Florida 2024 2024 Regular Session

Florida House Bill H1285 Comm Sub / Bill

Filed 02/09/2024

                       
 
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A bill to be entitled 1 
An act relating to education; amending ss. 192.0105, 2 
192.048, and 196.082, F.S.; conforming cross -3 
references; amending s. 196.011, F.S.; providing that 4 
an annual application for exemption on property used 5 
to house a charter school is not necessary; requiri ng 6 
the owner or lessee of such property to notify the 7 
property appraiser in specified circumstances; 8 
providing penalties; amending s. 1002.33, F.S.; 9 
authorizing charter schools to give enrollment 10 
preference to certain transfer students; defining the 11 
term "classical school"; revising the definition of 12 
the term "charter school personnel"; amending s. 13 
1002.45, F.S.; providing approved virtual instruction 14 
program provider, virtual charter school, and school 15 
district responsibilities relating to statewide 16 
assessments and progress monitoring for certain 17 
students; creating s. 1003.052, F.S.; establishing the 18 
Purple Star School District Program; providing 19 
requirements for such program; authorizing the 20 
Department of Education to establish additional 21 
program criteria; authorizing the State Board of 22 
Education to adopt rules; amending s. 1003.451, F.S.; 23 
requiring school districts and charter schools to 24 
provide certain students with an opportunity to take 25     
 
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the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery Test 26 
and consult with a military recruiter; providing 27 
requirements for the scheduling of such test; amending 28 
s. 1003.53, F.S.; revising requirements for the 29 
assignment of students to disciplinary programs and 30 
alternative school settings or other programs; 31 
revising requirement s for dropout prevention and 32 
academic intervention programs; requiring such 33 
programs to include academic intervention plans for 34 
students; providing requirements for such plans; 35 
providing that specified provisions apply to all 36 
dropout prevention and academi c intervention programs; 37 
requiring school principals or their designees to make 38 
a reasonable effort to notify parents by specified 39 
means and to document such effort; creating s. 40 
1004.051, F.S.; prohibiting a public postsecondary 41 
institution from implicitly or explicitly prohibiting 42 
specified students from being employed; providing 43 
nonapplicability; amending s. 1006.38, F.S.; requiring 44 
instructional materials publishers and manufacturers 45 
or their representatives to make sample copies of 46 
specified instruction al materials available 47 
electronically for use by certain institutes for a 48 
specified purpose; amending s. 1007.25, F.S.; creating 49 
associate in arts specialized transfer degrees; 50     
 
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providing requirements for such degrees; providing a 51 
process for the approval o f such degree programs; 52 
providing for rulemaking; amending s. 1007.271, F.S.; 53 
requiring district school boards to make reasonable 54 
efforts to enter into specified agreements with a 55 
Florida College System institution for certain online 56 
courses; amending s. 1 008.33, F.S.; revising the date 57 
by which a memorandum of understanding relating to 58 
schools in turnaround status must be provided to the 59 
department; revising requirements for district -managed 60 
turnaround plans; providing requirements for 61 
turnaround schools t hat close and reopen as charter 62 
schools and school districts in which such schools 63 
reside; providing that specified provisions do not 64 
apply to certain turnaround schools; requiring the 65 
state board to adopt rules for a charter school 66 
turnaround contract and specified leases and 67 
agreements; amending s. 1008.34, F.S.; requiring 68 
changes to the school grades model or school grading 69 
scale to take effect after a specified period of time; 70 
amending s. 1009.21, F.S.; providing that a specified 71 
document is a single, c onclusive piece of evidence to 72 
prove residency for tuition purposes; amending s. 73 
1009.98, F.S.; revising the definition of the term 74 
"tuition differential"; revising provisions relating 75     
 
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to certain payments by the Florida Prepaid College 76 
Board; amending s. 1 012.55, F.S.; requiring the state 77 
board to adopt rules for the issuance of a classical 78 
education teaching certificate; providing requirements 79 
for such certificate; defining the term "classical 80 
school"; amending s. 1012.79, F.S.; authorizing the 81 
Commissioner of Education to appoint an executive 82 
director of the Education Practices Commission; 83 
revising the purpose of the commission; authorizing 84 
the commission to expend funds for legal services; 85 
repealing s. 1012.86, F.S., relating to the Florida 86 
College System institution employment equity 87 
accountability program; amending ss. 1001.64 and 88 
1001.65, F.S.; conforming provisions to changes made 89 
by the act; providing an effective date. 90 
 91 
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 92 
 93 
 Section 1.  Paragraph (f) of subsection (1) and paragraphs 94 
(b) and (c) of subsection (2) of section 192.0105, Florida 95 
Statutes, are amended to read: 96 
 192.0105  Taxpayer rights. —There is created a Florida 97 
Taxpayer's Bill of Rights for property taxes and assessments to 98 
guarantee that the rights, privacy, and property of the 99 
taxpayers of this state are adequately safeguarded and protected 100     
 
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during tax levy, assessment, collection, and enforcement 101 
processes administered under the revenue laws of this state. The 102 
Taxpayer's Bill of Rights compiles, in one document, brief but 103 
comprehensive statements that summarize the rights and 104 
obligations of the property appraisers, tax collectors, clerks 105 
of the court, local governing boards, the Department of Revenue, 106 
and taxpayers. Additional rights afforded to payors of taxes and 107 
assessments imposed under the revenue laws of this state are 108 
provided in s. 213.015. The rights afforded taxpayers to assure 109 
that their privacy and property are safeguarded and protected 110 
during tax levy, assessment, a nd collection are available only 111 
insofar as they are implemented in other parts of the Florida 112 
Statutes or rules of the Department of Revenue. The rights so 113 
guaranteed to state taxpayers in the Florida Statutes and the 114 
departmental rules include: 115 
 (1)  THE RIGHT TO KNOW.— 116 
 (f)  The right of an exemption recipient to be sent a 117 
renewal application for that exemption, the right to a receipt 118 
for homestead exemption claim when filed, and the right to 119 
notice of denial of the exemption (see ss. 196.011(7) 120 
196.011(6), 196.131(1), 196.151, and 196.193(1)(c) and (5)). 121 
 122 
Notwithstanding the right to information contained in this 123 
subsection, under s. 197.122 property owners are held to know 124 
that property taxes are due and payable annually and are charged 125     
 
