Florida Senate - 2025 CS for CS for SB 1626 By the Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services; the Committee on Children, Families, and Elder Affairs; and Senator Grall 603-02903-25 20251626c2 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to child welfare; creating s. 39.3011, 3 F.S.; defining the term Family Advocacy Program; 4 requiring the Department of Children and Families to 5 enter into agreements with certain military 6 installations for child protective investigations 7 involving military families; providing requirements 8 for such agreements; amending s. 39.401, F.S.; 9 authorizing a law enforcement officer or an authorized 10 agent of the department to take a child into custody 11 who is the subject of a specified court order; 12 amending s. 39.905, F.S.; authorizing the department 13 to waive a specified requirement if there is an 14 emergency need for a new domestic violence center, to 15 issue a provisional certification to such center under 16 certain circumstances, and to adopt rules relating to 17 provisional certifications; amending s. 125.901, F.S.; 18 revising membership requirements for certain 19 independent special districts; authorizing the county 20 governing board to select an interim appointment for a 21 vacancy under certain circumstances; amending s. 22 402.305, F.S.; authorizing the department to grant 23 certain exemptions from disqualification for certain 24 persons; amending s. 409.145, F.S.; requiring the 25 department to establish a methodology to determine 26 daily room and board rates for certain children by a 27 date certain, which may include different rates based 28 on a childs acuity level or the geographic location 29 of the residential child-caring agency; requiring the 30 department to adopt rules; amending s. 409.175, F.S.; 31 authorizing the department to grant certain exemptions 32 from disqualification for certain persons; authorizing 33 the department to extend the expiration date of a 34 license by a specified amount of time for a certain 35 purpose; amending s. 409.993, F.S.; specifying that 36 subcontractors of lead agencies that are direct 37 providers of foster care and related services are not 38 liable for certain acts or omissions; providing that 39 certain contract provisions are void and 40 unenforceable; amending s. 553.73, F.S.; prohibiting 41 the Florida Building Commission from mandating the 42 installation of fire sprinklers or a fire suppression 43 system in certain agencies licensed by the department; 44 amending s. 633.208, F.S.; providing that certain 45 residential child-caring agencies are not required to 46 install fire sprinklers or a fire suppression system 47 under certain circumstances; amending s. 937.0201, 48 F.S.; revising the definition of the term missing 49 child; amending s. 937.021, F.S.; specifying the 50 entity with jurisdiction for accepting missing child 51 reports under certain circumstances; amending ss. 52 402.30501, 1002.57, and 1002.59, F.S.; conforming 53 cross-references; providing an effective date. 54 55 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 56 57 Section 1.Section 39.3011, Florida Statutes, is created to 58 read: 59 39.3011Protective investigations involving military 60 families. 61 (1)For purposes of this section, the term Family Advocacy 62 Program means the program established by the United States 63 Department of Defense to address child abuse, abandonment, and 64 neglect in military families. 65 (2)The department shall enter into an agreement for child 66 protective investigations involving military families with the 67 Family Advocacy Program, or any successor program, of each 68 United States military installation located in this state. Such 69 agreement must include procedures for all of the following: 70 (a)Identifying the military personnel alleged to have 71 committed the child abuse, abandonment, or neglect. 72 (b)Notifying and sharing information with the military 73 installation when a child protective investigation implicating 74 military personnel has been initiated. 75 (c)Maintaining confidentiality as required under state and 76 federal law. 77 Section 2.Subsection (1) of section 39.401, Florida 78 Statutes, is amended to read: 79 39.401Taking a child alleged to be dependent into custody; 80 law enforcement officers and authorized agents of the 81 department. 82 (1)A child may only be taken into custody: 83 (a)Pursuant to the provisions of this part, based upon 84 sworn testimony, either before or after a petition is filed; or 85 (b)By a law enforcement officer, or an authorized agent of 86 the department, if the officer or authorized agent has probable 87 cause to support a finding that the: 88 1.That the Child has been abused, neglected, or abandoned, 89 or is suffering from or is in imminent danger of illness or 90 injury as a result of abuse, neglect, or abandonment; 91 2.Child is the subject of a court order to take the child 92 into the custody of the department; 93 3.2.That the Parent or legal custodian of the child has 94 materially violated a condition of placement imposed by the 95 court; or 96 4.3.That the Child has no parent, legal custodian, or 97 responsible adult relative immediately known and available to 98 provide supervision and care. 99 Section 3.Paragraph (h) of subsection (1) of section 100 39.905, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 101 39.905Domestic violence centers. 