THE BILL ITSELF
HB 1543
Schools of Hope
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A bill to be entitled
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An act relating to schools of hope; amending s.
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1002.333, F.S.; authorizing the mutual management
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plans for school district facilities used by schools
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of hope to include a provision for the school of hope
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and school district to share specified costs;
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providing an effective date.
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Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subsection (7) of section
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1002.333, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
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1002.333 Persistently low-performing schools.—
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(7) FACILITIES.—
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(a) A school of hope shall use facilities that comply with
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the Florida Building Code, except for the State Requirements for
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Educational Facilities. A school of hope that uses school
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district facilities must comply with the State Requirements for
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Educational Facilities only if the school district and the hope
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operator have entered into a mutual management plan for the
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reasonable maintenance of such facilities. The mutual management
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plan shall contain a provision by which the district school
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board agrees to maintain the school facilities in the same
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manner as its other public schools within the district or a
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provision that provides for the school of hope and district
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school board to share the maintenance and other costs for such
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school facilities. A school of hope may colocate with another
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school in a public school facility. The school district must
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permit any school of hope to use all or part of underused,
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vacant, or surplus school district facilities, and receive
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facility-related services, pursuant to State Board of Education
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rule. Students enrolled in the school of hope shall be included
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in the district's total capital outlay full-time equivalent
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membership for the purpose of s. 1013.62 and for calculating the
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Public Education Capital Outlay maintenance funds or any other
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maintenance funds for the facility. The local governing
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authority shall not adopt or impose any local building
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requirements or site-development restrictions, such as parking
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and site-size criteria, student enrollment, and occupant load,
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that are addressed by and more stringent than those found in the
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State Requirements for Educational Facilities of the Florida
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Building Code. A local governing authority must treat schools of
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hope equitably in comparison to similar requirements,
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restrictions, and site planning processes imposed upon public
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schools. The agency having jurisdiction for inspection of a
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facility and issuance of a certificate of occupancy or use shall
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be the local municipality or, if in an unincorporated area, the
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county governing authority. If an official or employee of the
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local governing authority refuses to comply with this paragraph,
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the aggrieved school or entity has an immediate right to bring
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an action in circuit court to enforce its rights by injunction.
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An aggrieved party that receives injunctive relief may be
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awarded reasonable attorney fees and court costs.
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Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.