Florida HB 671: Electronic Payment of Public Records Fees

Bill Text

HB 671 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb671-00
Page 1 of 5
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to school safety equipment; amending 2
s. 1001.212, F.S.; revising the purpose of specified 3
grants awarded by the Office of Safe Schools; 4
amending ss. 1002.42 and 1006.07, F.S.; providing 5
definitions; requiring private schools and public 6
schools, including charter schools, to have specified 7
safety equipment on each campus of the school; 8
requiring the Department of Education, in coordination 9
with the Department of Law Enforcement, to establish 10
minimum specifications for such equipment; authorizing 11
schools to use specified funds to meet the 12
requirements of such safety equipment; providing 13
training requirements for such safety equipment; 14
requiring schools to report specified information to 15
the Office of Safe Schools; authorizing the office to 16
conduct random audits for specified purposes; 17
providing an effective date. 18
19
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 20
21
Section 1. Subsection (9) of section 1001.212, Florida 22
Statutes, is amended to read: 23
1001.212 Office of Safe Schools.—There is created in the 24
Department of Education the Office of Safe Schools. The office 25

HB 671 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb671-00
Page 2 of 5
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

is fully accountable to the Commissioner of Education. The 26
office shall serve as a central repository for best practices, 27
training standards, and compliance oversight in all matters 28
regarding school safety and security, including prevention 29
efforts, intervention efforts, and emergency preparedness 30
planning. The office shall: 31
(9) Award grants to schools to improve the safety and 32
security of schools school buildings based upon recommendations 33
of the security risk assessment developed pursuant to subsection 34
(1) or as provided in s. 1002.42(21). 35
Section 2. Subsection (21) is added to section 1002.42, 36
Florida Statutes, to read: 37
1002.42 Private schools.— 38
(21) SCHOOL SAFETY EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS.— 39
(a) For purposes of this subsection, the term: 40
1. "Ballistic shield" means a mobile protective device 41
meeting the National Institute of Justice's Level IIIA ballistic 42
resistance standards or higher. 43
2. "Breaching tool" means a device designed to provide 44
rapid access to locked or barricaded doors in an emergency, 45
including, but not limited to, a Halligan bar, sledge hammer, or 46
hydraulic breaching tool approved by a local law enforcement 47
agency. 48
3. "Campus" means the grounds and facilities of a private 49
school where students are regularly educated. 50

HB 671 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb671-00
Page 3 of 5
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

(b) Each private school must have at least one breaching 51
tool and one ballistic shield on each campus of the school for 52
use in the event of an active assailant or other life-53
threatening incident. The Department of Education, in 54
consultation with the Department of Law Enforcement, shall 55
establish minimum specifications for breaching tools and 56
ballistic shields. 57
(c) Each private school may use existing grants from the 58
School Hardening Grant Program as funded by the Legislature or 59
may use other available state or private funds to meet the 60
requirements of this subsection. 61
(d) Each private school must ensure that at least one 62
school employee or the school's safe-school officer receives 63
annual training on the deployment and safe use of the equipment 64
required under this subsection. The training must be conducted 65
in coordination with the sheriff's office or a local law 66
enforcement agency having jurisdiction. 67
(e) Each private school must annually report to the Office 68
of Safe Schools, in a format prescribed by the office, that the 69
equipment required under this section is present, functional, 70
and accessible. The office may conduct random audits to verify 71
compliance with this subsection. 72
Section 3. Paragraph (i) is added to subsection (6) of 73
section 1006.07, Florida Statutes, to read: 74
1006.07 District school board duties relating to student 75

HB 671 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb671-00
Page 4 of 5
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

discipline and school safety.—The district school board shall 76
provide for the proper accounting for all students, for the 77
attendance and control of students at school, and for proper 78
attention to health, safety, and other matters relating to the 79
welfare of students, including: 80
(6) SAFETY AND SECURITY BEST PRACTICES.—Each district 81
school superintendent shall establish policies and