102 (1)Domestic violence centers certified under this part 103 must: 104 (h)Demonstrate local need and ability to sustain 105 operations through a history of 18 consecutive months operation 106 as a domestic violence center, including 12 months operation of 107 an emergency shelter as provided in paragraph (c), and a 108 business plan which addresses future operations and funding of 109 future operations. The department may waive this requirement if 110 there is an emergency need for a new domestic violence center to 111 provide services in an area and no other viable options exist to 112 ensure continuity of services. If there is an emergency need, 113 the department may issue a provisional certification to the 114 domestic violence center as long as the center meets all other 115 criteria in this subsection. The department may adopt rules to 116 provide minimum standards for a provisional certificate, 117 including increased monitoring and site visits and the time 118 period that such certificate is valid. 119 Section 4.Paragraphs (a) and (b) of subsection (1) of 120 section 125.901, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 121 125.901Childrens services; independent special district; 122 council; powers, duties, and functions; public records 123 exemption. 124 (1)Each county may by ordinance create an independent 125 special district, as defined in ss. 189.012 and 200.001(8)(e), 126 to provide funding for childrens services throughout the county 127 in accordance with this section. The boundaries of such district 128 shall be coterminous with the boundaries of the county. The 129 county governing body shall obtain approval at a general 130 election, as defined in s. 97.021, by a majority vote of those 131 electors voting on the question, to annually levy ad valorem 132 taxes which shall not exceed the maximum millage rate authorized 133 by this section. Any district created pursuant to the provisions 134 of this subsection shall be required to levy and fix millage 135 subject to the provisions of s. 200.065. Once such millage is 136 approved by the electorate, the district shall not be required 137 to seek approval of the electorate in future years to levy the 138 previously approved millage. However, a referendum to increase 139 the millage rate previously approved by the electors must be 140 held at a general election, and the referendum may be held only 141 once during the 48-month period preceding the effective date of 142 the increased millage. 143 (a)The governing body of the district shall be a council 144 on childrens services, which may also be known as a juvenile 145 welfare board or similar name as established in the ordinance by 146 the county governing body. Such council shall consist of 10 147 members, including the superintendent of schools; a local school 148 board member; a representative the district administrator from 149 the appropriate district of the Department of Children and 150 Families, or his or her designee who is a member of the Senior 151 Management Service or of the Selected Exempt Service; one member 152 of the county governing body; and the judge assigned to juvenile 153 cases who shall sit as a voting member of the board, except that 154 said judge shall not vote or participate in the setting of ad 155 valorem taxes under this section. If there is more than one 156 judge assigned to juvenile cases in a county, the chief judge 157 shall designate one of said juvenile judges to serve on the 158 board. The remaining five members shall be appointed by the 159 Governor, and shall, to the extent possible, represent the 160 demographic makeup diversity of the population of the county. 161 After soliciting recommendations from the public, the county 162 governing body shall submit to the Governor recommendations the 163 names of at least three persons for each vacancy occurring among 164 the five members appointed by the Governor, and the Governor may 165 shall appoint members to the council from the candidates 166 nominated by the county governing body. The Governor shall make 167 a selection within a 45-day period, but if the Governor fails to 168 make an appointment within the 45-day period, the county 169 governing body may select an interim appointment for each 170 vacancy from the recommendations submitted to the Governor or 171 request a new list of candidates. All members recommended by the 172 county governing body and appointed by the Governor must shall 173 have been residents of the county for the previous 24-month 174 period. Such members shall be appointed for 4-year terms, except 175 that the length of the terms of the initial appointees shall be 176 adjusted to stagger the terms. The Governor may remove a member 177 for cause or upon the written petition of the county governing 178 body. If any of the members of the council required to be 179 appointed by the Governor under the provisions of this 180 subsection resigns, dies, or is shall resign, die, or be removed 181 from office, the vacancy thereby created shall, as soon as 182 practicable, be filled by appointment by the Governor, using the 183 same method as the original appointment, and such appointment to 184 fill a vacancy shall be for the unexpired term of the person who 185 resigns, dies, or is removed from office. 