, means any of the following:
195 1. A person who holds the title of owner, partner,
196 director, president, senior vice president, treasurer, or
197 limited liability company member.
198 2. A person who holds any of the officer, general partner,
199 manager, or managing member positions named in the governing
200 documents. As used in this subparagraph, the term “governing
201 documents” includes bylaws, articles of incorporation or
202 organization, partnership agreements, shareholder agreements,
203 and management or operating agreements.
204 3. A director on the board of directors.
205 4. A shareholder in whose name shares are registered in the
206 records of a corporation for profit, whether incorporated under
207 the laws of this state or organized under the laws of any other
208 jurisdiction and existing in that legal form, who directly or
209 indirectly has the power to vote 10 percent or more of a class
210 of voting securities, or to sell or direct the sale of 10
211 percent or more of a class of voting securities. As used in this
212 subparagraph, the term “shareholder” means a person who owns at
213 least one share of a corporation and whose ownership is
214 reflected in the records of the corporation.
215 (e) “Customer representative” has the same meaning as in s.
216 626.015.
217 (f) “Insurance agency” has the same meaning as in s.
218 626.015.
219 (g) “License” means a license issued by the Department of
220 Financial Services.
221 (h) “Licensee” means a person or an entity that has a
222 license.
223 (i) “Navigator” has the same meaning as in s. 626.9951.
224 (j) “Producer” means a person required to be licensed under
225 the laws of this state to sell, solicit, or negotiate insurance.
226 (k) “Service representative” has the same meaning as in s.
227 626.015.
228 (2) The Legislature finds that criminal activity of agents,
229 customer representatives, adjusters, service representatives, or
230 navigators poses a particular danger to the residents of this
231 state. Floridians rely, in good faith, on the honest conduct of
232 such persons. To safeguard the residents of this state, the
233 Legislature finds it necessary to ensure that individuals who
234 are licensees or control persons of licensees do not have a
235 criminal record.
236 (3) The Department of Law Enforcement shall may accept and
237 process fingerprints taken of a natural person who is a control
238 person of a licensee or an applicant for licensure organizers,
239 incorporators, subscribers, officers, stockholders, directors,
240 or any other persons involved, directly or indirectly, in the
241 organization, operation, or management of:
242 (a) Any insurer or proposed insurer transacting or
243 proposing to transact insurance in this state.
244 (b) Any other entity which is examined or investigated or
245 which is eligible to be examined or investigated under the
246 provisions of the Florida Insurance Code.
247 (2) The Department of Law Enforcement may accept
248 fingerprints of individuals who apply for a license as an agent,
249 customer representative, adjuster, service representative, or
250 navigator or the fingerprints of the majority owner, sole
251 proprietor, partners, officers, and directors of a corporation
252 or other legal entity that applies for licensure with the
253 department or office under the Florida Insurance Code.
254 (4) A full set of fingerprints of a natural person
255 described in subsection (3) must be submitted to the Department
256 of Financial Services or to a vendor, an entity, or an agency
257 authorized under s. 943.053(13). The Department of Financial
258 Services, vendor, entity, or agency shall forward the
259 fingerprints to the Department of Law Enforcement for state
260 processing, and the Department of Law Enforcement shall forward
261 the fingerprints to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for
262 national processing pursuant to s. 624.34(5). Fees for state and
263 federal fingerprint processing must be borne by the person
264 submitting them. The state cost for fingerprint processing is as
265 provided in s. 943.053(3)(e).
266 (5)(3) The Department of Law Enforcement may, to the extent
267 authorized provided for by federal law, exchange state,
268 multistate, and federal criminal history records with the
269 Department of Financial Services department or office for the
270 purpose of the issuance, denial, suspension, or revocation of a
271 certificate of authority, certification, or license to operate
272 in this state.
273 (6) The full set of fingerprints for each natural person
274 described in subsection (3) must be submitted in accordance with
275 rules adopted by the Department of Financial Services.
