SESSION WATCH
Superseded — its companion passed SENATE · SESSION 2026

No. CS/SB 524

Department of Law Enforcement
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SPONSOR
Fiscal Policy; Simon
FILED BY
Corey Simon — District 3, Republican [search donations]
EFFECTIVE
Except as otherwise expressly provided in this act and except for this section, which shall take effect upon this act becoming a law, this act shall take effect July 1, 2026
COMPANION
SB 418 — CS/SB 524 was set aside and its companion carried the policy

Filed under Criminal Justice.

PROVIDED SUMMARY

Department of Law Enforcement; Authorizing the Department of Law Enforcement to adopt rules relating to the Florida Medal of Valor and the Florida Blue/Red Heart Medal; specifying the circumstances under which an appointment or reappointment to the Medical Examiners Commission is considered in force; requiring the commission, rather than the Governor, to appoint district medical examiners for each medical examiner district; requiring the Department of Law Enforcement to accept and process fingerprints taken of natural persons who are control persons of a licensee or are applicants for licensure, etc.

Full bill text →

Plain English Summary

AI-GENERATED
Mandates fingerprinting for insurance personnel and shifts medical examiner appointments to the commission.

The Department of Law Enforcement must now accept and process fingerprints for insurance licensees, applicants, and their control persons. This creates a new mandatory background check duty for a broad class of industry personnel.

The Medical Examiners Commission now appoints district medical examiners, removing that authority from the Governor. Appointments require a majority vote of the commission members.

Law enforcement agencies must submit fingerprints for offenders subject to immigration detainers. The Department of Law Enforcement is required to create and store records containing this specific detainer information.

The Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission gains the duty to develop specific online training courses for law enforcement officers. This transfers training development authority from the Department of Law Enforcement to the commission.

KEY PROVISIONS
§ 1 Fingerprinting and background checks for insurance industry personnel majors. 624.34(2)

AICreates a mandatory duty for the Department of Law Enforcement to accept and process fingerprints for a broad class of insurance industry individuals, including control persons of licensees and applicants.

“The Department of Law Enforcement shall accept and process fingerprints taken of an individual who is a licensee, an applicant for licensure, or a control person of a licensee or” bill text, line 348 →
§ 2 Medical Examiners Commission appoints district medical examiners majors. 406.06(1)(a)

AITransfers the authority to appoint district medical examiners from the Governor to the Medical Examiners Commission, requiring a majority vote of the commission.

“The Medical Examiners Commission shall appoint a district medical examiner, who must be a practicing physician in pathology, for each medical examiner district” bill text, line 139 →
§ 3 Collection and storage of immigration detainer information majors. 943.0536(3)(b)

AIRequires law enforcement agencies to submit fingerprints of qualifying offenders subject to immigration detainers, and mandates the Department of Law Enforcement to create and store records containing that detainer information.

“the department shall create a record containing the qualifying offender's immigration detainer information” bill text, line 418 →
§ 4 Administrative expunction for immigration detainer records moderates. 943.0581(1)

AIExpands the scope of administrative expunction to include records containing immigration detainer information, allowing for the removal of such records if the detention was made contrary to law or by mistake.

“the department may adopt a rule pursuant to chapter 120 for the administrative expunction of any nonjudicial record of an arrest or record containing immigration detainer” bill text, line 427 →
§ 5 Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission independence moderates. 943.11(1)(a)

AIRequires the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission to act independently of any criminal justice agency, despite receiving staff support from the Criminal Justice Professionalism Program.

“the commission must act independently of any criminal justice agency” bill text, line 483 →
§ 6 Service of administrative complaints on certified officers moderates. 943.1395(10)

AIEstablishes a specific procedure for serving administrative complaints on certified law enforcement and correctional officers, including posting a notice on the commission's website if proof of service is not provided.

“commission staff must call the last known telephone number of record and cause a short, plain notice to the certified officer or instructor to be posted on the front page of the” bill text, line 513 →
§ 7 Transfer of training development authority to the commission moderates. 943.17261

AITransfers the duty to develop specific online training courses for law enforcement officers from the Department of Law Enforcement to the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission.

“The commission shall develop a 4-hour online initial training course, and a 2-hour online continuing education course, which shall be made available for use by all law enforcement”
§ 8 Training Authority Shifted to Commission moderates. 943.17299

AIThe bill transfers the duty to establish Alzheimer's disease training from the Department of Law Enforcement to the commission, changing which agency controls the program.

“The commission department shall establish an online, continued employment training component relating to Alzheimer's disease and related forms of dementia.” bill text, line 557 →
TIMELINE
3/13/2026
Died in returning Messages, companion bill(s) passed, see SB 418...
3/13/2026
In returning messages
3/13/2026
Insisted on amendment, and requested the Senate to concur
3/13/2026
Insisted on amendment 222029
3/13/2026
Added to Senate Message List
3/12/2026
In Messages
3/12/2026
Refused to concur, requested House to recede -SJ 884
3/11/2026
In returning messages
3/11/2026
CS passed as amended; YEAS 111, NAYS 0
3/11/2026
Read 3rd time
3/11/2026
Added to Third Reading Calendar
3/11/2026
Amendment 222029 adopted
3/11/2026
Read 2nd time
3/10/2026
1st Reading (Engrossed 1)
3/10/2026
Bill added to Special Order Calendar (3/11/2026)
3/10/2026
Bill referred to House Calendar
3/5/2026
In Messages
3/4/2026
CS passed as amended; YEAS 37 NAYS 0 -SJ 553
3/4/2026
Read 3rd time -SJ 553
3/4/2026
Amendment(s) adopted (712722) -SJ 550
3/4/2026
Read 2nd time -SJ 550
2/26/2026
Retained on Special Order Calendar -SJ 463
2/25/2026
Placed on Special Order Calendar, 02/26/26
2/25/2026
Placed on Calendar, on 2nd reading
2/24/2026
CS by Fiscal Policy read 1st time
2/24/2026
Pending reference review -under Rule 4.7(2) - (Committee Substitute)
2/24/2026
CS by- Fiscal Policy; YEAS 18 NAYS 0
2/19/2026
On Committee agenda-- Fiscal Policy, 02/24/26, 9:00 am, 412 Knott Building
2/2/2026
On Committee agenda-- Fiscal Policy, 02/05/26, 9:00 am, 412 Knott...
1/21/2026
Now in Fiscal Policy
1/21/2026
Favorable by Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil...
1/16/2026
On Committee agenda-- Appropriations Committee on Criminal and...
1/13/2026
Introduced
1/12/2026
Now in Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice
1/12/2026
Favorable by Criminal Justice; YEAS 8 NAYS 0
1/5/2026
On Committee agenda-- Criminal Justice, 01/12/26, 1:30 pm, 37...
12/1/2025
Referred to Criminal Justice; Appropriations Committee on Criminal...
11/17/2025
Filed
32 EARLIER →
STATUTES IT CHANGES
s. 112.195
+13 / −0
s. 406.02
+44 / −1
s. 406.06
+21 / −32
s. 624.34
+730 / −242
s. 624.341
+938 / −0
s. 943.0417
+78 / −0
STAFF ANALYSES
3 MORE →