Florida Senate - 2025 CS for CS for CS for SB 1626 By the Committee on Fiscal Policy; the Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services; the Committee on Children, Families, and Elder Affairs; and Senator Grall 594-03196-25 20251626c3 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. 39.407, F.S.; requiring the department to 13 develop rules to include a specific process to ensure 14 children receive timely access to clinically 15 appropriate psychotropic medications; amending s. 16 39.905, F.S.; authorizing the department to waive a 17 specified requirement if there is an emergency need 18 for a new domestic violence center, to issue a 19 provisional certification to such center under certain 20 circumstances, and to adopt rules relating to 21 provisional certifications; amending s. 125.901, F.S.; 22 revising membership requirements for the governing 23 bodies of certain independent special districts; 24 authorizing the county governing body to select an 25 interim appointment for a vacancy under certain 26 circumstances; revising the terms for certain members 27 of the districts governing bodies; amending s. 28 402.305, F.S.; authorizing the department to grant 29 certain exemptions from disqualification for certain 30 persons; amending s. 409.145, F.S.; requiring the 31 department to establish a methodology to determine 32 daily room and board rates for certain children by a 33 date certain, which may include different rates based 34 on a childs acuity level or the geographic location 35 of the residential child-caring agency; requiring the 36 department to adopt rules; amending s. 409.175, F.S.; 37 authorizing the department to grant certain exemptions 38 from disqualification for certain persons; authorizing 39 the department to extend the expiration date of a 40 license by a specified amount of time for a certain 41 purpose; amending s. 409.993, F.S.; specifying that 42 subcontractors of lead agencies that are direct 43 providers of foster care and related services are not 44 liable for certain acts or omissions; providing that 45 certain contract provisions are void and 46 unenforceable; amending s. 553.73, F.S.; prohibiting 47 the Florida Building Commission from mandating the 48 installation of fire sprinklers or a fire suppression 49 system in certain agencies licensed by the department; 50 amending s. 633.208, F.S.; providing that certain 51 residential child-caring agencies are not required to 52 install fire sprinklers or a fire suppression system 53 under certain circumstances; amending s. 937.0201, 54 F.S.; revising the definition of the term missing 55 child; amending s. 937.021, F.S.; specifying the 56 entity with jurisdiction for accepting missing child 57 reports under certain circumstances; amending ss. 58 402.30501, 1002.57, and 1002.59, F.S.; conforming 59 cross-references; providing an effective date. 60 61 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 62 63 Section 1.Section 39.3011, Florida Statutes, is created to 64 read: 65 39.3011Protective investigations involving military 66 families. 67 (1)For purposes of this section, the term Family Advocacy 68 Program means the program established by the United States 69 Department of Defense to address child abuse, abandonment, and 70 neglect in military families. 71 (2)The department shall enter into an agreement for child 72 protective investigations involving military families with the 73 Family Advocacy Program, or any successor program, of each 74 United States military installation located in this state. Such 75 agreement must include procedures for all of the following: 76 (a)Identifying the military personnel alleged to have 77 committed the child abuse, abandonment, or neglect. 78 (b)Notifying and sharing information with the military 79 installation when a child protective investigation implicating 80 military personnel has been initiated. 81 (c)Maintaining confidentiality as required under state and 82 federal law. 83 Section 2.Subsection (1) of section 39.401, Florida 84 Statutes, is amended to read: 85 39.401Taking a child alleged to be dependent into custody; 86 law enforcement officers and authorized agents of the 87 department. 88 (1)A child may only be taken into custody: 89 (a)Pursuant to the provisions of this part, based upon 90 sworn testimony, either before or after a petition is filed; or 91 (b)By a law enforcement officer, or an authorized agent of 92 the department, if the officer or authorized agent has probable 93 cause to support a finding that the: 94 1.That the Child has been abused, neglected, or abandoned, 95 or is suffering from or is in imminent danger of illness or 96 injury as a result of abuse, neglect, or abandonment; 97 2.Child is the subject of a court order to take the child 98 into the custody of the department; 99 3.2.That the Parent or legal custodian of the child has 100 materially violated a condition of placement imposed by the 101 court; or 102 4.3.That the Child has no parent, legal custodian, or 103 responsible adult relative immediately known and available to 104 provide supervision and care. 105 Section 3.Paragraph (g) of subsection (3) of section 106 39.407, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 107 39.407Medical, psychiatric, and psychological examination 108 and treatment of child; physical, mental, or substance abuse 109 examination of person with or requesting child custody. 