186 (b)However, any county as defined in s. 125.011(1) may 187 instead have a governing body consisting of 33 members, 188 including the superintendent of schools, or his or her designee; 189 two representatives of public postsecondary education 190 institutions located in the county; the county manager or the 191 equivalent county officer; the district administrator from the 192 appropriate district of the Department of Children and Families, 193 or the administrators designee who is a member of the Senior 194 Management Service or the Selected Exempt Service; the director 195 of the county health department or the directors designee; the 196 state attorney for the county or the state attorneys designee; 197 the chief judge assigned to juvenile cases, or another juvenile 198 judge who is the chief judges designee and who shall sit as a 199 voting member of the board, except that the judge may not vote 200 or participate in setting ad valorem taxes under this section; 201 an individual who is selected by the board of the local United 202 Way or its equivalent; a member of a locally recognized faith 203 based coalition, selected by that coalition; a member of the 204 local chamber of commerce, selected by that chamber or, if more 205 than one chamber exists within the county, a person selected by 206 a coalition of the local chambers; a member of the early 207 learning coalition, selected by that coalition; a representative 208 of a labor organization or union active in the county; a member 209 of a local alliance or coalition engaged in cross-system 210 planning for health and social service delivery in the county, 211 selected by that alliance or coalition; a member of the local 212 Parent-Teachers Association/Parent-Teacher-Student Association, 213 selected by that association; a youth representative selected by 214 the local school systems student government; a local school 215 board member appointed by the chair of the school board; the 216 mayor of the county or the mayors designee; one member of the 217 county governing body, appointed by the chair of that body; a 218 member of the state Legislature who represents residents of the 219 county, selected by the chair of the local legislative 220 delegation; an elected official representing the residents of a 221 municipality in the county, selected by the county municipal 222 league; and 4 members-at-large, appointed to the council by the 223 majority of sitting council members. The remaining seven members 224 shall be appointed by the Governor in accordance with procedures 225 set forth in paragraph (a), except that the Governor may remove 226 a member for cause or upon the written petition of the council. 227 Appointments by the Governor must, to the extent reasonably 228 possible, represent the geographic and demographic makeup 229 diversity of the population of the county. Members who are 230 appointed to the council by reason of their position are not 231 subject to the length of terms and limits on consecutive terms 232 as provided in this section. The remaining appointed members of 233 the governing body shall be appointed to serve 2-year terms, 234 except that those members appointed by the Governor shall be 235 appointed to serve 4-year terms, and the youth representative 236 and the legislative delegate shall be appointed to serve 1-year 237 terms. A member may be reappointed; however, a member may not 238 serve for more than three consecutive terms. A member is 239 eligible to be appointed again after a 2-year hiatus from the 240 council. 241 Section 5.Subsection (2) of section 402.305, Florida 242 Statutes, is amended to read: 243 402.305Licensing standards; child care facilities. 244 (2)PERSONNEL.Minimum standards for child care personnel 245 shall include minimum requirements as to: 246 (a)Good moral character based upon screening as defined in 247 s. 402.302(15). This screening shall be conducted as provided in 248 chapter 435, using the level 2 standards for screening set forth 249 in that chapter, and include employment history checks, a search 250 of criminal history records, sexual predator and sexual offender 251 registries, and child abuse and neglect registry of any state in 252 which the current or prospective child care personnel resided 253 during the preceding 5 years. 254 (b)Fingerprint submission for child care personnel, which 255 shall comply with s. 435.12. 256 (c)The department may grant exemptions from 257 disqualification from working with children or the 258 developmentally disabled as provided in s. 435.07. 259 (d)Minimum age requirements. Such minimum standards shall 260 prohibit a person under the age of 21 from being the operator of 261 a child care facility and a person under the age of 16 from 262 being employed at such facility unless such person is under 263 direct supervision and is not counted for the purposes of 264 computing the personnel-to-child ratio. 