Bill > S1554

Introduced Session

An act relating to public safety; providing a short title; amending s. 20.201, F.S.; establishing a Counterterrorism/Counterintelligence Unit within the Department of Law Enforcement; amending s. 111.09, F.S.; revising the definitions of the terms “affiliated first responder organization” and “first responder”; creating s. 111.11, F.S.; defining the term “first responder”; prohibiting first responder employment discrimination; authorizing civil actions; providing that prohibited discrimination may be inferred solely from the disparate impact of employment decisions or practices on the members of a group; providing for damages, including punitive damages, reasonable attorney fees, and costs; providing for remedies in cases of denied promotion; amending s. 365.171, F.S.; revising legislative intent relating to 911 systems; providing for a unified 911 system for every county-level first responder agency by a specified date; prohibiting a municipality from opting out of such consolidation; requiring integration of 911 operations within a county under the sheriff; authorizing sheriffs to opt out of such consolidation; providing construction; providing requirements for unified 911 call centers; requiring unified call centers to establish an executive board in each county; providing requirements; requiring counties to provide the total funding for 911 call centers as determined by an annual needs assessment and as requested by the sheriff; providing construction; authorizing a sheriff to contract with certain entities to meet specified requirements; authorizing a county that opts out of a unified 911 call center to establish a regional 911 call center; providing construction; requiring that regional call centers be governed by a regional 911 operations board; providing for membership of the board; requiring counties to provide the total funding for the regional 911 call center as required and requested by the regional 911 operations board; requiring the department to negotiate and establish a preferred price list for certain equipment; providing requirements for such list; creating s. 365.1795, F.S.; requiring a 911 call center to dispatch the closest unit to an emergency regardless of jurisdiction; requiring an agency to sign a certain memorandum of understanding by a specified date; providing requirements for the reimbursement of certain costs; amending ss. 937.021 and 937.022, F.S.; revising requirements for the reporting of missing persons information; creating s. 943.0322, F.S.; requiring the department to establish and operate a Counterterrorism/Counterintelligence Unit; providing requirements for such unit; amending s. 943.131, F.S.; providing an exemption from certain law enforcement basic training requirements for persons who have served as intelligence or counterintelligence officers or agents for a specified time period; providing requirements for verification of qualifications; creating s. 943.1714, F.S.; requiring certain basic skills training in resilience for law enforcement officers; authorizing first responder amputees to continue to serve as first responders in certain circumstances; creating the Florida Medal of Valor and the Florida Blue/Red Heart Medal; providing requirements for such medals; requiring the department to study the viability, necessity, and possibility of creating hurricane-hardened public safety operations centers; providing requirements for such centers; requiring the Governor or his or her designee to present the awards; requiring a resident of this state or of an employing agency in this state to apply for such medal on behalf of the recipient; requiring applications be considered by a board; providing requirements for the board; requiring the Department of Law Enforcement to conduct a study assessing certain factors related to the creation of the hurricane-hardened public safety operation centers; requiring a report to be submitted to the Governor and the Legislature; providing requirements for such report; creating the Florida Department of Public Safety Consolidation Task Force within the department for specified purpose; providing for membership of the task force; requiring the task force to prepare and submit a report to certain persons by a specified date; requiring the task force to establish a Florida Department of Public Safety; providing for administrative support; providing for future repeal; providing an effective date.

AI Summary

Jay Collins (R)*, 

Died in Criminal Justice, companion bill(s) passed, see CS/HB 421 (Ch. 2025-9), CS/CS/CS/HB 1371 (Ch. 2025-176) (on 06/16/2025)

Official Document