110 (3) 111 (g)The department must shall adopt rules to ensure that 112 children receive timely access to clinically appropriate 113 psychotropic medications. These rules must include, but need not 114 be limited to, the process for determining which adjunctive 115 services are needed, the uniform process for facilitating the 116 prescribing physicians or psychiatric nurses ability to obtain 117 the express and informed consent of a childs parent or 118 guardian, the procedures for obtaining court authorization for 119 the provision of a psychotropic medication, the frequency of 120 medical monitoring and reporting on the status of the child to 121 the court, how the childs parents will be involved in the 122 treatment-planning process if their parental rights have not 123 been terminated, and how caretakers are to be provided 124 information contained in the physicians or psychiatric nurses 125 signed medical report, and the procedures to allow caretakers to 126 schedule and facilitate medical appointments to ensure timely 127 access to and the management of existing psychotropic medication 128 prescriptions. For the purposes of this paragraph, the term 129 caretaker means a person or entity in physical custody of a 130 child placed pursuant to s. 39.401, to include a representative 131 of a licensed child-caring agency or emergency shelter. The 132 rules must also include uniform forms to be used in requesting 133 court authorization for the use of a psychotropic medication and 134 provide for the integration of each childs treatment plan and 135 case plan. The department must begin the formal rulemaking 136 process within 90 days after the effective date of this act. 137 Section 4.Paragraph (h) of subsection (1) of section 138 39.905, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 139 39.905Domestic violence centers. 140 (1)Domestic violence centers certified under this part 141 must: 142 (h)Demonstrate local need and ability to sustain 143 operations through a history of 18 consecutive months operation 144 as a domestic violence center, including 12 months operation of 145 an emergency shelter as provided in paragraph (c), and a 146 business plan which addresses future operations and funding of 147 future operations. The department may waive this requirement if 148 there is an emergency need for a new domestic violence center to 149 provide services in an area and no other viable options exist to 150 ensure continuity of services. If there is an emergency need, 151 the department may issue a provisional certification to the 152 domestic violence center as long as the center meets all other 153 criteria in this subsection. The department may adopt rules to 154 provide minimum standards for a provisional certificate, 155 including increased monitoring and site visits and the time 156 period that such certificate is valid. 157 Section 5.Paragraphs (a) and (b) of subsection (1) of 158 section 125.901, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 159 125.901Childrens services; independent special district; 160 council; powers, duties, and functions; public records 161 exemption. 162 (1)Each county may by ordinance create an independent 163 special district, as defined in ss. 189.012 and 200.001(8)(e), 164 to provide funding for childrens services throughout the county 165 in accordance with this section. The boundaries of such district 166 shall be coterminous with the boundaries of the county. The 167 county governing body shall obtain approval at a general 168 election, as defined in s. 97.021, by a majority vote of those 169 electors voting on the question, to annually levy ad valorem 170 taxes which shall not exceed the maximum millage rate authorized 171 by this section. Any district created pursuant to the provisions 172 of this subsection shall be required to levy and fix millage 173 subject to the provisions of s. 200.065. Once such millage is 174 approved by the electorate, the district shall not be required 175 to seek approval of the electorate in future years to levy the 176 previously approved millage. However, a referendum to increase 177 the millage rate previously approved by the electors must be 178 held at a general election, and the referendum may be held only 179 once during the 48-month period preceding the effective date of 180 the increased millage. 181 (a)The governing body of the district shall be a council 182 on childrens services, which may also be known as a juvenile 183 welfare board or similar name as established in the ordinance by 184 the county governing body. Such council shall consist of 10 185 members, including the superintendent of schools; a local school 186 board member; a representative the district administrator from 187 the appropriate district of the Department of Children and 188 Families, or his or her designee who is a member of the Senior 189 Management Service or of the Selected Exempt Service; one member 190 of the county governing body; and the judge assigned to juvenile 191 cases who shall sit as a voting member of the board, except that 192 said judge shall not vote or participate in the setting of ad 193 valorem taxes under this section. If there is more than one 194 judge assigned to juvenile cases in a county, the chief judge 195 shall designate one of said juvenile judges to serve on the 196 board. The remaining five members shall be appointed by the 197 Governor, and shall, to the extent possible, represent the 198 demographic makeup diversity of the population of the county. 