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with a duty to ascertain the amount of current and delinquent 126 
taxes and obtain the necessary information from the applicable 127 
governmental officials. 128 
 (2)  THE RIGHT TO DUE PROCESS. — 129 
 (b)  The right to petition the value adjustment board over 130 
objections to assessments, den ial of exemption, denial of 131 
agricultural classification, denial of historic classification, 132 
denial of high-water recharge classification, disapproval of tax 133 
deferral, and any penalties on deferred taxes imposed for 134 
incorrect information willfully filed. Pa yment of estimated 135 
taxes does not preclude the right of the taxpayer to challenge 136 
his or her assessment (see ss. 194.011(3), 196.011(7) and 137 
(10)(a) 196.011(6) and (9)(a) , 196.151, 196.193(1)(c) and (5), 138 
193.461(2), 193.503(7), 193.625(2), 197.2425, 197.301 (2), and 139 
197.2301(11)). 140 
 (c)  The right to file a petition for exemption or 141 
agricultural classification with the value adjustment board when 142 
an application deadline is missed, upon demonstration of 143 
particular extenuating circumstances for filing late (see ss. 144 
193.461(3)(a) and 196.011(1), (8), (9), and (10)(e) (7), (8), 145 
and (9)(e)). 146 
 Section 2.  Paragraphs (b), (c), and (d) of subsection (1) 147 
of section 192.048, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 148 
 192.048  Electronic transmission. — 149 
 (1)  Subject to subsection (2), the following documents may 150     
 
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be transmitted electronically rather than by regular mail: 151 
 (b)  The tax exemption renewal application required under 152 
s. 196.011(7)(a) s. 196.011(6)(a). 153 
 (c)  The tax exemption renewal application required under 154 
s. 196.011(7)(b) s. 196.011(6)(b). 155 
 (d)  A notification of an intent to deny a tax exemption 156 
required under s. 196.011(10)(e) s. 196.011(9)(e). 157 
 Section 3.  Subsections (3) and (4) of section 196.082, 158 
Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 159 
 196.082  Discounts for disabled veterans; surviving spouse 160 
carryover.— 161 
 (3)  If the partially or totally and permanently disabled 162 
veteran predeceases his or her spouse and if, upon the death of 163 
the veteran, the spouse holds the legal or beneficial title to 164 
the homestead and permanently resides thereon as specified in s. 165 
196.031, the discount from ad valorem tax that the veteran 166 
received carries over to the benefit of the veteran's spouse 167 
until such time as he or she remarries or sells or otherwise 168 
disposes of the property. If the spouse sells or otherwise 169 
disposes of the property, a discount not to exceed the dollar 170 
amount granted from the most recent ad valorem tax roll may be 171 
transferred to his or her new residence, as long as it is used 172 
as his or her primary residence an d he or she does not remarry. 173 
An applicant who is qualified to receive a discount under this 174 
section and who fails to file an application by March 1 may file 175     
 
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an application for the discount and may file a petition pursuant 176 
to s. 194.011(3) with the value a djustment board requesting that 177 
the discount be granted. Such application and petition shall be 178 
subject to the same procedures as for exemptions set forth in s. 179 
196.011(9) s. 196.011(8). 180 
 (4)  To qualify for the discount granted under this 181 
section, an applicant must submit to the county property 182 
appraiser by March 1: 183 
 (a)  An official letter from the United States Department 184 
of Veterans Affairs which states the percentage of the veteran's 185 
service-connected disability and evidence that reasonably 186 
identifies the disability as combat -related; 187 
 (b)  A copy of the veteran's honorable discharge; and 188 
 (c)  Proof of age as of January 1 of the year to which the 189 
discount will apply. 190 
 191 
Any applicant who is qualified to receive a discount under this 192 
section and who fails to file an application by March 1 may file 193 
an application for the discount and may file, pursuant to s. 194 
194.011(3), a petition with the value adjustment board 195 
requesting that the discount be granted. Such application and 196 
petition shall be subject to the s ame procedures as for 197 
exemptions set forth in s. 196.011(9) s. 196.011(8). 198 
 Section 4.  Subsections (5) through (12) of section 199 
196.011, Florida Statutes, are renumbered as subsections (6) 200     
 
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through (13), respectively, present subsections (1), (10), and 201 
(11) are amended, and a new subsection (5) is added to that 202 
section, to read: 203 
 196.011  Annual application required for exemption. — 204 
 (1)(a)  Except as provided in s. 196.081(1)(b), every 205 
person or organization who, on January 1, has the legal title to 206 
real or personal property, except inventory, which is entitled 207 
by law to exemption from taxation as a result of its ownership 208 
and use shall, on or before March 1 of each year, file an 209 
application for exemption with the county property appraiser, 210 
listing and describing the property for which exemption is 211 
claimed and certifying its ownership and use. The Department of 212 
Revenue shall prescribe the forms upon which the application is 213 
made. Failure to make application, when required, on or before 214 
March 1 of any year sh all constitute a waiver of the exemption 215 
privilege for that year, except as provided in subsection (8) 216 
(7) or subsection (9) (8). 217 
 (b)  The form to apply for an exemption under s. 196.031, 218 
s. 196.081, s. 196.091, s. 196.101, s. 196.102, s. 196.173, or 219 
s. 196.202 must include a space for the applicant to list the 220 
social security number of the applicant and of the applicant's 221 
spouse, if any. If an applicant files a timely and otherwise 222 
complete application, and omits the required social security 223 
numbers, the application is incomplete. In that event, the 224 
property appraiser shall contact the applicant, who may refile a 225     
 
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complete application by April 1. Failure to file a complete 226 
application by that date constitutes a waiver of the exemption 227 
privilege for that yea r, except as provided in subsection (8) 228 
(7) or subsection (9) (8). 229 
 (5)  It shall not be necessary to make annual application 230 
for exemption on property used to house a charter school 231 
pursuant to s. 196.1983. The owner or lessee of any property 232 
used to house a charter school pursuant to s. 196.1983 who is 233 
not required to file an annual application shall notify the 234 
property appraiser promptly whenever the use of the property or 235 
the status or condition of the owner or lessee changes so as to 236 
change the exempt status of the property. If any owner or lessee 237 
fails to so notify the property appraiser and the property 238 
appraiser determines that for any year within the prior 10 years 239 
the owner or lessee was not entitled to receive such exemption, 240 
the owner or lessee o f the property is subject to the taxes 241 
exempted as a result of such failure plus 15 percent interest 242 
per annum and a penalty of 50 percent of the taxes exempted. The 243 
property appraiser making such determination shall record in the 244 
public records of the cou nty a notice of tax lien against any 245 
property owned by that person or entity in the county, and such 246 
property must be identified in the notice of tax lien. Such 247 
property is subject to the payment of all taxes and penalties. 248 
Such lien when filed shall attac h to any property, identified in 249 
the notice of tax lien, owned by the person or entity who 250     
 
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illegally or improperly received the exemption. If such person 251 
or entity no longer owns property in that county but owns 252 
property in some other county or counties in the state, the 253 
property appraiser shall record a notice of tax lien in such 254 
other county or counties, identifying the property owned by such 255 
person or entity in such county or counties, and it shall become 256 
a lien against such property in such county or co unties. 257 
 (11)(10) At the option of the property appraiser and 258 
notwithstanding any other provision of this section, initial or 259 
original applications for homestead exemption for the succeeding 260 
year may be accepted and granted after March 1. Reapplication on 261 
a short form as authorized by subsection (6) (5) shall be 262 
required if the county has not waived the requirement of an 263 
annual application. Once the initial or original application and 264 
reapplication have been granted, the property may qualify for 265 
the exemption in each succeeding year pursuant to the provisions 266 
of subsection (7) (6) or subsection (10) (9). 267 
 (12)(11) For exemptions enumerated in paragraph (1)(b), 268 
social security numbers of the applicant and the applicant's 269 
spouse, if any, are required and mus t be submitted to the 270 
department. Applications filed pursuant to subsection (6) (5) or 271 
subsection (7) (6) shall include social security numbers of the 272 
applicant and the applicant's spouse, if any. For counties where 273 
the annual application requirement has been waived, property 274 
appraisers may require refiling of an application to obtain such 275     
 