265 (d)(e)Minimum training requirements for child care 266 personnel. 267 1.Such minimum standards for training shall ensure that 268 all child care personnel take an approved 40-clock-hour 269 introductory course in child care, which course covers at least 270 the following topic areas: 271 a.State and local rules and regulations which govern child 272 care. 273 b.Health, safety, and nutrition. 274 c.Identifying and reporting child abuse and neglect. 275 d.Child development, including typical and atypical 276 language, cognitive, motor, social, and self-help skills 277 development. 278 e.Observation of developmental behaviors, including using 279 a checklist or other similar observation tools and techniques to 280 determine the childs developmental age level. 281 f.Specialized areas, including computer technology for 282 professional and classroom use and early literacy and language 283 development of children from birth to 5 years of age, as 284 determined by the department, for owner-operators and child care 285 personnel of a child care facility. 286 g.Developmental disabilities, including autism spectrum 287 disorder and Down syndrome, and early identification, use of 288 available state and local resources, classroom integration, and 289 positive behavioral supports for children with developmental 290 disabilities. 291 292 Within 90 days after employment, child care personnel shall 293 begin training to meet the training requirements. Child care 294 personnel shall successfully complete such training within 1 295 year after the date on which the training began, as evidenced by 296 passage of a competency examination. Successful completion of 297 the 40-clock-hour introductory course shall articulate into 298 community college credit in early childhood education, pursuant 299 to ss. 1007.24 and 1007.25. Exemption from all or a portion of 300 the required training shall be granted to child care personnel 301 based upon educational credentials or passage of competency 302 examinations. Child care personnel possessing a 2-year degree or 303 higher that includes 6 college credit hours in early childhood 304 development or child growth and development, or a child 305 development associate credential or an equivalent state-approved 306 child development associate credential, or a child development 307 associate waiver certificate shall be automatically exempted 308 from the training requirements in sub-subparagraphs b., d., and 309 e. 310 2.The introductory course in child care shall stress, to 311 the extent possible, an interdisciplinary approach to the study 312 of children. 313 3.The introductory course shall cover recognition and 314 prevention of shaken baby syndrome; prevention of sudden infant 315 death syndrome; recognition and care of infants and toddlers 316 with developmental disabilities, including autism spectrum 317 disorder and Down syndrome; and early childhood brain 318 development within the topic areas identified in this paragraph. 319 4.On an annual basis in order to further their child care 320 skills and, if appropriate, administrative skills, child care 321 personnel who have fulfilled the requirements for the child care 322 training shall be required to take an additional 1 continuing 323 education unit of approved inservice training, or 10 clock hours 324 of equivalent training, as determined by the department. 325 5.Child care personnel shall be required to complete 0.5 326 continuing education unit of approved training or 5 clock hours 327 of equivalent training, as determined by the department, in 328 early literacy and language development of children from birth 329 to 5 years of age one time. The year that this training is 330 completed, it shall fulfill the 0.5 continuing education unit or 331 5 clock hours of the annual training required in subparagraph 4. 332 6.Procedures for ensuring the training of qualified child 333 care professionals to provide training of child care personnel, 334 including onsite training, shall be included in the minimum 335 standards. It is recommended that the state community child care 336 coordination agencies (central agencies) be contracted by the 337 department to coordinate such training when possible. Other 338 district educational resources, such as community colleges and 339 career programs, can be designated in such areas where central 340 agencies may not exist or are determined not to have the 341 capability to meet the coordination requirements set forth by 342 the department. 343 7.Training requirements shall not apply to certain 344 occasional or part-time support staff, including, but not 345 limited to, swimming instructors, piano teachers, dance 346 instructors, and gymnastics instructors. 347 8.The child care operator shall be required to take basic 348 training in serving children with disabilities within 5 years 349 after employment, either as a part of the introductory training 350 or the annual 8 hours of inservice training. 351 (e)(f)Periodic health examinations. 