199 After soliciting recommendations from the public, the county 200 governing body shall submit to the Governor recommendations the 201 names of at least three persons for each vacancy occurring among 202 the five members appointed by the Governor, and the Governor may 203 shall appoint members to the council from the candidates 204 nominated by the county governing body. The Governor shall make 205 a selection within a 45-day period, but if the Governor fails to 206 make an appointment within the 45-day period, the county 207 governing body may select an interim appointment for each 208 vacancy from the recommendations submitted to the Governor or 209 request a new list of candidates. All members recommended by the 210 county governing body and appointed by the Governor must shall 211 have been residents of the county for the previous 24-month 212 period. Such members shall be appointed for 4-year terms, except 213 that the length of the terms of the initial appointees shall be 214 adjusted to stagger the terms. The Governor may remove a member 215 for cause or upon the written petition of the county governing 216 body. If any of the members of the council required to be 217 appointed by the Governor under the provisions of this 218 subsection resigns, dies, or is shall resign, die, or be removed 219 from office, the vacancy thereby created shall, as soon as 220 practicable, be filled by appointment by the Governor, using the 221 same method as the original appointment, and such appointment to 222 fill a vacancy shall be for the unexpired term of the person who 223 resigns, dies, or is removed from office. 224 (b)However, any county as defined in s. 125.011(1) may 225 instead have a governing body consisting of 33 members, 226 including the superintendent of schools, or his or her designee; 227 two representatives of public postsecondary education 228 institutions located in the county; the county manager or the 229 equivalent county officer, or his or her designee; the district 230 administrator from the appropriate district of the Department of 231 Children and Families, or the administrators designee who is a 232 member of the Senior Management Service or the Selected Exempt 233 Service; the director of the county health department or the 234 directors designee; the state attorney for the county or the 235 state attorneys designee; the chief judge assigned to juvenile 236 cases, or another juvenile judge who is the chief judges 237 designee and who shall sit as a voting member of the board, 238 except that the judge may not vote or participate in setting ad 239 valorem taxes under this section; an individual who is selected 240 by the board of the local United Way or its equivalent; a member 241 of a locally recognized faith-based coalition, selected by that 242 coalition; a member of the local chamber of commerce, selected 243 by that chamber or, if more than one chamber exists within the 244 county, a person selected by a coalition of the local chambers; 245 a member of the early learning coalition, selected by that 246 coalition; a representative of a labor organization or union 247 active in the county; a member of a local alliance or coalition 248 engaged in cross-system planning for health and social service 249 delivery in the county, selected by that alliance or coalition; 250 a member of the local Parent-Teachers Association/Parent 251 Teacher-Student Association, selected by that association; a 252 youth representative selected by the local school systems 253 student government; a local school board member appointed by the 254 chair of the school board; the mayor of the county or the 255 mayors designee; one member of the county governing body, 256 appointed by the chair of that body; a member of the state 257 Legislature who represents residents of the county, selected by 258 the chair of the local legislative delegation; an elected 259 official representing the residents of a municipality in the 260 county, selected by the county municipal league; and 5 4 261 members-at-large, appointed to the council by the majority of 262 sitting council members. The remaining seven members shall be 263 appointed by the Governor in accordance with procedures set 264 forth in paragraph (a), except that the Governor may remove a 265 member for cause or upon the written petition of the council. 266 Appointments by the Governor must, to the extent reasonably 267 possible, represent the geographic and demographic makeup 268 diversity of the population of the county. Members who are 269 appointed to the council by reason of their position are not 270 subject to the length of terms and limits on consecutive terms 271 as provided in this section. The remaining appointed members of 272 the governing body shall be appointed to serve 3-year 2-year 273 terms, except that those members appointed by the Governor shall 274 be appointed to serve 4-year terms, and the youth representative 275 and the legislative delegate shall be appointed to serve 1-year 276 terms. A member may be reappointed; however, a member may not 277 serve for more than three consecutive terms. A member is 278 eligible to be appointed again after a 2-year hiatus from the 279 council. 280 Section 6.Subsection (2) of section 402.305, Florida 281 Statutes, is amended to read: 282 402.305Licensing standards; child care facilities. 