Florida SB 1612: Prescription Drug Coverage

Bill Text

1612 
Electronic Payments Made to Units of Local Governments 
2026-02-12T10:10:08Z 
Requiring units of local government to accept certain forms of payments; providing an exception; requiring such local governments to accept payments online, etc. 
Committee Substitute 1 
2026 
S 
2027-01-01T00:00:00Z 
GB 
General Bill 
c1 

 Florida Senate - 2026 CS for SB 1612 

 By the Committee on Governmental Oversight and Accountability; 
 and Senator DiCeglie 

 585-02776-26 20261612c1 
 1 A bill to be entitled 
 2 An act relating to electronic payments made to units 
 3 of local governments; amending s. 215.322, F.S.; 
 4 revising legislative intent; requiring units of local 
 5 government to accept certain forms of payments; 
 6 providing an exception; requiring such local 
 7 governments to accept payments online; providing a 
 8 finding and declaration of important state interest; 
 9 providing an effective date. 
 10 
 11 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 
 12 
 13 Section 1. Subsections (1) and (5) of section 215.322, 
 14 Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 
 15 215.322 Acceptance of credit cards, charge cards, debit 
 16 cards, or electronic funds transfers by state agencies, units of 
 17 local government, and the judicial branch; acceptance of online 
 18 payments by units of local government.— 
 19 (1)(a) It is the intent of the Legislature to encourage 
 20 state agencies, and the judicial branch, and require units of 
 21 local government, to make their goods, services, and information 
 22 more convenient to the public through the acceptance of payments 
 23 by credit cards, charge cards, debit cards, or other means of 
 24 electronic funds transfers to the maximum extent practicable 
 25 when the benefits to the participating agency and the public 
 26 substantiate the cost of accepting these types of payments. 
 27 (b) It is the intent of the Legislature to require units of 
 28 local government to accept payments online. 
 29 (5)(a) Each A unit of local government, including a 
 30 municipality, special district, or board of county commissioners 
 31 or other governing body of a county, a consolidated or 
 32 metropolitan government, and any clerk of the circuit court, 
 33 sheriff, property appraiser, tax collector, or supervisor of 
 34 elections, shall is authorized to accept payment by use of 
 35 credit cards, charge cards, bank debit cards, and electronic 
 36 funds transfers for financial obligations that are owing to such 
 37 unit of local government, except when another form of payment is 
 38 required by law, and is authorized to surcharge the person who 
 39 uses a credit card, charge card, bank debit card, or electronic 
 40 funds transfer in payment of taxes, license fees, tuition, 
 41 fines, civil penalties, court-ordered payments, or court costs, 
 42 or other statutorily prescribed revenues an amount sufficient to 
 43 pay the service fee charges by the financial institution, 
 44 vending service company, or credit card company for such 
 45 services. Such A unit of local government shall verify both the 
 46 validity of any credit card, charge card, bank debit card, or 
 47 electronic funds transfer used pursuant to this subsection and 
 48 the existence of appropriate credit with respect to the person 
 49 using the card or transfer. The unit of local government does 
 50 not incur any liability as a result of such verification or any 
 51 subsequent action taken. 
 52 (b) A unit of local government accepting payment under 
 53 paragraph (a) is required to have a method for accepting such 
 54 payment online. 
 55 Section 2. The Legislature finds and declares that this act 
 56 fulfills an important state interest. 
 57 Section 3. This act shall take effect on January 1, 2027.