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information. 276 
 Section 5.  Paragraph (d) of subsection (10) and paragraph 277 
(a) of subsection (24) of section 1002.33, Florida Statutes, are 278 
amended to read: 279 
 1002.33  Charter schools. — 280 
 (10)  ELIGIBLE STUDENTS. — 281 
 (d)  A charter school may give enrollment preference to the 282 
following student populations: 283 
 1.  Students who are siblings of a student enrolled in the 284 
charter school. 285 
 2.  Students who are the children of a member of the 286 
governing board of the charter school. 287 
 3.  Students who are the children of an employee of the 288 
charter school. 289 
 4.  Students who are the children of: 290 
 a.  An employee of the business partner of a charter 291 
school-in-the-workplace established under paragraph (15)(b) or a 292 
resident of the municipality in which such charter school is 293 
located; or 294 
 b.  A resident or employee of a municipality that operates 295 
a charter school-in-a-municipality pursuant to paragraph (15)(c) 296 
or allows a charter school to use a school facility or portion 297 
of land provided by the municipality for the operation of the 298 
charter school. 299 
 5.  Students who have successfully completed, during the 300     
 
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previous year, a voluntary prekindergarten education program 301 
under ss. 1002.51-1002.79 provided by the charter school, the 302 
charter school's governing board, or a voluntary prekindergarten 303 
provider that has a written agreement with the governing board. 304 
 6.  Students who are the children of an active duty member 305 
of any branch of the United States Armed Forces. 306 
 7.  Students who attended or are assigned to failing 307 
schools pursuant to s. 1002.38(2). 308 
 8.  Students who are the children of a safe -school officer, 309 
as defined in s. 1006.12, at the school. 310 
 9.  Students who transfer from a classical school in the 311 
state to a charter classical school in the state. For purposes 312 
of this subparagraph, the term "class ical school" means a 313 
traditional public school or charter school which implements a 314 
classical education school model that emphasizes the development 315 
of students in the principles of moral character and civic 316 
virtue through a well -rounded education in the l iberal arts and 317 
sciences that is based on the classical trivium stages of 318 
grammar, logic, and rhetoric. 319 
 (24)  RESTRICTION ON EMPLOYMENT OF RELATIVES. — 320 
 (a)  This subsection applies to charter school personnel in 321 
a charter school operated by a private enti ty. As used in this 322 
subsection, the term: 323 
 1.  "Charter school personnel" means a charter school 324 
owner, president, chairperson of the governing board of 325     
 
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directors, superintendent, governing board member, principal, 326 
assistant principal, or any other person employed by the charter 327 
school who has equivalent decisionmaking authority and in whom 328 
is vested the authority, or to whom the authority has been 329 
delegated, to appoint, employ, promote, or advance individuals 330 
or to recommend individuals for appointment, em ployment, 331 
promotion, or advancement in connection with employment in a 332 
charter school, including the authority as a member of a 333 
governing body of a charter school to vote on the appointment, 334 
employment, promotion, or advancement of individuals. 335 
 2.  "Relative" means father, mother, son, daughter, 336 
brother, sister, uncle, aunt, first cousin, nephew, niece, 337 
husband, wife, father -in-law, mother-in-law, son-in-law, 338 
daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, stepfather, 339 
stepmother, stepson, stepdaughter, ste pbrother, stepsister, half 340 
brother, or half sister. 341 
 342 
Charter school personnel in schools operated by a municipality 343 
or other public entity are subject to s. 112.3135. 344 
 Section 6.  Paragraph (b) of subsection (5) of section 345 
1002.45, Florida Statutes, is a mended to read: 346 
 1002.45  Virtual instruction programs. — 347 
 (5)  STUDENT PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS. —Each student 348 
enrolled in the school district's virtual instruction program 349 
authorized pursuant to paragraph (1)(c) must: 350     
 
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 (b)  Take statewide assessments pur suant to s. 1008.22 and 351 
participate in the coordinated screening and progress monitoring 352 
system under s. 1008.25(9). Statewide assessments and progress 353 
monitoring may be administered within the school district in 354 
which such student resides , or as specified in the contract 355 
under in accordance with s. 1008.24(3). If requested by the 356 
approved virtual instruction program provider or virtual charter 357 
school, the district of residence must provide the student with 358 
access to the district's testing facilities. It is the 359 
responsibility of the approved virtual instruction program 360 
provider or virtual charter school to provide a list of students 361 
to be administered statewide assessments and progress monitoring 362 
to the school district, including the students' names, Florida 363 
Education Identifiers, grade levels, assessments and progress 364 
monitoring to be administered, and contact information.  Unless 365 
an alternative testing site is mutually agreed to by the 366 
approved virtual instruction program provider or virtual charter 367 
school and the school district, or as specified in the contract 368 
under s.  1008.24, all assessments and progress monitoring must 369 
be taken at the school to which the student would be assigned 370 
according to district school board attendance policies. A school 371 
district must provide the student with access to the school's or 372 
district's testing facilities and provide the student with the 373 
date and time of the administration of each assessment and 374 
progress monitoring. 375     
 
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 Section 7.  Section 1003.052, Florida Statutes, is cr eated 376 
to read: 377 
 1003.052  The Purple Star School District Program. — 378 
 (1)(a)  The Department of Education shall establish the 379 
Purple Star School District Program. At a minimum, the program 380 
must require a participating school district to: 381 
 1.  Have at least 75 percent of the schools within the 382 
district be designated as Purple Star Campuses under s. 383 
1003.051. 384 
 2.  Maintain a web page on the district's website which 385 
includes resources for military students and their families and 386 
a link to each Purple Star Campu s's web page that meets the 387 
requirements of s. 1003.051(2)(a)2. 388 
 (b)  The department may establish additional program 389 
criteria to identify school districts that demonstrate a 390 
commitment to or provide critical coordination of services for 391 
military students and their families, including, but not limited 392 
to, establishing a council consisting of a representative from 393 
each Purple Star Campus in the district and one district -level 394 
representative to ensure the alignment of military student -395 
focused policies and pro cedures within the district. 396 
 (2)  The State Board of Education may adopt rules to 397 
administer this section. 398 
 Section 8.  Subsection (4) of section 1003.451, Florida 399 
Statutes, is renumbered as subsection (5), and a new subsection 400     
 