283 (2)PERSONNEL.Minimum standards for child care personnel 284 shall include minimum requirements as to: 285 (a)Good moral character based upon screening as defined in 286 s. 402.302(15). This screening shall be conducted as provided in 287 chapter 435, using the level 2 standards for screening set forth 288 in that chapter, and include employment history checks, a search 289 of criminal history records, sexual predator and sexual offender 290 registries, and child abuse and neglect registry of any state in 291 which the current or prospective child care personnel resided 292 during the preceding 5 years. 293 (b)Fingerprint submission for child care personnel, which 294 shall comply with s. 435.12. 295 (c)The department may grant exemptions from 296 disqualification from working with children or the 297 developmentally disabled as provided in s. 435.07. 298 (d)Minimum age requirements. Such minimum standards shall 299 prohibit a person under the age of 21 from being the operator of 300 a child care facility and a person under the age of 16 from 301 being employed at such facility unless such person is under 302 direct supervision and is not counted for the purposes of 303 computing the personnel-to-child ratio. 304 (d)(e)Minimum training requirements for child care 305 personnel. 306 1.Such minimum standards for training shall ensure that 307 all child care personnel take an approved 40-clock-hour 308 introductory course in child care, which course covers at least 309 the following topic areas: 310 a.State and local rules and regulations which govern child 311 care. 312 b.Health, safety, and nutrition. 313 c.Identifying and reporting child abuse and neglect. 314 d.Child development, including typical and atypical 315 language, cognitive, motor, social, and self-help skills 316 development. 317 e.Observation of developmental behaviors, including using 318 a checklist or other similar observation tools and techniques to 319 determine the childs developmental age level. 320 f.Specialized areas, including computer technology for 321 professional and classroom use and early literacy and language 322 development of children from birth to 5 years of age, as 323 determined by the department, for owner-operators and child care 324 personnel of a child care facility. 325 g.Developmental disabilities, including autism spectrum 326 disorder and Down syndrome, and early identification, use of 327 available state and local resources, classroom integration, and 328 positive behavioral supports for children with developmental 329 disabilities. 330 331 Within 90 days after employment, child care personnel shall 332 begin training to meet the training requirements. Child care 333 personnel shall successfully complete such training within 1 334 year after the date on which the training began, as evidenced by 335 passage of a competency examination. Successful completion of 336 the 40-clock-hour introductory course shall articulate into 337 community college credit in early childhood education, pursuant 338 to ss. 1007.24 and 1007.25. Exemption from all or a portion of 339 the required training shall be granted to child care personnel 340 based upon educational credentials or passage of competency 341 examinations. Child care personnel possessing a 2-year degree or 342 higher that includes 6 college credit hours in early childhood 343 development or child growth and development, or a child 344 development associate credential or an equivalent state-approved 345 child development associate credential, or a child development 346 associate waiver certificate shall be automatically exempted 347 from the training requirements in sub-subparagraphs b., d., and 348 e. 349 2.The introductory course in child care shall stress, to 350 the extent possible, an interdisciplinary approach to the study 351 of children. 352 3.The introductory course shall cover recognition and 353 prevention of shaken baby syndrome; prevention of sudden infant 354 death syndrome; recognition and care of infants and toddlers 355 with developmental disabilities, including autism spectrum 356 disorder and Down syndrome; and early childhood brain 357 development within the topic areas identified in this paragraph. 358 4.On an annual basis in order to further their child care 359 skills and, if appropriate, administrative skills, child care 360 personnel who have fulfilled the requirements for the child care 361 training shall be required to take an additional 1 continuing 362 education unit of approved inservice training, or 10 clock hours 363 of equivalent training, as determined by the department. 364 5.Child care personnel shall be required to complete 0.5 365 continuing education unit of approved training or 5 clock hours 366 of equivalent training, as determined by the department, in 367 early literacy and language development of children from birth 368 to 5 years of age one time. The year that this training is 369 completed, it shall fulfill the 0.5 continuing education unit or 370 5 clock hours of the annual training required in subparagraph 4. 371 6.Procedures for ensuring the training of qualified child 372 care professionals to provide training of child care personnel, 373 including onsite training, shall be included in the minimum 374 standards. It is recommended that the state community child care 375 coordination agencies (central agencies) be contracted by the 376 department to coordinate such training when possible. Other 377 district educational resources, such as community colleges and 378 career programs, can be designated in such areas where central 379 agencies may not exist or are determined not to have the 380 capability to meet the coordination requirements set forth by 381 the department. 