276 (a) Fingerprints may be submitted through a third-party
277 vendor authorized by the Department of Law Enforcement.
278 (b) The Department of Law Enforcement shall conduct a state
279 criminal history background check, and a federal criminal
280 history background check must be conducted through the Federal
281 Bureau of Investigation.
282 (c) All fingerprints submitted to the Department of Law
283 Enforcement must be submitted and entered into the statewide
284 automated biometric identification system established in s.
285 943.05(2)(b) and be available for use in accordance with s.
286 943.05(2)(g) and (h). The Department of Financial Services shall
287 inform the Department of Law Enforcement of the name of any
288 person whose fingerprints no longer need to be retained.
289 (d) The costs of fingerprint processing, including the cost
290 of retaining the fingerprints, must be borne by the natural
291 person subject to the background check.
292 (e) The Department of Financial Services shall review the
293 results of the state and federal criminal history background
294 checks and determine whether the applicant meets the
295 requirements for a license to operate in this state.
296 (4) The Department of Law Enforcement may accept
297 fingerprints of any other person required by statute or rule to
298 submit fingerprints to the department or office or any applicant
299 or licensee regulated by the department or office who is
300 required to demonstrate that he or she has not been convicted of
301 or pled guilty or nolo contendere to a felony or a misdemeanor.
302 (5) The Department of Law Enforcement shall, upon receipt
303 of fingerprints from the department or office, submit the
304 fingerprints to the Federal Bureau of Investigation to check
305 federal criminal history records.
306 (7)(6) The Department of Financial Services shall use the
307 statewide criminal records obtained through the Department of
308 Law Enforcement, the federal criminal records obtained through
309 the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the local criminal
310 records obtained through local law enforcement agencies shall be
311 used by the department and office for the purpose of issuance,
312 denial, suspension, or revocation of certificates of authority,
313 certifications, or licenses issued to operate in this state.
314 Section 6. Effective upon becoming a law, section 624.341,
315 Florida Statutes, is created to read:
316 624.341 Authority of Department of Law Enforcement to
317 accept fingerprints of, and exchange criminal history records
318 with respect to, certain persons applying to the Office of
319 Insurance Regulation.—
320 (1) As used in this section, the term:
321 (a) “Applicant for licensure” means a person or an entity
322 that has applied to the office for a license.
323 (b) “Control person,” with respect to a licensee or
324 applicant for licensure, means any of the following:
325 1. A person who holds the title of president, treasurer,
326 chief executive officer, chief financial officer, chief
327 operations officer, chief legal officer, chief risk officer,
328 chief underwriting officer, chief actuary, chief compliance
329 officer, claims manager, director of claims, director of
330 underwriting, underwriting manager, or attorney in fact.
331 2. A person who holds any of the officer, general partner,
332 manager, or managing member positions named in the governing
333 documents. As used in this subparagraph, the term “governing
334 documents” includes bylaws, articles of incorporation or
335 organization, partnership agreements, shareholder agreements,
336 and management or operating agreements.
337 3. A director on the board of directors.
338 4. A shareholder in whose name shares are registered in the
339 records of a corporation for profit, whether incorporated under
340 the laws of this state or organized under the laws of any other
341 jurisdiction and existing in that legal form, who directly or
342 indirectly has the power to vote 10 percent or more of a class
343 of voting securities, or to sell or direct the sale of 10
344 percent or more of a class of voting securities. As used in this
345 subparagraph, the term “shareholder” means a person who owns at
346 least one share of a corporation and whose ownership is
347 reflected in the records of the corporation.
348 (c) “License” means a certificate of authority,
349 certification, registration, or license issued by the office.
350 (d) “Licensee” means a person or an entity that has a
351 license.
352 (2) The Legislature finds that criminal activity of
353 insurers poses a particular danger to the residents of this
354 state. Floridians rely, in good faith, on the honest conduct of
355 those who issue and manage insurance policies and other
356 insurance instruments in this state. To safeguard the residents
357 of this state, the Legislature finds it necessary to ensure that
358 natural persons who are licensees or control persons of
359 licensees do not have a criminal record.