352 (f)(g)A credential for child care facility directors. The 353 credential shall be a required minimum standard for licensing. 354 355 The department may grant limited exemptions authorizing a person 356 to work in a specified role or with a specified population. 357 Section 6.Paragraph (e) is added to subsection (3) of 358 section 409.145, Florida Statutes, to read: 359 409.145Care of children; reasonable and prudent parent 360 standard.The child welfare system of the department shall 361 operate as a coordinated community-based system of care which 362 empowers all caregivers for children in foster care to provide 363 quality parenting, including approving or disapproving a childs 364 participation in activities based on the caregivers assessment 365 using the reasonable and prudent parent standard. 366 (3)ROOM AND BOARD RATES. 367 (e)By July 1, 2026, the department shall, in coordination 368 with its providers, establish a methodology to determine daily 369 room and board rates for children in out-of-home care who are 370 placed in a residential child-caring agency as defined in s. 371 409.175(2)(l). The methodology may produce different payment 372 rates based on factors including, but not limited to, the acuity 373 level of the child being placed and the geographic location of 374 the residential child-caring agency. The department shall adopt 375 rules to implement this paragraph. 376 Section 7.Paragraph (b) of subsection (5), subsection (7), 377 and paragraph (e) of subsection (14) of section 409.175, Florida 378 Statutes, are amended to read: 379 409.175Licensure of family foster homes, residential 380 child-caring agencies, and child-placing agencies; public 381 records exemption. 382 (5)The department shall adopt and amend rules for the 383 levels of licensed care associated with the licensure of family 384 foster homes, residential child-caring agencies, and child 385 placing agencies. The rules may include criteria to approve 386 waivers to licensing requirements when applying for a child 387 specific license. 388 (b)The requirements for licensure and operation of family 389 foster homes, residential child-caring agencies, and child 390 placing agencies shall include: 391 1.The operation, conduct, and maintenance of these homes 392 and agencies and the responsibility which they assume for 393 children served and the evidence of need for that service. 394 2.The provision of food, clothing, educational 395 opportunities, services, equipment, and individual supplies to 396 assure the healthy physical, emotional, and mental development 397 of the children served. 398 3.The appropriateness, safety, cleanliness, and general 399 adequacy of the premises, including fire prevention and health 400 standards, to provide for the physical comfort, care, and well 401 being of the children served. 402 4.The ratio of staff to children required to provide 403 adequate care and supervision of the children served and, in the 404 case of family foster homes, the maximum number of children in 405 the home. 406 5.The good moral character based upon screening, 407 education, training, and experience requirements for personnel 408 and family foster homes. 409 6.The department may grant exemptions from 410 disqualification from working with children or the 411 developmentally disabled as provided in s. 435.07. 412 7.The provision of preservice and inservice training for 413 all foster parents and agency staff. 414 7.8.Satisfactory evidence of financial ability to provide 415 care for the children in compliance with licensing requirements. 416 8.9.The maintenance by the agency of records pertaining to 417 admission, progress, health, and discharge of children served, 418 including written case plans and reports to the department. 419 9.10.The provision for parental involvement to encourage 420 preservation and strengthening of a childs relationship with 421 the family. 422 10.11.The transportation safety of children served. 423 11.12.The provisions for safeguarding the cultural, 424 religious, and ethnic values of a child. 425 12.13.Provisions to safeguard the legal rights of children 426 served. 427 13.14.Requiring signs to be conspicuously placed on the 428 premises of facilities maintained by child-caring agencies to 429 warn children of the dangers of human trafficking and to 430 encourage the reporting of individuals observed attempting to 431 engage in human trafficking activity. The signs must advise 432 children to report concerns to the local law enforcement agency 433 or the Department of Law Enforcement, specifying the appropriate 434 telephone numbers used for such reports. The department shall 435 specify, at a minimum, the content of the signs by rule. 436 437 The department may grant limited exemptions authorizing a person 438 to work in a specified role or with a specified population. 439 (7)The department may extend a license expiration date 440 once for a period of up to 90 30 days to allow for the 441 implementation of corrective measures. However, the department 442 may not extend a license expiration date more than once during a 443 licensure period. 