HB 1105 — Education
HB 1105 — Education
by Education & Employment Committee; Higher Education Budget Subcommittee; Careers &
Workforce Subcommittee; and Rep. Kincart Jonsson and others (CS/CS/SB 270 by
Appropriations Committee on Higher Education; Education Postsecondary Committee; and
Senator Burgess)
The bill revises multiple components of Florida’s K–20 education system, including charter
school funding and accountability, high school graduation requirements, school bus safety,
student device use, and postsecondary program eligibility.
Student Wireless Communications Device Use
The bill establishes statewide restrictions on student cell phone use and creates a pilot to evaluate full-day prohibitions.
The bill: • Prohibits device use by elementary and middle school students during the school day.
• Prohibits high school use during instructional time, except as authorized, with teacher designated storage areas and board-adopted usage zones. • Provides exceptions for medical or educational needs. • Requires the DOE to study full-day restrictions in high schools in six districts and submit a report with a model policy by December 1, 2026.
Charter Schools
The bill establishes new funding and reporting requirements related to charter schools. The bill:
• Requires school districts to share any local government infrastructure surtax revenues
with eligible charter schools based on enrollment, for levies approved on or after
July 1, 2025.
• Requires school districts to provide to district charter schools information related to
shared discretionary revenues.
• Requires use of a State Board of Education-adopted standard monitoring tool to monitor
charter school performance.
The bill modifies charter school conversion procedures and establishes a new class of “job
engine” charter schools focused on job creation and economic development. The bill:
• Requires that charter school conversion applications submitted by parents must originate
from parents of students enrolled in the school to be converted and removes the
requirement for demonstration of teacher support.
• Authorizes municipalities to apply to establish a job engine charter school, either as a
new or conversion school, and allows such schools to give enrollment preference to
children of employees of identified job-producing entities.
• Expands Workforce Development Capitalization Incentive Grant eligibility to include job
engine charter schools and clarifies eligibility for serving students in grades 6-12.
Private School Construction
The bill authorizes private schools located in counties with four incorporated municipalities to
construct new facilities on property that housed specified facilities, such as a church or theater,
under that facility’s preexisting zoning and land use designations without obtaining a special
exception or a land use change and without complying with any mitigation requirements or
conditions.
2025 Summary of Legislation Passed Committee on Education Postsecondary
This summary is provided for information only and does not represent the opinion of any Senator, Senate Officer, or Senate Office.
CS/CS/CS/HB 1105 Page: 2
High School Instruction and Graduation Requirements
The bill modifies provisions related to high school instruction and graduation options. The bill:
• Allows marching band to substitute for a performing arts or physical education credit,
with exceptions.
• Eliminates the certificate of completion and requires the DOE to develop, by
January 1, 2026, guidance about adult education and postsecondary options for students
who do not earn a diploma.
• Requires the DOE to develop new applied, equivalent, and integrated courses to
substitute for course requirements, and to incorporate work-based internships in
graduation planning.
• Expands the Florida Seal of Fine Arts to include Advanced International Certificate of
Education (AICE) arts courses.
• Requires the DOE to establish, by August 1, 2026, competencies for a mathematics
endorsement for teachers, which must include specified topics.
Bright Futures Scholarship Program
The bill:
• Expands Bright Futures Scholarship eligibility to include students who graduate from
non-Florida high schools while residing with a parent or guardian who retired from
military or public service within 12 months prior to graduation.
• Authorizes use of the Advanced Placement (AP) Capstone designation, with conditions,
to meet specified diploma eligibility requirements for the Florida Academic Scholars
(FAS) award, beginning with students graduating in the 2025–2026 school year, but
clarifies that earning the AP Capstone designation does not satisfy the requirements for
earning a standard high school diploma.
Career and Professional Education
The bill makes several changes to the Florida Career and Professional Education (CAPE) Act
and associated Bright Futures scholarship programs. The bill:
• Updates references to reflect inclusion of the Florida Gold Seal Vocational Scholars and
Florida Gold Seal CAPE Scholars awards in the Bright Futures Scholarship Program.
• Requires CAPE academies and high schools offering career-themed courses to provide
students the opportunity to earn the Florida Gold Seal CAPE Scholars award.
• Modifies eligibility for the Florida Gold Seal Vocational Scholars award by:
o Shifting the requirement from a 3-course sequential program of studies to 3 career
and technical education courses; and
o Requiring 75 hours of volunteer service, rather than the current 30, to satisfy the
community service requirement for both Gold Seal Vocational and Gold Seal CAPE
Scholars awards for students entering grade 9 in the 2024–2025 school year and
thereafter.
2025 Summary of Legislation Passed Committee on Education Postsecondary
This summary is provided for information only and does not represent the opinion of any Senator, Senate Officer, or Senate Office.
CS/CS/CS/HB 1105 Page: 3
Career Dual Enrollment Access
The bill requires dual enrollment agreements between career centers and the high schools they
serve to specify how students will be notified of available transportation options and to address
scheduling changes to increase access and participation. The bill also requires that dual
enrollment articulation agreements between district school superintendents and public
postsecondary institution presidents include any necessary scheduling changes.
Workforce Credential Program for Students with Disabilities
The bill creates a new program to help students with disabilities demonstrate job readiness
through employer-recognized credentials. The bill:
• Establishes a DOE-led credentialing program for students with autism or cognitive
disabilities, to be implemented by January 1, 2026.
• Requires validation by exceptional student education (ESE) instructors and collaboration
with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) on a safety badge.
• Mandates annual reports through 2030, on participation and outcomes.
Student Wireless Communications Device Use
The bill establishes statewide restrictions on student cell phone use and creates a pilot to evaluate full-day prohibitions.
The bill:
• Prohibits device use by elementary and middle school students during the school day.
• Prohibits high school use during instructional time, except as authorized, with teacher designated storage areas and board-adopted usage zones.
• Provides exceptions for medical or educational needs.
• Requires the DOE to study full-day restrictions in high schools in six districts and submit
a report with a model policy by December 1, 2026.
School Bus Trespass
The bill modifies enforcement of trespassing laws on school property by:
• Expanding the definition of “school” for purposes of the school trespass statute to include
any vehicle operated, owned, or contracted by a school district for student transportation.
• Clarifying that verbal notice or a posted sign is sufficient to support prosecution for
trespass.
• Authorizing arrest without a warrant based on probable cause for trespass on a school
bus.
2025 Summary of Legislation Passed Committee on Education Postsecondary
This summary is provided for information only and does not represent the opinion of any Senator, Senate Officer, or Senate Office.
CS/CS/CS/HB 1105 Page:4