Florida SB 818: Utility Relocation

Bill Text

818 
Education in the Criminal Justice System 
2025-12-09T06:32:49Z 
Authorizing the Department of Corrections to award gain time for an inmate who completes specified education programs; revising the purpose of the Florida Virtual School to provide for the development and delivery of blended learning; requiring the Florida Virtual School to establish the Florida Virtual School Justice Education Program, beginning with a specified school year; requiring the Department of Education, with assistance from specified entities, to select a common student assessment instrument and protocol for measuring student learning gains and progression, etc. 
Original Filed Version 
2026 
S 
2026-07-01T00:00:00Z 
GB 
General Bill 
__ 

 Florida Senate - 2026 SB 818 

 By Senator Truenow 

 13-01357A-26 2026818__ 
 1 A bill to be entitled 
 2 An act relating to education in the criminal justice 
 3 system; amending s. 944.275, F.S.; authorizing the 
 4 Department of Corrections to award gain time for an 
 5 inmate who completes specified education programs; 
 6 revising an exception for earning gain time; amending 
 7 s. 1002.37, F.S.; revising the purpose of the Florida 
 8 Virtual School to provide for the development and 
 9 delivery of blended learning; requiring the Florida 
 10 Virtual School to give priority to students enrolled 
 11 in the Florida Virtual School Justice Education 
 12 Program; conforming a reporting requirement to changes 
 13 made by the act; revising the calculation of a “full 
 14 time equivalent student” for purposes of determining 
 15 funding for the Florida Virtual School; requiring that 
 16 full-time equivalent students enrolled in a certain 
 17 blended learning program be reported to the Department 
 18 of Education in a specified manner; specifying 
 19 conditions under which the Florida Virtual School may 
 20 be funded through the Florida Education Finance 
 21 Program; revising the requirements for a report the 
 22 board of trustees of the Florida Virtual School is 
 23 required to submit annually to certain entities, 
 24 beginning with a specified school year; requiring that 
 25 students enrolled in the Florida Virtual School 
 26 Justice Education Program take specified examinations 
 27 and assessments at institutions or facilities operated 
 28 by, or under the supervision of, the Department of 
 29 Corrections; providing for the determination of 
 30 Florida Virtual School performance related to the 
 31 Justice Education Program; creating s. 1002.371, F.S.; 
 32 requiring the Florida Virtual School to establish the 
 33 Florida Virtual School Justice Education Program, 
 34 beginning with a specified school year; providing the 
 35 purpose of the program; specifying requirements for 
 36 courses delivered by the program; requiring that 
 37 students in blended learning courses be full-time 
 38 students; providing that the funding, performance, and 
 39 accountability requirements for such blended learning 
 40 courses are the same as for traditional classroom 
 41 courses; requiring the Florida Virtual School to 
 42 report program students separately from other students 
 43 for funding purposes; providing for funding of 
 44 students enrolled in the program; authorizing students 
 45 who turn 22 years of age while enrolled in the program 
 46 to remain enrolled under certain circumstances; 
 47 prohibiting funding for such students from being 
 48 reported through the Florida Education Finance 
 49 Program; requiring the Department of Education, with 
 50 assistance from specified entities, to select a common 
 51 student assessment instrument and protocol for 
 52 measuring student learning gains and progression; 
 53 requiring specified entities to jointly review such 
 54 assessment instrument and protocol and implement 
 55 changes as necessary; authorizing students removed 
 56 from the program to appeal to seek reinstatement, 
 57 subject to a final determination on the appeal by the 
 58 Commissioner of Education; requiring the Florida 
 59 Virtual School to negotiate by a specified date and 
 60 annually thereafter a cooperative agreement with the 
 61 Department of Corrections to implement the program; 
 62 specifying requirements for such agreement; providing 
 63 construction; requiring the State Board of Education 
 64 and the Department of Corrections to adopt rules; 
 65 amending s. 1011.61, F.S.; revising the definition of 
 66 the term “full-time equivalent student”; providing an 
 67 effective date. 
 68 
 69 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 
 70 
 71 Section 1. Present paragraphs (e) and (f) of subsection (4) 
 72 of section 944.275, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as 
 73 paragraphs (h) and (i), respectively, and amended, and new 
 74 paragraphs (e) and (f) and paragraph (g) are added to that 
 75 subsection, to read: 
 76 944.275 Gain-time.— 
 77 (4) 
 78 (e) Notwithstanding the monthly maximum awards of incentive 
 79 gain-tim