382 7.Training requirements shall not apply to certain 383 occasional or part-time support staff, including, but not 384 limited to, swimming instructors, piano teachers, dance 385 instructors, and gymnastics instructors. 386 8.The child care operator shall be required to take basic 387 training in serving children with disabilities within 5 years 388 after employment, either as a part of the introductory training 389 or the annual 8 hours of inservice training. 390 (e)(f)Periodic health examinations. 391 (f)(g)A credential for child care facility directors. The 392 credential shall be a required minimum standard for licensing. 393 394 The department may grant limited exemptions authorizing a person 395 to work in a specified role or with a specified population. 396 Section 7.Paragraph (e) is added to subsection (3) of 397 section 409.145, Florida Statutes, to read: 398 409.145Care of children; reasonable and prudent parent 399 standard.The child welfare system of the department shall 400 operate as a coordinated community-based system of care which 401 empowers all caregivers for children in foster care to provide 402 quality parenting, including approving or disapproving a childs 403 participation in activities based on the caregivers assessment 404 using the reasonable and prudent parent standard. 405 (3)ROOM AND BOARD RATES. 406 (e)By July 1, 2026, the department shall, in coordination 407 with its providers, establish a methodology to determine daily 408 room and board rates for children in out-of-home care who are 409 placed in a residential child-caring agency as defined in s. 410 409.175(2)(l). The methodology may produce different payment 411 rates based on factors including, but not limited to, the acuity 412 level of the child being placed and the geographic location of 413 the residential child-caring agency. The department shall adopt 414 rules to implement this paragraph. 415 Section 8.Paragraph (b) of subsection (5), subsection (7), 416 and paragraph (e) of subsection (14) of section 409.175, Florida 417 Statutes, are amended to read: 418 409.175Licensure of family foster homes, residential 419 child-caring agencies, and child-placing agencies; public 420 records exemption. 421 (5)The department shall adopt and amend rules for the 422 levels of licensed care associated with the licensure of family 423 foster homes, residential child-caring agencies, and child 424 placing agencies. The rules may include criteria to approve 425 waivers to licensing requirements when applying for a child 426 specific license. 427 (b)The requirements for licensure and operation of family 428 foster homes, residential child-caring agencies, and child 429 placing agencies shall include: 430 1.The operation, conduct, and maintenance of these homes 431 and agencies and the responsibility which they assume for 432 children served and the evidence of need for that service. 433 2.The provision of food, clothing, educational 434 opportunities, services, equipment, and individual supplies to 435 assure the healthy physical, emotional, and mental development 436 of the children served. 437 3.The appropriateness, safety, cleanliness, and general 438 adequacy of the premises, including fire prevention and health 439 standards, to provide for the physical comfort, care, and well 440 being of the children served. 441 4.The ratio of staff to children required to provide 442 adequate care and supervision of the children served and, in the 443 case of family foster homes, the maximum number of children in 444 the home. 445 5.The good moral character based upon screening, 446 education, training, and experience requirements for personnel 447 and family foster homes. 448 6.The department may grant exemptions from 449 disqualification from working with children or the 450 developmentally disabled as provided in s. 435.07. 451 7.The provision of preservice and inservice training for 452 all foster parents and agency staff. 453 7.8.Satisfactory evidence of financial ability to provide 454 care for the children in compliance with licensing requirements. 455 8.9.The maintenance by the agency of records pertaining to 456 admission, progress, health, and discharge of children served, 457 including written case plans and reports to the department. 458 9.10.The provision for parental involvement to encourage 459 preservation and strengthening of a childs relationship with 460 the family. 461 10.11.The transportation safety of children served. 462 11.12.The provisions for safeguarding the cultural, 463 religious, and ethnic values of a child. 464 12.13.Provisions to safeguard the legal rights of children 465 served. 466 13.14.Requiring signs to be conspicuously placed on the 467 premises of facilities maintained by child-caring agencies to 468 warn children of the dangers of human trafficking and to 469 encourage the reporting of individuals observed attempting to 470 engage in human trafficking activity. The signs must advise 471 children to report concerns to the local law enforcement agency 472 or the Department of Law Enforcement, specifying the appropriate 473 telephone numbers used for such reports. The department shall 474 specify, at a minimum, the content of the signs by rule. 475 476 The department may grant limited exemptions authorizing a person 477 to work in a specified role or with a specified population. 