444 (14) 445 (e)1.In addition to any other preservice training required 446 by law, foster parents, as a condition of licensure, and agency 447 staff must successfully complete preservice training related to 448 human trafficking which must be uniform statewide and must 449 include, but need not be limited to, all of the following: 450 a.Basic information on human trafficking, such as an 451 understanding of relevant terminology, and the differences 452 between sex trafficking and labor trafficking.; 453 b.Factors and knowledge on identifying children at risk of 454 human trafficking.; and 455 c.Steps that should be taken to prevent at-risk youths 456 from becoming victims of human trafficking. 457 2.Foster parents, before licensure renewal, and agency 458 staff, during each full year of employment, must complete 459 inservice training related to human trafficking to satisfy the 460 training requirement under subparagraph (5)(b)6 (5)(b)7. 461 Section 8.Present paragraph (b) of subsection (3) of 462 section 409.993, Florida Statutes, is redesignated as paragraph 463 (c), a new paragraph (b) is added to that subsection, and 464 paragraph (a) of that subsection is amended, to read: 465 409.993Lead agencies and subcontractor liability. 466 (3)SUBCONTRACTOR LIABILITY. 467 (a)A subcontractor of an eligible community-based care 468 lead agency that is a direct provider of foster care and related 469 services to children and families, and its employees or 470 officers, except as otherwise provided in paragraph (c) (b), 471 must, as a part of its contract, obtain a minimum of $1 million 472 per occurrence with a policy period aggregate limit of $3 473 million in general liability insurance coverage. The 474 subcontractor of a lead agency must also require that staff who 475 transport client children and families in their personal 476 automobiles in order to carry out their job responsibilities 477 obtain minimum bodily injury liability insurance in the amount 478 of $100,000 per person in any one automobile accident, and 479 subject to such limits for each person, $300,000 for all damages 480 resulting from any one automobile accident, on their personal 481 automobiles. In lieu of personal motor vehicle insurance, the 482 subcontractors casualty, liability, or motor vehicle insurance 483 carrier may provide nonowned automobile liability coverage. This 484 insurance provides liability insurance for automobiles that the 485 subcontractor uses in connection with the subcontractors 486 business but does not own, lease, rent, or borrow. This coverage 487 includes automobiles owned by the employees of the subcontractor 488 or a member of the employees household but only while the 489 automobiles are used in connection with the subcontractors 490 business. The nonowned automobile coverage for the subcontractor 491 applies as excess coverage over any other collectible insurance. 492 The personal automobile policy for the employee of the 493 subcontractor shall be primary insurance, and the nonowned 494 automobile coverage of the subcontractor acts as excess 495 insurance to the primary insurance. The subcontractor shall 496 provide a minimum limit of $1 million in nonowned automobile 497 coverage. In a tort action brought against such subcontractor or 498 employee, net economic damages shall be limited to $2 million 499 per liability claim and $200,000 per automobile claim, 500 including, but not limited to, past and future medical expenses, 501 wage loss, and loss of earning capacity, offset by any 502 collateral source payment paid or payable. In a tort action 503 brought against such subcontractor, noneconomic damages shall be 504 limited to $400,000 per claim. A claims bill may be brought on 505 behalf of a claimant pursuant to s. 768.28 for any amount 506 exceeding the limits specified in this paragraph. Any offset of 507 collateral source payments made as of the date of the settlement 508 or judgment shall be in accordance with s. 768.76. 509 (b)A subcontractor of a lead agency that is a direct 510 provider of foster care and related services is not liable for 511 the acts or omissions of the lead agency; the department; or the 512 officers, agents, or employees of the lead agency or the 513 department. Any provision in a contract between a subcontractor 514 and a lead agency which is in conflict with this paragraph is 515 void and unenforceable. 516 Section 9.Paragraph (c) is added to subsection (20) of 517 section 553.73, Florida Statutes, to read: 518 553.73Florida Building Code. 519 (20)The Florida Building Commission may not: 520 (c)Mandate the installation of fire sprinklers or a fire 521 suppression system in a residential child-caring agency licensed 522 by the Department of Children and Families under s. 409.175 523 which operates in a single-family residential property that is 524 licensed for a capacity of five or fewer children who are 525 unrelated to the licensee. 526 Section 10.Subsection (12) is added to section 633.208, 527 Florida Statutes, to read: 528 633.208Minimum firesafety standards. 