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(4) is added to that sect ion to read: 401 
 1003.451  Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps; military 402 
recruiters; access to public school campuses ; Armed Services 403 
Vocational Aptitude Battery Test (ASVAB) .— 404 
 (4)  Each school district and charter school shall provide 405 
students in grades 11 and 12 an opportunity to take the Armed 406 
Services Vocational Aptitude Battery Test (ASVAB) and consult 407 
with a military recruiter if the student selects. To optimize 408 
student participation, the ASVAB must be scheduled during normal 409 
school hours. 410 
 Section 9.  Paragraphs (a) and (c) of subsection (1) and 411 
subsections (2) through (7) of section 1003.53, Florida 412 
Statutes, are amended to read: 413 
 1003.53  Dropout prevention and academic intervention. — 414 
 (1)(a)  Dropout prevention and academic intervention 415 
programs may differ from traditional educational programs and 416 
schools in scheduling, administrative structure, philosophy, 417 
curriculum, or setting and shall employ alternative teaching 418 
methodologies, curricula, learning activities, and diagnostic 419 
and assessment procedures in order to meet the needs, interests, 420 
abilities, and talents of eligible students. The educational 421 
program shall provide curricula, character development and law 422 
education, and related services that support the program goals 423 
and lead to improved performance in the areas of academic 424 
achievement, attendance, and discipline. Student participation 425     
 
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in such programs shall be voluntary. District school boards may, 426 
however, assign students to a disciplinary program for 427 
disruptive students or an alternative school setting or other 428 
program pursuant to s. 1006.13 . Notwithstanding any other 429 
provision of law to the contrary, no student shall be identified 430 
as being eligible to receive services funded through the dropout 431 
prevention and academic intervention progr am based solely on the 432 
student being from a single -parent family or having a 433 
disability. 434 
 (c)  A student shall be identified as being eligible to 435 
receive services funded through the dropout prevention and 436 
academic intervention program based upon one of the following 437 
criteria: 438 
 1.  The student is academically unsuccessful as evidenced 439 
by low test scores, retention, failing grades, low grade point 440 
average, falling behind in earning credits, or not meeting the 441 
state or district achievement levels in reading, mathematics, or 442 
writing. 443 
 2.  The student has a pattern of excessive absenteeism or 444 
has been identified as a habitual truant. 445 
 3.  The student has a history of disruptive behavior in 446 
school or has committed an offense that warrants out -of-school 447 
suspension or expulsion from school according to the district 448 
school board's code of student conduct. For the purposes of this 449 
program, "disruptive behavior" is behavior that: 450     
 
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 a.  Interferes with the student's own learning or the 451 
educational process of others and r equires attention and 452 
assistance beyond that which the traditional program can provide 453 
or results in frequent conflicts of a disruptive nature while 454 
the student is under the jurisdiction of the school either in or 455 
out of the classroom; or 456 
 b.  Severely threatens the general welfare of students or 457 
others with whom the student comes into contact. 458 
 4.  The student is identified by a school's early warning 459 
system pursuant to s. 1001.42(18)(b). 460 
 (2)(a)  Each district school board may establish dropout 461 
prevention and academic intervention programs at the elementary, 462 
middle, junior high school, or high school level. Programs 463 
designed to eliminate patterns of excessive absenteeism or 464 
habitual truancy shall emphasize academic performance and may 465 
provide specific inst ruction in the areas of career education, 466 
preemployment training, and behavioral management. Such programs 467 
shall utilize instructional teaching methods and student 468 
services that lead to improved student behavior as appropriate 469 
to the specific needs of the student. 470 
 (b)  Each school that establishes a dropout prevention and 471 
academic intervention program at that school site shall reflect 472 
that program in the school improvement plan as required under s. 473 
1001.42(18). 474 
 (c)  For each student enrolled in a dropout prevention and 475     
 
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academic intervention program, an academic intervention plan 476 
shall be developed to address eligibility for placement in the 477 
program and to provide individualized student goals and progress 478 
monitoring procedures. A student's academic interven tion plan 479 
must be consistent with the student's individual education plan 480 
(IEP). 481 
 (3)  Each district school board providing receiving state 482 
funding for dropout prevention and academic intervention 483 
programs through the General Appropriations Act shall submit 484 
information through an annual report to the Department of 485 
Education's database documenting the extent to which each of the 486 
district's dropout prevention and academic intervention programs 487 
has been successful in the areas of graduation rate, dropout 488 
rate, attendance rate, and retention/promotion rate. The 489 
department shall compile this information into an annual report 490 
which shall be submitted to the presiding officers of the 491 
Legislature by February 15. 492 
 (4)  Each district school board shall establish cours e 493 
standards, as defined by rule of the State Board of Education, 494 
for dropout prevention and academic intervention programs and 495 
procedures for ensuring that teachers assigned to the programs 496 
are certified pursuant to s. 1012.55 and possess the affective, 497 
pedagogical, and content -related skills necessary to meet the 498 
needs of these students. 499 
 (5)  Each district school board providing a dropout 500     
 
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prevention and academic intervention program pursuant to this 501 
section shall maintain for each participating student re cords 502 
documenting the student's eligibility, the length of 503 
participation, the type of program to which the student was 504 
assigned or the type of academic intervention services provided, 505 
and an evaluation of the student's academic and behavioral 506 
performance while in the program. Before The school principal or 507 
his or her designee shall, prior to placement in a dropout 508 
prevention and academic intervention program or the provision of 509 
an academic service, the school principal or his or her designee 510 
shall provide written notice of placement or services by 511 
certified mail, return receipt requested, to the student's 512 
parent; shall make a reasonable effort to notify the student's 513 
parent by telephone or e -mail, or both; and must document such 514 
effort. The parent of the stu dent shall sign an acknowledgment 515 
of the notice of placement or service and return the signed 516 
acknowledgment to the principal within 3 days after receipt of 517 
the notice. The parents of a student assigned to such a dropout 518 
prevention and academic interventio n program shall be notified 519 
in writing and entitled to an administrative review of any 520 
action by school personnel relating to such placement pursuant 521 
to the provisions of chapter 120. 522 
 (6)  District school board dropout prevention and academic 523 
intervention programs shall be coordinated with social service, 524 
law enforcement, prosecutorial, and juvenile justice agencies 525     
 
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and juvenile assessment centers in the school district. 526 
Notwithstanding the provisions of s. 1002.22, these agencies are 527 
authorized to exchang e information contained in student records 528 
and juvenile justice records. Such information is confidential 529 
and exempt from the provisions of s. 119.07(1). District school 530 
boards and other agencies receiving such information shall use 531 
the information only fo r official purposes connected with the 532 
certification of students for admission to and for the 533 
administration of the dropout prevention and academic 534 
intervention program, and shall maintain the confidentiality of 535 
such information unless otherwise provided b y law or rule. 536 
 (7)  The State Board of Education shall have the authority 537 
pursuant to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 to adopt rules necessary 538 
to implement the provisions of this section; such rules shall 539 
require the minimum amount of necessary paperwork and re porting. 540 
 Section 10.  Section 1004.051, Florida Statutes, is created 541 
to read:  542 
 1004.051  Regulation of working students. — 543 
 (1)  A public postsecondary institution may not, as a 544 
condition of admission to or enrollment in any of the 545 
institution's schools , colleges, or programs, implicitly or 546 
explicitly prohibit an applicant or currently enrolled student 547 
from being employed, either full time or part time. 548 
 (2)  This section does not apply if the applicant or 549 
currently enrolled student is employed by an organization or 550     
 
