Florida SB 1096: Florida Civil Rights Act

Bill Text

1096 
Florida Civil Rights Act 
2026-03-04T13:29:01Z 
Deleting the requirement that the Florida Commission on Human Relations send certain information to certain persons by registered mail; revising the timeframe when a civil action may be brought for violations of the act; providing that if the commission or the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission does not make a determination within a specified timeframe, the complainant may bring a civil action within a specified timeframe, etc. 
Committee Substitute 1 
2026 
S 
2026-07-01T00:00:00Z 
GB 
General Bill 
c1 

 Florida Senate - 2026 CS for SB 1096 

 By the Committee on Rules; and Senator Burgess 

 595-03395-26 20261096c1 
 1 A bill to be entitled 
 2 An act relating to the Florida Civil Rights Act; 
 3 amending s. 760.11, F.S.; deleting the requirement 
 4 that the Florida Commission on Human Relations send 
 5 certain information to certain persons by registered 
 6 mail; making technical changes; revising the timeframe 
 7 when a civil action may be brought for violations of 
 8 the act; providing that if the commission or the Equal 
 9 Employment Opportunity Commission does not make a 
 10 determination within a specified timeframe, the 
 11 complainant may bring a civil action within a 
 12 specified timeframe; reenacting s. 760.07, F.S., 
 13 relating to remedies for unlawful discrimination, to 
 14 incorporate the amendment made to s. 760.11, F.S., in 
 15 a reference thereto; providing an effective date. 
 16 
 17 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 
 18 
 19 Section 1. Subsections (1), (3), and (5) of section 760.11, 
 20 Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 
 21 760.11 Administrative and civil remedies; construction.— 
 22 (1) Any person aggrieved by a violation of ss. 760.01 
 23 760.10 may file a complaint with the commission within 365 days 
 24 after of the alleged violation, naming the employer, employment 
 25 agency, labor organization, or joint labor-management committee, 
 26 or, in the case of an alleged violation of s. 760.10(5), the 
 27 person responsible for the violation and describing the 
 28 violation. Any person aggrieved by a violation of s. 509.092 may 
 29 file a complaint with the commission within 365 days after of 
 30 the alleged violation, naming the person responsible for the 
 31 violation and describing the violation. The commission, a 
 32 commissioner, or the Attorney General may in like manner file 
 33 such a complaint. On the same day the complaint is filed with 
 34 the commission, the commission shall clearly stamp on the face 
 35 of the complaint the date the complaint was filed with the 
 36 commission. In lieu of filing the complaint with the commission, 
 37 a complaint under this section may be filed with the federal 
 38 Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or with any unit of 
 39 government of the state which is a fair-employment-practice 
 40 agency under 29 C.F.R. ss. 1601.70-1601.80. If the date the 
 41 complaint is filed is clearly stamped on the face of the 
 42 complaint, that date is the date of filing. The date the 
 43 complaint is filed with the commission for purposes of this 
 44 section is the earliest date of filing with the Equal Employment 
 45 Opportunity Commission, the fair-employment-practice agency, or 
 46 the commission. The complaint must shall contain a short and 
 47 plain statement of the facts describing the violation and the 
 48 relief sought. The commission may require additional information 
 49 to be in the complaint. The commission, within 5 days after of 
 50 the complaint being filed, shall by registered mail send a copy 
 51 of the complaint to the person who allegedly committed the 
 52 violation. The person who allegedly committed the violation may 
 53 file an answer to the complaint within 25 days after of the date 
 54 the complaint was filed with the commission. Any answer filed 
 55 must shall be mailed to the aggrieved person by the person 
 56 filing the answer. Both the complaint and the answer must shall 
 57 be verified. 
 58 (3) Except as provided in subsection (2), the commission 
 59 shall investigate the allegations in the complaint. Within 180 
 60 days after of the filing of the complaint, the commission shall 
 61 determine whether if there is reasonable cause to believe that 
 62 discriminatory practice has occurred in violation of the Florida 
 63 Civil Rights Act of 1992. When the commission determines whether 
 64 or not there is reasonable cause, the commission by registered 
 65 mail shall promptly notify the aggrieved person and the 
 66 respondent of the reasonable cause determination, the date of 
 67 such determination, and the options available under this 
 68 section. 
 69 (5) In any civil action brought under this section, the 
 70 court may issue an order prohibiting the discriminatory practice 
 71 and providing affirmative relief from the effects of the 
 72 practice, including back pay. The court ma