478 (7)The department may extend a license expiration date 479 once for a period of up to 90 30 days to allow for the 480 implementation of corrective measures. However, the department 481 may not extend a license expiration date more than once during a 482 licensure period. 483 (14) 484 (e)1.In addition to any other preservice training required 485 by law, foster parents, as a condition of licensure, and agency 486 staff must successfully complete preservice training related to 487 human trafficking which must be uniform statewide and must 488 include, but need not be limited to, all of the following: 489 a.Basic information on human trafficking, such as an 490 understanding of relevant terminology, and the differences 491 between sex trafficking and labor trafficking.; 492 b.Factors and knowledge on identifying children at risk of 493 human trafficking.; and 494 c.Steps that should be taken to prevent at-risk youths 495 from becoming victims of human trafficking. 496 2.Foster parents, before licensure renewal, and agency 497 staff, during each full year of employment, must complete 498 inservice training related to human trafficking to satisfy the 499 training requirement under subparagraph (5)(b)6 (5)(b)7. 500 Section 9.Present paragraph (b) of subsection (3) of 501 section 409.993, Florida Statutes, is redesignated as paragraph 502 (c), a new paragraph (b) is added to that subsection, and 503 paragraph (a) of that subsection is amended, to read: 504 409.993Lead agencies and subcontractor liability. 505 (3)SUBCONTRACTOR LIABILITY. 506 (a)A subcontractor of an eligible community-based care 507 lead agency that is a direct provider of foster care and related 508 services to children and families, and its employees or 509 officers, except as otherwise provided in paragraph (c) (b), 510 must, as a part of its contract, obtain a minimum of $1 million 511 per occurrence with a policy period aggregate limit of $3 512 million in general liability insurance coverage. The 513 subcontractor of a lead agency must also require that staff who 514 transport client children and families in their personal 515 automobiles in order to carry out their job responsibilities 516 obtain minimum bodily injury liability insurance in the amount 517 of $100,000 per person in any one automobile accident, and 518 subject to such limits for each person, $300,000 for all damages 519 resulting from any one automobile accident, on their personal 520 automobiles. In lieu of personal motor vehicle insurance, the 521 subcontractors casualty, liability, or motor vehicle insurance 522 carrier may provide nonowned automobile liability coverage. This 523 insurance provides liability insurance for automobiles that the 524 subcontractor uses in connection with the subcontractors 525 business but does not own, lease, rent, or borrow. This coverage 526 includes automobiles owned by the employees of the subcontractor 527 or a member of the employees household but only while the 528 automobiles are used in connection with the subcontractors 529 business. The nonowned automobile coverage for the subcontractor 530 applies as excess coverage over any other collectible insurance. 531 The personal automobile policy for the employee of the 532 subcontractor shall be primary insurance, and the nonowned 533 automobile coverage of the subcontractor acts as excess 534 insurance to the primary insurance. The subcontractor shall 535 provide a minimum limit of $1 million in nonowned automobile 536 coverage. In a tort action brought against such subcontractor or 537 employee, net economic damages shall be limited to $2 million 538 per liability claim and $200,000 per automobile claim, 539 including, but not limited to, past and future medical expenses, 540 wage loss, and loss of earning capacity, offset by any 541 collateral source payment paid or payable. In a tort action 542 brought against such subcontractor, noneconomic damages shall be 543 limited to $400,000 per claim. A claims bill may be brought on 544 behalf of a claimant pursuant to s. 768.28 for any amount 545 exceeding the limits specified in this paragraph. Any offset of 546 collateral source payments made as of the date of the settlement 547 or judgment shall be in accordance with s. 768.76. 548 (b)A subcontractor of a lead agency that is a direct 549 provider of foster care and related services is not liable for 550 the acts or omissions of the lead agency; the department; or the 551 officers, agents, or employees of the lead agency or the 552 department. Any provision in a contract between a subcontractor 553 and a lead agency which is in conflict with this paragraph is 554 void and unenforceable. 555 Section 10.Paragraph (c) is added to subsection (20) of 556 section 553.73, Florida Statutes, to read: 557 553.73Florida Building Code. 558 (20)The Florida Building Commission may not: 559 (c)Mandate the installation of fire sprinklers or a fire 560 suppression system in a residential child-caring agency licensed 561 by the Department of Children and Families under s. 409.175 562 which operates in a single-family residential property that is 563 licensed for a capacity of five or fewer children who are 564 unrelated to the licensee. 