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agency that is affiliated or associated with a foreign country 551 
of concern as defined in s. 288.860(1). 552 
 Section 11.  Subsections (3) through (16) of section 553 
1006.38, Florida Statutes, are renumbered as subsections (4) 554 
through (17), respectively, present subsections (14) and (16) 555 
are amended, and a new subsection (3) is added to that section, 556 
to read: 557 
 1006.38  Duties, responsibilities, and req uirements of 558 
instructional materials publishers and manufacturers. —This 559 
section applies to both the state and district approval 560 
processes. Publishers and manufacturers of instructional 561 
materials, or their representatives, shall: 562 
 (3)  For each adoption cyc le, make sample copies of all 563 
instructional materials on the commissioner's list of state -564 
adopted instructional materials available electronically for use 565 
by educator preparation institutes as defined in s. 1004.85(1) 566 
to enable educators to practice teachi ng with currently adopted 567 
instructional materials aligned to state academic standards. 568 
 (15)(14) Accurately and fully disclose only the names of 569 
those persons who actually authored the instructional materials. 570 
In addition to the penalties provided in subs ection (17) (16), 571 
the commissioner may remove from the list of state -adopted 572 
instructional materials those instructional materials whose 573 
publisher or manufacturer misleads the purchaser by falsely 574 
representing genuine authorship. 575     
 
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 (17)(16) Upon the willful failure of the publisher or 576 
manufacturer to comply with the requirements of this section, be 577 
liable to the department in the amount of three times the total 578 
sum which the publisher or manufacturer was paid in excess of 579 
the price required under subsection s (6) (5) and (7) (6) and in 580 
the amount of three times the total value of the instructional 581 
materials and services which the district school board is 582 
entitled to receive free of charge under subsection (8) (7). 583 
 Section 12.  Subsections (9) and (12) of s ection 1007.25, 584 
Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 585 
 1007.25  General education courses; common prerequisites; 586 
other degree requirements. — 587 
 (9)(a) An associate in arts degree must shall require no 588 
more than 60 semester hours of college credit and inclu de 36 589 
semester hours of general education coursework. Beginning with 590 
students initially entering a Florida College System institution 591 
or state university in the 2014-2015 academic year and 592 
thereafter, coursework for an associate in arts degree must 593 
shall include demonstration of competency in a foreign language 594 
pursuant to s. 1007.262. Except for developmental education 595 
required pursuant to s. 1008.30, all required coursework must 596 
shall count toward the associate in arts degree or the 597 
baccalaureate degree. 598 
 (b)  An associate in arts specialized transfer degree must 599 
include 36 semester hours of general education coursework and 600     
 
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require 60 semester hours or more of college credit. Specialized 601 
transfer degrees are designed for Florida College System 602 
institution students who need supplemental lower -level 603 
coursework in preparation for transfer to another institution. 604 
The State Board of Education shall establish criteria for the 605 
review and approval of new specialized transfer degrees. The 606 
approval process must requi re: 607 
 1.  A Florida College System institution to submit a notice 608 
of its intent to propose a new associate in arts specialized 609 
degree program to the Division of Florida Colleges. The notice 610 
must include the recommended credit hours, the rationale for the 611 
specialization, the demand for students entering the field, and 612 
the coursework being proposed to be included beyond the 60 613 
semester hours required for the general transfer degree, if 614 
applicable. Notices of intent may be submitted by a Florida 615 
College System institution at any time. 616 
 2.  The Division of Florida Colleges to forward the notice 617 
of intent within 10 business days after receipt to all Florida 618 
College System institutions and the Chancellor of the State 619 
University System, who shall forward the notice to all state 620 
universities. State universities and Florida College System 621 
institutions shall have 60 days after receipt of the notice to 622 
submit comments to the proposed associate in arts specialized 623 
transfer degree. 624 
 3.  After the submission of comments pursuant to 625     
 
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subparagraph 2., the requesting Florida College System 626 
institution to submit a proposal that, at a minimum, includes: 627 
 a.  Evidence that the coursework for the associate in arts 628 
specialized transfer degree i ncludes demonstration of competency 629 
in a foreign language pursuant to s. 1007.262 and demonstration 630 
of civic literacy competency as provided in subsection (5). 631 
 b.  Demonstration that all required coursework will count 632 
toward the associate in arts degree o r the baccalaureate degree. 633 
 c.  An analysis of demand and unmet need for students 634 
entering the specialized field of study at the baccalaureate 635 
level. 636 
 d.  Justification for the program length if it exceeds 60 637 
credit hours, including references to the com mon prerequisite 638 
manual or other requirements for the baccalaureate degree. This 639 
includes documentation of alignment between the exit 640 
requirements of a Florida College System institution and the 641 
admissions requirements of a baccalaureate program at a state 642 
university to which students would typically transfer. 643 
 e.  Articulation agreements for graduates of the associate 644 
in arts specialized transfer degree. 645 
 f.  Responses to the comments received under subparagraph 646 
2. 647 
 (c)  The Division of Florida Colleges sh all review the 648 
proposal and, within 30 days after receipt, shall provide 649 
written notification to the Florida College System institution 650     
 
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of any deficiencies and provide the institution with an 651 
opportunity to correct the deficiencies. Within 45 days after 652 
receipt of a completed proposal by the Division of Florida 653 
Colleges, the Commissioner of Education shall recommend approval 654 
or disapproval of the new specialized transfer degree to the 655 
State Board of Education. The State Board of Education shall 656 
consider the recommendation at its next meeting. 657 
 (d)  Upon approval of an associate in arts specialized 658 
transfer degree by the State Board of Education, a Florida 659 
College System institution may offer the degree and shall report 660 
data on student and program performance in a manner prescribed 661 
by the Department of Education. 662 
 (e)  The State Board of Education shall adopt rules 663 
pursuant to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54 to prescribe format and 664 
content requirements and submission procedures for notices of 665 
intent, proposals, and compliance reviews under this subsection. 666 
 (12)  A student who received an associate in arts degree 667 
for successfully completing 60 semester credit hours may 668 
continue to earn additional credits at a Florida College System 669 
institution. The university must pr ovide credit toward the 670 
student's baccalaureate degree for an additional Florida College 671 
System institution course if, according to the statewide course 672 
numbering, the Florida College System institution course is a 673 
course listed in the university catalog a s required for the 674 
degree or as prerequisite to a course required for the degree. 675     
 
