Florida HB 1543: Schools of Hope

Bill Text

HB 1543 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1543-00
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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 schools of hope; amending s. 2
1002.333, F.S.; authorizing the mutual management 3
plans for school district facilities used by schools 4
of hope to include a provision for the school of hope 5
and school district to share specified costs; 6
providing an effective date. 7
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Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 9
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Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subsection (7) of section 11
1002.333, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 12
1002.333 Persistently low-performing schools.— 13
(7) FACILITIES.— 14
(a) A school of hope shall use facilities that comply with 15
the Florida Building Code, except for the State Requirements for 16
Educational Facilities. A school of hope that uses school 17
district facilities must comply with the State Requirements for 18
Educational Facilities only if the school district and the hope 19
operator have entered into a mutual management plan for the 20
reasonable maintenance of such facilities. The mutual management 21
plan shall contain a provision by which the district school 22
board agrees to maintain the school facilities in the same 23
manner as its other public schools within the district or a 24
provision that provides for the school of hope and district 25

HB 1543 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1543-00
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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

school board to share the maintenance and other costs for such 26
school facilities. A school of hope may colocate with another 27
school in a public school facility. The school district must 28
permit any school of hope to use all or part of underused, 29
vacant, or surplus school district facilities, and receive 30
facility-related services, pursuant to State Board of Education 31
rule. Students enrolled in the school of hope shall be included 32
in the district's total capital outlay full-time equivalent 33
membership for the purpose of s. 1013.62 and for calculating the 34
Public Education Capital Outlay maintenance funds or any other 35
maintenance funds for the facility. The local governing 36
authority shall not adopt or impose any local building 37
requirements or site-development restrictions, such as parking 38
and site-size criteria, student enrollment, and occupant load, 39
that are addressed by and more stringent than those found in the 40
State Requirements for Educational Facilities of the Florida 41
Building Code. A local governing authority must treat schools of 42
hope equitably in comparison to similar requirements, 43
restrictions, and site planning processes imposed upon public 44
schools. The agency having jurisdiction for inspection of a 45
facility and issuance of a certificate of occupancy or use shall 46
be the local municipality or, if in an unincorporated area, the 47
county governing authority. If an official or employee of the 48
local governing authority refuses to comply with this paragraph, 49
the aggrieved school or entity has an immediate right to bring 50

HB 1543 2026

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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

an action in circuit court to enforce its rights by injunction. 51
An aggrieved party that receives injunctive relief may be 52
awarded reasonable attorney fees and court costs. 53
Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026. 54