529 (12)Notwithstanding subsection (8), a residential child 530 caring agency licensed by the Department of Children and 531 Families under s. 409.175 which operates in a single-family 532 residential property that is licensed for a capacity of five or 533 fewer children who are unrelated to the licensee is not required 534 to install fire sprinklers or a fire suppression system as long 535 as the licensee meets the requirements for portable fire 536 extinguishers, fire alarms, and smoke detectors under this 537 chapter. 538 Section 11.Subsection (3) of section 937.0201, Florida 539 Statutes, is amended to read: 540 937.0201Definitions.As used in this chapter, the term: 541 (3)Missing child means a person younger than 18 years of 542 age whose temporary or permanent residence is in, or is believed 543 to be in, this state, whose location has not been determined, 544 and who has been reported as missing to a law enforcement 545 agency. The term includes a child who is the subject of a court 546 order to take the child into the custody of the Department of 547 Children and Families. 548 Section 12.Subsection (3) of section 937.021, Florida 549 Statutes, is amended to read: 550 937.021Missing child and missing adult reports. 551 (3)A report that a child or adult is missing must be 552 accepted by and filed with the law enforcement agency having 553 jurisdiction in the county or municipality in which the child or 554 adult was last seen. The filing and acceptance of the report 555 imposes the duties specified in this section upon the law 556 enforcement agency receiving the report. This subsection does 557 not preclude a law enforcement agency from accepting a missing 558 child or missing adult report when agency jurisdiction cannot be 559 determined. If agency jurisdiction cannot be determined for 560 cases in which there is a child who is the subject of a court 561 order to take the child into the custody of the Department of 562 Children and Families, the sheriffs office of the county in 563 which the court order was entered must take jurisdiction. 564 Section 13.Section 402.30501, Florida Statutes, is amended 565 to read: 566 402.30501Modification of introductory child care course 567 for community college credit authorized.The Department of 568 Children and Families may modify the 40-clock-hour introductory 569 course in child care under s. 402.305 or s. 402.3131 to meet the 570 requirements of articulating the course to community college 571 credit. Any modification must continue to provide that the 572 course satisfies the requirements of s. 402.305(2)(d) s. 573 402.305(2)(e). 574 Section 14.Subsections (3) and (4) of section 1002.57, 575 Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 576 1002.57Prekindergarten director credential. 577 (3)The prekindergarten director credential must meet or 578 exceed the requirements of the Department of Children and 579 Families for the child care facility director credential under 580 s. 402.305(2)(f) s. 402.305(2)(g), and successful completion of 581 the prekindergarten director credential satisfies these 582 requirements for the child care facility director credential. 583 (4)The department shall, to the maximum extent 584 practicable, award credit to a person who successfully completes 585 the child care facility director credential under s. 586 402.305(2)(f) s. 402.305(2)(g) for those requirements of the 587 prekindergarten director credential which are duplicative of 588 requirements for the child care facility director credential. 589 Section 15.Subsection (1) of section 1002.59, Florida 590 Statutes, is amended to read: 591 1002.59Emergent literacy and performance standards 592 training courses. 593 (1)The department, in collaboration with the Just Read, 594 Florida! Office, shall adopt minimum standards for courses in 595 emergent literacy for prekindergarten instructors. Each course 596 must consist of 5 clock hours and provide instruction in 597 strategies and techniques to address the age-appropriate 598 progress of prekindergarten students in developing emergent 599 literacy skills, including oral communication, knowledge of 600 print and letters, phonological and phonemic awareness, 601 vocabulary and comprehension development, and foundational 602 background knowledge designed to correlate with the content that 603 students will encounter in grades K-12, consistent with the 604 evidence-based content and strategies grounded in the science of 605 reading identified pursuant to s. 1001.215(7). The course 606 standards must be reviewed as part of any review of subject 607 coverage or endorsement requirements in the elementary, reading, 608 and exceptional student educational areas conducted pursuant to 609 s. 1012.586. Each course must also provide resources containing 610 strategies that allow students with disabilities and other 611 special needs to derive maximum benefit from the Voluntary 612 Prekindergarten Education Program. Successful completion of an 613 emergent literacy training course approved under this section 614 satisfies requirements for approved training in early literacy 615 and language development under ss. 402.305(2)(d)5. ss. 616 402.305(2)(e)5., 402.313(6), and 402.3131(5). 617 Section 16.This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.