360 (3) The Department of Law Enforcement shall accept and
361 process fingerprints taken of a natural person who is a control
362 person of a licensee of the office or an applicant for licensure
363 with the office.
364 (4) A full set of fingerprints of a natural person
365 described in subsection (3) must be submitted to the office or
366 to a vendor, an entity, or an agency authorized under s.
367 943.053(13). The office, vendor, entity, or agency shall forward
368 the fingerprints to the Department of Law Enforcement for state
369 processing, and the Department of Law Enforcement shall forward
370 the fingerprints to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for
371 national processing pursuant to s. 624.34(5). Fees for state and
372 federal fingerprint processing must be borne by the person
373 submitting them. The state cost for fingerprint processing is as
374 provided in s. 943.053(3)(e).
375 (5) The Department of Law Enforcement may, to the extent
376 authorized by federal law, exchange state, multistate, and
377 federal criminal history records with the office for the purpose
378 of the issuance, denial, suspension, or revocation of a
379 certificate of authority, certification, registration, or
380 license to operate in this state.
381 (6) The full set of fingerprints for each natural person
382 described in subsection (3) must be submitted in accordance with
383 rules adopted by the commission.
384 (a) Fingerprints may be submitted through a third-party
385 vendor authorized by the Department of Law Enforcement.
386 (b) The Department of Law Enforcement shall conduct a state
387 criminal history background check, and a federal criminal
388 history background check shall be conducted through the Federal
389 Bureau of Investigation.
390 (c) All fingerprints submitted to the Department of Law
391 Enforcement must be submitted and entered into the statewide
392 automated biometric identification system established in s.
393 943.05(2)(b) and be available for use in accordance with s.
394 943.05(2)(g) and (h). The office shall inform the Department of
395 Law Enforcement of the name of any person whose fingerprints no
396 longer need to be retained.
397 (d) The costs of fingerprint processing, including the cost
398 of retaining the fingerprints, must be borne by the natural
399 person subject to the background check.
400 (e) The office shall review the results of the state and
401 federal criminal history background checks and determine whether
402 the applicant meets the requirements for a certificate of
403 authority, certification, registration, or license to operate in
404 this state.
405 (7) The office shall use the statewide criminal records
406 obtained through the Department of Law Enforcement, the federal
407 criminal records obtained through the Federal Bureau of
408 Investigation, and the local criminal records obtained through
409 local law enforcement agencies for the purpose of issuance,
410 denial, suspension, or revocation of certificates of authority,
411 certifications, registrations, or licenses required to operate
412 in this state.
413 Section 7. Section 943.0417, Florida Statutes, is created
414 to read:
415 943.0417 Statewide law enforcement apprenticeship program.
416 The Florida Deputy Sheriffs Association, Inc., shall continue
417 the statewide law enforcement grant program certified by the
418 Department of Education to recruit, select, train, certify, and
419 retain deputy sheriff candidates who lack the funds to attend a
420 certified law enforcement academy within this state. The grants
421 must be awarded to local law enforcement agencies, with priority
422 given for fiscally constrained counties. The association may
423 coordinate with the department to implement the program.
424 Section 8. Section 943.0536, Florida Statutes, is created
425 to read:
426 943.0536 Immigration detainer information; collection and
427 storage; fingerprinting.—
428 (1) As used in this section, the terms “immigration
429 detainer” and “law enforcement agency” have the same meaning as
430 in s. 908.102.
431 (2) The department’s Criminal Justice Information Program,
432 acting as this state’s central criminal justice information
433 repository, shall collect, process, store, maintain, and
434 disseminate immigration detainer information.
435 (3)(a) Each law enforcement agency shall capture and
436 electronically submit to the department, in the manner
437 prescribed by rule, the fingerprints of a qualifying offender as
438 defined in s. 943.325 who is in its custody and subject to an
439 immigration detainer.
