Bill > H1017

Introduced Session

An act relating to bail bonds; amending s. 648.25, F.S.; defining the term "virtual office"; amending s. 648.386, F.S.; defining the term "in-person classroom instruction"; decreasing the duration of in-person classroom-instruction basic certification courses required to be considered for approval and certification as an approved limited surety agent and professional bail bond agent prelicensing school; amending s. 648.44, F.S.; authorizing bail bond agents and agencies to accept certain fees or charges; prohibiting virtual offices; amending s. 903.011, F.S.; requiring, rather than authorizing, that any monetary or cash component of any form of pretrial release be met by specified means; amending s. 903.046, F.S.; revising the criteria that a court must consider in making specified determinations; prohibiting a surety bond that has been revoked from being reinstated without written authorization; amending s. 903.0471, F.S.; requiring that, upon a court's entry of an order to revoke pretrial release and order pretrial detention in certain circumstances, the clerk of the court discharge any bond previously posted as a condition of pretrial release without further order of the court; amending s. 903.05, F.S.; deleting the requirement that a surety own certain real estate as a qualification for the release of a person on bail; repealing s. 903.08, F.S., relating to sufficiency of sureties; amending s. 903.09, F.S.; requiring sureties, other than bail bond agents, to justify their suretyship by attaching to the bond United States currency, a United States postal money order, or a cashier's check in the amount of the bond; providing that such currency, money order, or cashier's check may not be used to secure more than one bond; deleting the requirement that a surety execute an affidavit providing certain information; amending s. 903.101, F.S.; revising the requirements that sureties must meet to have equal access to jails for making bonds; amending s. 903.16, F.S.; authorizing a defendant who has been admitted to bail, or another person on the defendant's behalf, to deposit with the official authorized to take bail money an amount equal to the bail amount set in the court order; requiring, rather than authorizing, the sheriff or other officials to remit to the clerk money or bonds received which are to be held by the clerk pending court action; requiring that a deposit of bail money be receipted in the name of the person making such a deposit unless the depositor is a charitable bail fund; requiring a deposit to be receipted in the name of the defendant if made by a charitable bail fund; deleting a provision stating that consent is conclusively presumed for the clerk of the circuit court to sell bonds deposited as bail after forfeiture of the bond; repealing s. 903.17, F.S., relating to substitution of cash bail for other bail; amending s. 903.21, F.S.; specifying that the surety is exonerated of liability on a bond if a specified determination is made before forfeiture of the bond; revising the definition of the term "costs and expenses"; amending s. 903.26, F.S.; requiring that a signed certification containing certain information must accompany or be included with a specified notice; deleting a requirement that municipal officials having custody of forfeited money deposit such money in a designated municipal fund within 60 days after the forfeiture notice has been mailed or electronically transmitted; deleting certain requirements that must be met when bonds are forfeited; revising the circumstances under which the court is required to discharge a forfeiture within a specified timeframe; requiring the sheriff to enter the information of a defendant in the National Crime Information Center database for each felony warrant that a court issues for failure to appear; specifying circumstances under which the clerk must discharge a forfeiture and issue a certain notice to the surety without further order of the court; amending s. 903.27, F.S.; requiring the clerk of the circuit court to enter a certain judgment if the forfeiture is not paid or discharged by order of a court of competent jurisdiction within 60 days after the forfeiture notice has been mailed or electronically transmitted; reducing the number of days within which the clerk must furnish specified information to the Department of Financial Services, the Office of Insurance Regulation of the Financial Services Commission, and the surety company at its home office; amending s. 903.28, F.S.; increasing the amount of time within which a court must order remission of a forfeiture if it determines that there was no breach of the bond by the surety; requiring a court, in certain circumstances and upon a certain motion, to order remission in accordance with specified provisions if a defendant surrenders, is deceased, or is apprehended within a certain time after forfeiture; deleting provisions relating to the ordering of remission under specified circumstances; decreasing the amount of time for which the clerk of the circuit court and the state attorney must be given notice before a certain hearing and be furnished with copies of certain documents; requiring the clerk of the circuit court to issue a remission in a specified manner; providing for accrual of interest if remission is not issued within such timeframe; providing that the court may order remission of the forfeiture in certain circumstances; amending s. 903.29, F.S.; increasing the length of time from the date of forfeiture of a bond within which a surety may arrest the principal; amending s. 903.31, F.S.; revising provisions relating to the ordering of a bond cancellation; revising applicability; defining the term "revoked"; specifying that the original appearance bond does not guarantee a sentencing deferral, a delayed sentencing, or an appearance after entering a plea agreement; specifying that the clerk of the court does not have standing to object to a reinstatement of a bond; repealing s. 903.36, F.S., relating to guaranteed arrest bond certificates as cash bail; reenacting and amending s. 907.041, F.S.; requiring that a certain pretrial release service certification be made in writing before the defendant is released from custody; revising the definition of the term "dangerous crime"; specifying a circumstance in which the state attorney or the court is not required to move for pretrial detention if a defendant is arrested for certain dangerous crimes; reenacting s. 626.2816(2) and (3), F.S., relating to regulation of continuing education for licensees, course providers, instructors, school officials, and monitor groups, to incorporate the amendment made to s. 648.386, F.S., in references thereto; reenacting s. 903.047(1)(c), F.S., relating to conditions of pretrial release, to incorporate the amendment made to s. 903.046, F.S., in a reference thereto; reenacting s. 903.286(2), F.S., relating to cash bond forms, to incorporate the amendment made to s. 903.09, F.S., in a reference thereto; providing an effective date.

AI Summary

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Jessica Baker (R)*, 

Other Sponsors (2)

Added to Second Reading Calendar (on 02/11/2026)

Official Document