On Friday, Gov. DeSantis signed the bill that provides $20 million to compensate victims of abuse at Dozier School for Boys in Marianna and another state reform school in Okeechobee County. State Rep. Michelle Salzman sponsored the bill, and attorney Troy Rafferty and Levin Papantonio Rafferty lobbied hard to get it through the Florida House and Senate.
“This is a historic legislation that vindicates victims of abuse that lay hidden in obscurity for too, too long,” said Rafferty in a written statement. “Beyond financial recovery, this legislation brings survivors an emotional relief from having their truth finally acknowledged.”
The money from this allocation will be shared equally among the men who qualify. Between 300 and 1,000 men are still alive. Many of the boys who were sent to the Dozier School in the 1940s, 50s, or 60s have passed away since then.
“The pen is mightier than the sword!” Salzman posted on X. “Thank you @Cuderman (Peter Cuderman, Desantis’s director of legislative affairs) for making this moment happen, and thank you @Paul_Renner (House Speaker Paul Renner) for being my lion when I was outnumbered.”
New Laws: From Dozier Compensation to Stripper Restrictions
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
TALLAHASSEE — Florida’s 2024-2025 fiscal year will arrive next week with a fresh $116.5 billion budget and nearly 200 new laws.
Lawmakers also tucked another $2 billion in spending into bills, with that money not showing up in the budget (HB 5001). Among the measures slated to take effect July 1:
— HB 21: Provides $20 million to compensate victims of abuse at the shuttered Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys in Marianna and another state reform school in Okeechobee County
— HB 49: Eases regulations on hours that 16- and 17-year-old youths can work, including allowing parents and school superintendents to waive a 30-hour-a-week limit when school is in session.
— HB 87: Bolsters self-defense arguments for people who shoot bears on their property.
— HB 117: Allows the release of grand jury testimony involving the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
— SB 330: Creates behavioral-health teaching hospitals linked to universities to help address issues with treating patients for mental-health conditions.
— HB 385: Gives courts the power to require parents to use “neutral safe exchange” locations at sheriffs’ offices when they share custody of children.
— HB 415: Directs the Florida Department of Health to set up a website that provides information and links to certain “pregnancy and parenting resources.”
— HB 433: Prevents local governments from imposing requirements on businesses about heat-exposure protections for workers.
— SB 544: Requires the Department of Health to establish a network of providers to participate in a swimming-lesson voucher program.
— HB 601: Restricts citizen review boards from investigating alleged wrongdoing by police officers.
— HB 919: Requires political ads that contain “images, video, audio, graphics, or other digital content” created using artificial intelligence to include a disclaimer.
— HB 931: Authorizes school districts to allow volunteer school chaplains.
— SB 968: Designates property at Tyndall Air Force Base in Bay County and within the former boundaries of Homestead Air Force Base in Miami-Dade County as “spaceport territory.”
— SB 1264: Adds the history of communism to required instruction in public schools starting in the 2026-2027 school year.
— HB 1291: Prevents “identity politics” from being included in college and university teacher-preparation programs.
— HB 1503: Allows what are known as “surplus lines” carriers to take out some non-homesteaded properties from the state’s Citizens Property Insurance Corp.
— HB 1645: Repeals parts of state law about greenhouse-gas emissions and bans wind turbines offshore.
— SB 1764: Increases penalties for participants in “street takeovers.”
— SB 7002: Part of a school “deregulation” effort led by Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, includes allowing districts to publish notices of intent to adopt tentative budgets on school board websites instead of in newspapers.
— SB 7028: Includes $200 million to continue the My Safe Florida Home program, which helps residents harden their homes against storms.
— SB 7032: Provides tuition and fee waivers for high-school dropouts who pursue diplomas and workforce credentials at state colleges.
— HB 7063: Prevents strippers under age 21 from working in adult-entertainment businesses.
Photo credit: Florida Justice Association