565 Section 11.Subsection (12) is added to section 633.208, 566 Florida Statutes, to read: 567 633.208Minimum firesafety standards. 568 (12)Notwithstanding subsection (8), a residential child 569 caring agency licensed by the Department of Children and 570 Families under s. 409.175 which operates in a single-family 571 residential property that is licensed for a capacity of five or 572 fewer children who are unrelated to the licensee is not required 573 to install fire sprinklers or a fire suppression system as long 574 as the licensee meets the requirements for portable fire 575 extinguishers, fire alarms, and smoke detectors under this 576 chapter. 577 Section 12.Subsection (3) of section 937.0201, Florida 578 Statutes, is amended to read: 579 937.0201Definitions.As used in this chapter, the term: 580 (3)Missing child means a person younger than 18 years of 581 age whose temporary or permanent residence is in, or is believed 582 to be in, this state, whose location has not been determined, 583 and who has been reported as missing to a law enforcement 584 agency. The term includes a child who is the subject of a court 585 order to take the child into the custody of the Department of 586 Children and Families. 587 Section 13.Subsection (3) of section 937.021, Florida 588 Statutes, is amended to read: 589 937.021Missing child and missing adult reports. 590 (3)A report that a child or adult is missing must be 591 accepted by and filed with the law enforcement agency having 592 jurisdiction in the county or municipality in which the child or 593 adult was last seen. The filing and acceptance of the report 594 imposes the duties specified in this section upon the law 595 enforcement agency receiving the report. This subsection does 596 not preclude a law enforcement agency from accepting a missing 597 child or missing adult report when agency jurisdiction cannot be 598 determined. If agency jurisdiction cannot be determined for 599 cases in which there is a child who is the subject of a court 600 order to take the child into the custody of the Department of 601 Children and Families, the sheriffs office of the county in 602 which the court order was entered must take jurisdiction. 603 Section 14.Section 402.30501, Florida Statutes, is amended 604 to read: 605 402.30501Modification of introductory child care course 606 for community college credit authorized.The Department of 607 Children and Families may modify the 40-clock-hour introductory 608 course in child care under s. 402.305 or s. 402.3131 to meet the 609 requirements of articulating the course to community college 610 credit. Any modification must continue to provide that the 611 course satisfies the requirements of s. 402.305(2)(d) s. 612 402.305(2)(e). 613 Section 15.Subsections (3) and (4) of section 1002.57, 614 Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 615 1002.57Prekindergarten director credential. 616 (3)The prekindergarten director credential must meet or 617 exceed the requirements of the Department of Children and 618 Families for the child care facility director credential under 619 s. 402.305(2)(f) s. 402.305(2)(g), and successful completion of 620 the prekindergarten director credential satisfies these 621 requirements for the child care facility director credential. 622 (4)The department shall, to the maximum extent 623 practicable, award credit to a person who successfully completes 624 the child care facility director credential under s. 625 402.305(2)(f) s. 402.305(2)(g) for those requirements of the 626 prekindergarten director credential which are duplicative of 627 requirements for the child care facility director credential. 628 Section 16.Subsection (1) of section 1002.59, Florida 629 Statutes, is amended to read: 630 1002.59Emergent literacy and performance standards 631 training courses. 632 (1)The department, in collaboration with the Just Read, 633 Florida! Office, shall adopt minimum standards for courses in 634 emergent literacy for prekindergarten instructors. Each course 635 must consist of 5 clock hours and provide instruction in 636 strategies and techniques to address the age-appropriate 637 progress of prekindergarten students in developing emergent 638 literacy skills, including oral communication, knowledge of 639 print and letters, phonological and phonemic awareness, 640 vocabulary and comprehension development, and foundational 641 background knowledge designed to correlate with the content that 642 students will encounter in grades K-12, consistent with the 643 evidence-based content and strategies grounded in the science of 644 reading identified pursuant to s. 1001.215(7). The course 645 standards must be reviewed as part of any review of subject 646 coverage or endorsement requirements in the elementary, reading, 647 and exceptional student educational areas conducted pursuant to 648 s. 1012.586. Each course must also provide resources containing 649 strategies that allow students with disabilities and other 650 special needs to derive maximum benefit from the Voluntary 651 Prekindergarten Education Program. Successful completion of an 652 emergent literacy training course approved under this section 653 satisfies requirements for approved training in early literacy 654 and language development under ss. 402.305(2)(d)5. ss. 655 402.305(2)(e)5., 402.313(6), and 402.3131(5). 656 Section 17.This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.