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Of the courses required for the degree, at least half of the 676 
credit hours required for the degree must shall be achievable 677 
through courses designated as lower division, except in degree 678 
programs approved by the State Board of Education for programs 679 
offered by Florida College System institutions and by the Board 680 
of Governors for programs offered by state universi ties. 681 
 Section 13.  Subsection (4) of section 1007.271, Florida 682 
Statutes, is amended to read: 683 
 1007.271  Dual enrollment programs. — 684 
 (4)(a) District school boards may not refuse to enter into 685 
a dual enrollment articulation agreement with a local Florida 686 
College System institution if that Florida College System 687 
institution has the capacity to offer dual enrollment courses. 688 
 (b)  District school boards must make reasonable efforts to 689 
enter into dual enrollment articulation agreements with a 690 
Florida College System institution which offers online dual 691 
enrollment courses. 692 
 Section 14.  Subsections (4) and (5) of section 1008.33, 693 
Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 694 
 1008.33  Authority to enforce public school improvement. — 695 
 (4)(a)  The state board shall ap ply intensive intervention 696 
and support strategies tailored to the needs of schools earning 697 
two consecutive grades of "D" or a grade of "F." In the first 698 
full school year after a school initially earns a grade of "D," 699 
the school district must immediately im plement intervention and 700     
 
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support strategies prescribed in rule under paragraph (3)(c).  701 
For a school that initially earns a grade of "F" or a second 702 
consecutive grade of "D," the school district must either 703 
continue implementing or immediately begin implem enting 704 
intervention and support strategies prescribed in rule under 705 
paragraph (3)(c) and , for the 2024-2025 school year, provide the 706 
department, by September 1, with the memorandum of understanding 707 
negotiated pursuant to s. 1001.42(21) and, by October 1, a 708 
district-managed turnaround plan for approval by the state 709 
board. For the 2025-2026 school year and thereafter, the school 710 
district must provide the department, by August 1, with the 711 
memorandum of understanding negotiated pursuant to s. 712 
1001.42(21) and a district-managed turnaround plan for approval 713 
by the state board. The plan must include measurable academic 714 
benchmarks that put the school on a path to earning and 715 
maintaining a grade of "C" or higher The district-managed 716 
turnaround plan may include a prop osal for the district to 717 
implement an extended school day, a summer program, a 718 
combination of an extended school day and a summer program, or 719 
any other option authorized under paragraph (b) for state board 720 
approval. A school district is not required to wai t until a 721 
school earns a second consecutive grade of "D" to submit a 722 
turnaround plan for approval by the state board under this 723 
paragraph. Upon approval by the state board, the school district 724 
must implement the plan for the remainder of the school year an d 725     
 
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continue the plan for 1 full school year. The state board may 726 
allow a school an additional year of implementation before the 727 
school must implement a turnaround option required under 728 
paragraph (b) if it determines that the school is likely to 729 
improve to a grade of "C" or higher after the first full school 730 
year of implementation. 731 
 (b)  Unless an additional year of implementation is 732 
provided pursuant to paragraph (a), a school that completes a 733 
plan cycle under paragraph (a) and does not improve to a grade 734 
of "C" or higher must implement one of the following : 735 
 1.  Reassign students to another school and monitor the 736 
progress of each reassigned student; 737 
 2.  Close the school and reopen the school as one or more 738 
charter schools, each with a governing board that h as a 739 
demonstrated record of effectiveness . Upon reopening as a 740 
charter school: 741 
 a.  The school district shall continue to operate the 742 
school for the following school year and no later than October 1 743 
execute a charter school turnaround contract that will al low the 744 
charter school an opportunity to conduct an evaluation of the 745 
educational program and personnel currently assigned to the 746 
school during the year in preparation for assuming full 747 
operational control of the school and facility by July 1. The 748 
school district may not reduce or remove resources from the 749 
school during this time. 750     
 
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 b.  The charter school operator must provide enrollment 751 
preference to students currently attending or who would have 752 
otherwise attended or been zoned for the school. The school 753 
district shall consult and negotiate with the charter school 754 
every 3 years to determine whether realignment of the attendance 755 
zone is appropriate to ensure that students residing closest to 756 
the school are provided with an enrollment preference. 757 
 c.  The charter school operator must serve the existing 758 
grade levels served by the school at its current enrollment or 759 
higher, but may, at its discretion, serve additional grade 760 
levels. 761 
 d.  The school district may not charge rental or leasing 762 
fees for the existing f acility or for the property normally 763 
inventoried to the school. The charter school and the school 764 
district shall agree to reasonable maintenance provisions in 765 
order to maintain the facility in a manner similar to all other 766 
school facilities in the school d istrict. 767 
 e.  The school district may not withhold an administrative 768 
fee for the provision of services identified in s. 769 
1002.33(20)(a); or 770 
 3.  Contract with an outside entity that has a demonstrated 771 
record of effectiveness to provide turnaround services 772 
identified in state board rule, which may include school 773 
leadership, educational modalities, teacher and leadership 774 
professional development, curriculum, operation and management 775     
 
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services, school-based administrative staffing, budgeting, 776 
scheduling, other educational service provider functions, or any 777 
combination thereof. Selection of an outside entity may include 778 
one or a combination of the following: 779 
 a.  An external operator, which may be a district -managed 780 
charter school or a high -performing charter scho ol network in 781 
which all instructional personnel are not employees of the 782 
school district, but are employees of an independent governing 783 
board composed of members who did not participate in the review 784 
or approval of the charter. 785 
 b.  A contractual agreement that allows for a charter 786 
school network or any of its affiliated subsidiaries to provide 787 
individualized consultancy services tailored to address the 788 
identified needs of one or more schools under this section. 789 
 790 
A school district and outside entity under this subparagraph 791 
must enter, at minimum, a 2 -year, performance-based contract. 792 
The contract must include school performance and growth metrics 793 
the outside entity must meet on an annual basis. The state board 794 
may require the school district to modify or ca ncel the 795 
contract. 796 
 (c)  Implementation of the turnaround option is no longer 797 
required if the school improves to a grade of "C" or higher , 798 
unless the school district has already executed a charter school 799 
turnaround contract pursuant to this section . 800     
 
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 (d)  If a school earning two consecutive grades of "D" or a 801 
grade of "F" does not improve to a grade of "C" or higher after 802 
2 school years of implementing the turnaround option selected by 803 
the school district under paragraph (b), the school district 804 
must implement another turnaround option. Implementation of the 805 
turnaround option must begin the school year following the 806 
implementation period of the existing turnaround option, unless 807 
the state board determines that the school is likely to improve 808 
to a grade of "C" or higher if additional time is provided to 809 
implement the existing turnaround option. 810 
 (5)  The state board shall adopt rules pursuant to ss. 811 
120.536(1) and 120.54 to administer this section. The rules 812 
shall include timelines for submission of implementa tion plans, 813 
approval criteria for implementation plans, and timelines for 814 
implementing intervention and support strategies , a standard 815 
charter school turnaround contract, a standard facility lease, 816 
and a mutual management agreement . The state board shall c onsult 817 
with education stakeholders in developing the rules. 818 
 Section 15.  Paragraph (c) of subsection (3) of section 819 
1008.34, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 820 
 1008.34  School grading system; school report cards; 821 
district grade.— 822 
 (3)  DESIGNATION OF SCHOOL GRADES.— 823 
 (c)1.  The calculation of a school grade shall be based on 824 
the percentage of points earned from the components listed in 825     
 