440 (b) Upon receipt of the fingerprints required to be
441 submitted pursuant to paragraph (a), the department shall create
442 a record containing the qualifying offender’s immigration
443 detainer information.
444 Section 9. Section 943.0581, Florida Statutes, is amended
445 to read:
446 943.0581 Administrative expunction for arrests or
447 immigration detainer records made contrary to law or by
448 mistake.—
449 (1) Notwithstanding any law dealing generally with the
450 preservation and destruction of public records, the department
451 may adopt a rule pursuant to chapter 120 for the administrative
452 expunction of any nonjudicial record of an arrest or record
453 containing immigration detainer information described in s.
454 943.0536 of a minor or an adult made contrary to law or by
455 mistake.
456 (2) A law enforcement agency shall apply to the department
457 in the manner prescribed by rule for the administrative
458 expunction of any nonjudicial record of any arrest or record
459 containing immigration detainer information described in s.
460 943.0536 of a minor or an adult who is subsequently determined
461 by the agency, at its discretion, or by the final order of a
462 court of competent jurisdiction, to have been arrested or
463 detained contrary to law or by mistake.
464 (3) An adult or, in the case of a minor child, the parent
465 or legal guardian of the minor child, may apply to the
466 department in the manner prescribed by rule for the
467 administrative expunction of any nonjudicial record of an arrest
468 or record containing immigration detainer information described
469 in s. 943.0536 alleged to have been made contrary to law or by
470 mistake, provided that the application is supported by the
471 endorsement of the head of the arresting or detaining agency or
472 his or her designee or the state attorney of the judicial
473 circuit in which the arrest or detainment occurred or his or her
474 designee.
475 (4) An application for administrative expunction shall
476 include the date and time of the arrest, the name of the person
477 arrested, the offender-based tracking system (OBTS) number, and
478 the crime or crimes charged. The application shall be on the
479 submitting agency’s letterhead and shall be signed by the head
480 of the submitting agency or his or her designee.
481 (5) If the person was arrested on a warrant, capias, or
482 pickup order, a request for an administrative expunction may be
483 made by the sheriff of the county in which the warrant, capias,
484 or pickup order was issued or his or her designee or by the
485 state attorney of the judicial circuit in which the warrant,
486 capias, or pickup order was issued or his or her designee.
487 (6) An application for an administrative expunction of a
488 record containing immigration detainer information as described
489 in s. 943.0536 must include the date and time the person was
490 detained, the person’s name, the OBTS number, and information
491 relating to the immigration detainer. The application must be on
492 the submitting agency’s letterhead and must be signed by the
493 head of the submitting agency or his or her designee.
494 (7) An application or endorsement under this section is not
495 admissible as evidence in any judicial or administrative
496 proceeding and may not be construed in any way as an admission
497 of liability in connection with an arrest.
498 Section 10. Paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of section
499 943.11, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
500 943.11 Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission;
501 membership; meetings; compensation.—
502 (1)(a) There is created a Criminal Justice Standards and
503 Training Commission within the Department of Law Enforcement.
504 The Criminal Justice Professionalism Program shall provide staff
505 support to the commission as authorized in s. 943.09; however,
506 the commission must act independently of any criminal justice
507 agency. The commission shall be composed of 19 members,
508 consisting of the Secretary of Corrections or a designated
509 assistant; the Attorney General or a designee; the Director of
510 the Division of the Florida Highway Patrol; and 16 members
511 appointed by the Governor, consisting of 3 sheriffs; 3 chiefs of
512 police; 5 law enforcement officers who are of the rank of
513 sergeant or below within the employing agency; 2 correctional
514 officers, 1 of whom is an administrator of a state correctional
515 institution and 1 of whom is of the rank of sergeant or below
516 within the employing agency; 1 training center director; 1
517 person who is in charge of a county correctional institution;
518 and 1 resident of the state who falls into none of the foregoing
519 classifications. Prior to the appointment, the sheriff, chief of
520 police, law enforcement officer, and correctional officer
521 members must have had at least 4 years’ experience as law
522 enforcement officers or correctional officers.