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subparagraph (b)1. and, if applicable, subparagraph (b)2. The 826 
State Board of Education shall adopt in rule a school grading 827 
scale that sets the percentage of points needed to earn each of 828 
the school grades listed in subsection (2). There shall be at 829 
least five percentage points separating the percentage 830 
thresholds needed to earn each of the school grades. The state 831 
board shall annually review the percentage of school grades of 832 
"A" and "B" for the school year to determine whether to adjust 833 
the school grading scale upward for the following school year's 834 
school grades. The first adjustment would occur no earlier than 835 
the 2023-2024 school year. An adjustment must be made if the 836 
percentage of schools earning a grade of "A" or "B" in the 837 
current year represents 75 percent or more of all graded schools 838 
within a particular school type, which consists of elementary, 839 
middle, high, and combination. The adjustment must reset the 840 
minimum required percentage of points for each grade of "A," 841 
"B," "C," or "D" at the next highest percentage ending in the 842 
numeral 5 or 0, whichever is closest to the current percentage. 843 
Annual reviews of the percentage of schools earning a grade of 844 
"A" or "B" and adjustments to the required points must be 845 
suspended when the following grading scale for a specific school 846 
type is achieved: 847 
 a.  Ninety percent or more of the points for a grade of 848 
"A." 849 
 b.  Eighty to eighty-nine percent of the points for a grade 850     
 
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of "B." 851 
 c.  Seventy to seventy -nine percent of the points for a 852 
grade of "C." 853 
 d.  Sixty to sixty-nine percent of the points for a grade 854 
of "D." 855 
 856 
When the state board adjusts the grading scale upward, the s tate 857 
board must inform the public of the degree of the adjustment and 858 
its anticipated impact on school grades. Beginning in the 2024 -859 
2025 school year, any changes made by the state board to 860 
components in the school grades model or to the school grading 861 
scale shall take effect, at the earliest, in the following 862 
school year. 863 
 2.  The calculation of school grades may not include any 864 
provision that would raise or lower the school's grade beyond 865 
the percentage of points earned. Extra weight may not be added 866 
in the calculation of any components. 867 
 Section 16.  Paragraph (c) of subsection (3) of section 868 
1009.21, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 869 
 1009.21  Determination of resident status for tuition 870 
purposes.—Students shall be classified as residents or 871 
nonresidents for the purpose of assessing tuition in 872 
postsecondary educational programs offered by charter technical 873 
career centers or career centers operated by school districts, 874 
in Florida College System institutions, and in state 875     
 
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universities. 876 
 (3) 877 
 (c)  Each institution of higher education shall 878 
affirmatively determine that an applicant who has been granted 879 
admission to that institution as a Florida resident meets the 880 
residency requirements of this section at the time of initial 881 
enrollment. The residency dete rmination must be documented by 882 
the submission of written or electronic verification that 883 
includes two or more of the documents identified in this 884 
paragraph, unless the document provided is the document in sub -885 
subparagraph 1.f., which is deemed a single, c onclusive piece of 886 
evidence proving residency . No single piece of evidence shall be 887 
conclusive. 888 
 1.  The documents must include at least one of the 889 
following: 890 
 a.  A Florida voter's registration card. 891 
 b.  A Florida driver license. 892 
 c.  A State of Florida identification card. 893 
 d.  A Florida vehicle registration. 894 
 e.  Proof of a permanent home in Florida which is occupied 895 
as a primary residence by the individual or by the individual's 896 
parent if the individual is a dependent child. 897 
 f.  Proof of a homestead e xemption in Florida. 898 
 g.  Transcripts from a Florida high school for multiple 899 
years if the Florida high school diploma or high school 900     
 
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equivalency diploma was earned within the last 12 months. 901 
 h.  Proof of permanent full -time employment in Florida for 902 
at least 30 hours per week for a 12 -month period. 903 
 2.  The documents may include one or more of the following: 904 
 a.  A declaration of domicile in Florida. 905 
 b.  A Florida professional or occupational license. 906 
 c.  Florida incorporation. 907 
 d.  A document evidencing family ties in Florida. 908 
 e.  Proof of membership in a Florida -based charitable or 909 
professional organization. 910 
 f.  Any other documentation that supports the student's 911 
request for resident status, including, but not limited to, 912 
utility bills and proof of 12 consecutive months of payments; a 913 
lease agreement and proof of 12 consecutive months of payments; 914 
or an official state, federal, or court document evidencing 915 
legal ties to Florida. 916 
 Section 17.  Paragraphs (a) through (f) of subsection (10) 917 
of section 1009.98, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 918 
 1009.98  Stanley G. Tate Florida Prepaid College Program. — 919 
 (10)  PAYMENTS ON BEHALF OF QUALIFIED BENEFICIARIES. — 920 
 (a)  As used in this subsection, the term: 921 
 1.  "Actuarial reserve" means the amoun t by which the 922 
expected value of the assets exceeds the expected value of the 923 
liabilities of the trust fund. 924 
 2.  "Dormitory fees" means the fees included under advance 925     
 
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payment contracts pursuant to paragraph (2)(d). 926 
 3.  "Fiscal year" means the fiscal yea r of the state 927 
pursuant to s. 215.01. 928 
 4.  "Local fees" means the fees covered by an advance 929 
payment contract provided pursuant to subparagraph (2)(b)2. 930 
 5.  "Tuition differential" means the fee covered by advance 931 
payment contracts sold pursuant to subpara graph (2)(b)3. The 932 
base rate for the tuition differential fee for the 2012 -2013 933 
fiscal year is established at $37.03 per credit hour. The base 934 
rate for the tuition differential in subsequent years is the 935 
amount assessed for the tuition differential for the preceding 936 
year adjusted pursuant to subparagraph (b)2. 937 
 (b)  Effective with the 2022-2023 2009-2010 academic year 938 
and thereafter, and notwithstanding s. 1009.24, the amount paid 939 
by the board to any state university on behalf of a qualified 940 
beneficiary of an advance payment contract whose contract was 941 
purchased before July 1, 2034 July 1, 2024, shall be: 942 
 1.  As to registration fees, if the actuarial reserve is 943 
less than 5 percent of the expected liabilities of the trust 944 
fund, the board shall pay the state universities 5.5 percent 945 
above the amount assessed for registration fees in the preceding 946 
fiscal year. If the actuarial reserve is between 5 percent and 6 947 
percent of the expected liabilities of the trust fund, the board 948 
shall pay the state universities 6 p ercent above the amount 949 
assessed for registration fees in the preceding fiscal year. If 950     
 