523 Section 11. Present subsection (10) of section 943.1395,
524 Florida Statutes, is redesignated as subsection (11), and a new
525 subsection (10) is added to that section, to read:
526 943.1395 Certification for employment or appointment;
527 concurrent certification; reemployment or reappointment;
528 inactive status; revocation; suspension; investigation.—
529 (10) Notwithstanding s. 120.60(5), if an administrative
530 complaint is served on a certified law enforcement officer, a
531 correctional officer, a correctional probation officer, or an
532 instructor, commission staff must provide service by certified
533 mail to the licensee’s last known address of record and, if
534 possible, by e-mail. If the person providing service does not
535 provide commission staff with proof of service, commission staff
536 must call the last known telephone number of record and cause a
537 short, plain notice to the licensee to be posted on the front
538 page of the commission’s website.
539 Section 12. Section 943.1726, Florida Statutes, is amended
540 to read:
541 943.1726 Continued employment training relating to diabetic
542 emergencies.—The commission department shall establish an online
543 continued employment training component relating to diabetic
544 emergencies. The training component shall include, but need not
545 be limited to, instruction on the recognition of symptoms of
546 such an emergency, distinguishing such an emergency from alcohol
547 intoxication or drug overdose, and appropriate first aid for
548 such an emergency. Completion of the training component may
549 count toward the 40 hours of instruction for continued
550 employment or appointment as a law enforcement officer required
551 under s. 943.135.
552 Section 13. Section 943.17261, Florida Statutes, is amended
553 to read:
554 943.17261 Department of Law Enforcement; Training related
555 to medical use of marijuana.—The commission Department of Law
556 Enforcement shall develop a 4-hour online initial training
557 course, and a 2-hour online continuing education course, which
558 shall be made available for use by all law enforcement agencies
559 in this state. Such training shall cover the legal parameters of
560 marijuana-related activities governed by ss. 381.986 and 381.988
561 relating to criminal laws governing marijuana.
562 Section 14. Section 943.1727, Florida Statutes, is amended
563 to read:
564 943.1727 Continued employment training relating to autism
565 spectrum disorder.—The commission department shall establish a
566 continued employment training component relating to autism
567 spectrum disorder as defined in s. 627.6686. The training
568 component shall include, but need not be limited to, instruction
569 on the recognition of the symptoms and characteristics of an
570 individual on the autism disorder spectrum and appropriate
571 responses to an individual exhibiting such symptoms and
572 characteristics. Completion of the training component may count
573 toward the 40 hours of instruction for continued employment or
574 appointment as a law enforcement officer required under s.
575 943.135.
576 Section 15. Section 943.17299, Florida Statutes, is amended
577 to read:
578 943.17299 Continued employment training relating to
579 Alzheimer’s disease and related forms of dementia.—The
580 commission department shall establish an online, continued
581 employment training component relating to Alzheimer’s disease
582 and related forms of dementia. The training component must be
583 developed in consultation with the Department of Elder Affairs
584 and must include, but need not be limited to, instruction on
585 interacting with persons with Alzheimer’s disease or a related
586 form of dementia, including instruction on techniques for
587 recognizing behavioral symptoms and characteristics, effective
588 communication, employing the use of alternatives to physical
589 restraints, and identifying signs of abuse, neglect, or
590 exploitation. Completion of the training component may count
591 toward the 40 hours of instruction for continued employment or
592 appointment as a law enforcement officer, correctional officer,
593 or correctional probation officer required under s. 943.135.
594 Section 16. Except as otherwise expressly provided in this
595 act and except for this section, which shall take effect upon
596 this act becoming a law, this act shall take effect July 1,
597 2026.