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the actuarial reserve is between 6 percent and 7.5 percent of 951 
the expected liabilities of the trust fund, the board shall pay 952 
the state universities 6.5 percent above t he amount assessed for 953 
registration fees in the preceding fiscal year. If the actuarial 954 
reserve is equal to or greater than 7.5 percent of the expected 955 
liabilities of the trust fund, the board shall pay the state 956 
universities 7 percent above the amount ass essed for 957 
registration fees in the preceding fiscal year, whichever is 958 
greater. 959 
 2.  As to the tuition differential, if the actuarial 960 
reserve is less than 5 percent of the expected liabilities of 961 
the trust fund, the board shall pay the state universities 5 .5 962 
percent above the amount assessed base rate for the tuition 963 
differential fee in the preceding fiscal year. If the actuarial 964 
reserve is between 5 percent and 6 percent of the expected 965 
liabilities of the trust fund, the board shall pay the state 966 
universities 6 percent above the amount assessed base rate for 967 
the tuition differential fee in the preceding fiscal year. If 968 
the actuarial reserve is between 6 percent and 7.5 percent of 969 
the expected liabilities of the trust fund, the board shall pay 970 
the state universities 6.5 percent above the amount assessed 971 
base rate for the tuition differential fee in the preceding 972 
fiscal year. If the actuarial reserve is equal to or greater 973 
than 7.5 percent of the expected liabilities of the trust fund, 974 
the board shall pay the state universities 7 percent above the 975     
 
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amount assessed base rate for the tuition differential fee in 976 
the preceding fiscal year. 977 
 3.  As to local fees, the board shall pay the state 978 
universities 5 percent above the amount assessed for local fees 979 
in the preceding fiscal year. 980 
 4.  As to dormitory fees, the board shall pay the state 981 
universities 6 percent above the amount assessed for dormitory 982 
fees in the preceding fiscal year. 983 
 5.  Qualified beneficiaries of advance payment contracts 984 
purchased before July 1, 2007, are exempt from paying any 985 
tuition differential f ee. 986 
 (c)  Notwithstanding the amount assessed for registration 987 
fees, the tuition differential, or local fees, the amount paid 988 
by the board to any state university on behalf of a qualified 989 
beneficiary of an advance payment contract purchased before July 990 
1, 2034 July 1, 2024, may not exceed 100 percent of the amount 991 
charged by the state university for the aggregate sum of those 992 
fees. 993 
 (d)  Notwithstanding the amount assessed for dormitory 994 
fees, the amount paid by the board to any state university on 995 
behalf of a qualified beneficiary of an advance payment contract 996 
purchased before July 1, 2034 July 1, 2024, may not exceed 100 997 
percent of the amount charged by the state university for 998 
dormitory fees. 999 
 (e)  Notwithstanding the number of credit hours used by a 1000     
 
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state university to assess the amount for registration fees, 1001 
tuition, tuition differential, or local fees, the amount paid by 1002 
the board to any state university on behalf of a qualified 1003 
beneficiary of an advance payment contract purchased before July 1004 
1, 2034 July 1, 2024, may not exceed the number of credit hours 1005 
taken by that qualified beneficiary at the state university. 1006 
 (f)  The board shall pay state universities the actual 1007 
amount assessed in accordance with law for registration fees, 1008 
the tuition differentia l, local fees, and dormitory fees for 1009 
advance payment contracts purchased on or after July 1, 2034 1010 
July 1, 2024. 1011 
 Section 18.  Subsection (5) is added to section 1012.55, 1012 
Florida Statutes, to read: 1013 
 1012.55  Positions for which certificates required. — 1014 
 (5)  Notwithstanding ss. 1012.32, 1012.55, and 1012.56, or 1015 
any other provision of law or rule to the contrary, the State 1016 
Board of Education shall adopt rules to allow for the issuance 1017 
of a classical education teaching certificate, upon the request 1018 
of a classical school, to any applicant who fulfills the 1019 
requirements of s. 1012.56(2)(a) -(f) and (11) and any other 1020 
criteria established by the department. Such certificate is only 1021 
valid at a classical school. For purposes of this subsection, 1022 
the term "classical s chool" means a school that implements and 1023 
provides professional learning in a classical education school 1024 
model that emphasizes the development of students in the 1025     
 
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principles of moral character and civic virtue through a well -1026 
rounded education in the liberal arts and sciences that is based 1027 
on the classical trivium stages of grammar, logic, and rhetoric. 1028 
 Section 19.  Subsection (5), paragraph (a) of subsection 1029 
(6), and subsection (9) of section 1012.79, Florida Statutes, 1030 
are amended to read: 1031 
 1012.79  Education Practices Commission; organization. — 1032 
 (5)  The Commissioner of Education may, at his or her 1033 
discretion, appoint and remove commission, by a vote of three -1034 
fourths of the membership, shall employ an executive director, 1035 
who shall be exempt from care er service. The executive director 1036 
may be dismissed by a majority vote of the membership. 1037 
 (6)(a)  The commission shall be assigned to the Department 1038 
of Education for administrative and fiscal accountability 1039 
purposes. The commission, in the performance of its powers and 1040 
duties, may shall not be subject to control, supervision, or 1041 
direction by the Department of Education. 1042 
 (9)  The commission shall make such expenditures as may be 1043 
necessary in exercising its authority and powers and carrying 1044 
out its duties and responsibilities, including expenditures for 1045 
personal services, legal services general counsel or access to 1046 
counsel, and rent at the seat of government and elsewhere; for 1047 
books of reference, periodicals, furniture, equipment, and 1048 
supplies; and for print ing and binding. The expenditures of the 1049 
commission shall be subject to the powers and duties of the 1050     
 
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Department of Financial Services as provided in s. 17.03. 1051 
 Section 20.  Section 1012.86, Florida Statutes, is 1052 
repealed. 1053 
 Section 21.  Subsection (19) o f section 1001.64, Florida 1054 
Statutes, is amended to read: 1055 
 1001.64  Florida College System institution boards of 1056 
trustees; powers and duties. — 1057 
 (19)  Each board of trustees shall appoint, suspend, or 1058 
remove the president of the Florida College System instit ution. 1059 
The board of trustees may appoint a search committee. The board 1060 
of trustees shall conduct annual evaluations of the president in 1061 
accordance with rules of the State Board of Education and submit 1062 
such evaluations to the State Board of Education for re view. The 1063 
evaluation must address the achievement of the performance goals 1064 
established by the accountability process implemented pursuant 1065 
to s. 1008.45 and the performance of the president in achieving 1066 
the annual and long-term goals and objectives established in the 1067 
Florida College System institution's employment accountability 1068 
program implemented pursuant to s. 1012.86 . 1069 
 Section 22.  Subsection (22) of section 1001.65, Florida 1070 
Statutes, is amended to read: 1071 
 1001.65  Florida College System institution pre sidents; 1072 
powers and duties.—The president is the chief executive officer 1073 
of the Florida College System institution, shall be corporate 1074 
secretary of the Florida College System institution board of 1075     
 
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trustees, and is responsible for the operation and 1076 
administration of the Florida College System institution. Each 1077 
Florida College System institution president shall: 1078 
 (22)  Submit an annual employment accountability plan to 1079 
the Department of Education pursuant to the provisions of s. 1080 
1012.86. 1081 
 Section 23.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2024. 1082