DeSantis bills spark debate

to diversity, equity, and inclusion

Furthermore, DeSantis signed SB 240 to expand workforce education programs and increase access to career and technical education (CTE) programs

The laws will go into effect on July 1

Bills to combat human trafficking

Governor Ron DeSantis signed four laws on Tuesday, May 16 to combat human trafficking, improve awareness of the signs and impacts of human trafficking, and implement critical reforms to hold human traffickers accountable

Governor DeSantis signed Senate Bill 7064, which supports victims of human trafficking and strengthens penalties for human traffickers by:

Establishing a civil action for victims of human trafficking against traffickers and providing that victims can recover damages and attorney’s fees from adult entertainment establishments

Allowing seized property from a human trafficker to be sold and proceeds to be paid as restitution to victims

Requiring adult establishments to verify the identity and ages of all employees and establish- ing a third-degree felony for owners or operators of adult establishments that do not retain such records

Requiring offenders of prostitution, lewdness, or related acts to attend an educational course on the impacts of human trafficking and the negative impacts of commercial sex on people and their communities

The Governor also signed SB 1690, Sexual Exploitation and Human Trafficking, which expands human trafficking awareness programs and increases human trafficking victim support by:

Cracking down on repeat violators of human trafficking awareness requirements by shortening the cure period for an initial violation from 90 days to 45 days and imposing daily fines for any subsequent violation

Requiring residential treatment centers for children to place signs on their premises to warn children about the dangers of human trafficking and to demonstrate avenues for reporting instances of human trafficking

Mandating the Statewide Council on Human Trafficking to conduct a study and make recommendations regarding the regulation of adult safe houses, which provide

The new law will punish drivers who transport undocumented people into the state who came into the US illegally

Sources with FHP tell NBC6 that troopers will be briefed and trained on how to enforce the new law and drivers could be arrested

Miami-Dade Police is trying to reassure the community that they will not pull people over and ask everyone to show their status

“We’re not going to be asking for any paperwork to try to confirm your legal status,” housing and care specifically for survivors of human trafficking

Ensuring security measures for safe houses and safe foster homes includes detection of possible trafficking activity, coordination with law enforcement, and emergency response plans to search for absent or missing children

Requiring safe houses and foster homes to give kids age-appropriate programming to educate them on the signs and dangers of commercial sexual exploitation and human trafficking, approved by the Department of Children and Families

He also signed HB 1465 which makes human traffickers eligible for mandatory minimum sentences when they possess or discharge a firearm during the course of their crimes

Moreover, DeSantis signed SB 1210 which provides that a petition for human trafficking victim expunction and all pleadings and documents related to the petition are confidential and exempt from public records requirements

5 Bills targeting drag shows, pronouns, bathroom use, and transgender children

On Wednesday, May 17, Governor DeSantis signed bills that ban gender surgical procedures said Alberto Zabaleta with MDPD “For us, a victim is a victim from the beginning to the end Director Ramirez does not want to lose the trust of our community ”

The new law is expected to attract litigation which critics hope will lessen its impact before full implementation

The DeSantis administration feels that this is the right time for this new law with the end of Title 42, because they anticipate more people coming into the US that could end up in Florida for minors, restrict pronoun use in schools, and force people to use the bathroom corresponding with their sex in some cases

He said the new law will prevent the mutilation of minors, protect children from “sexually explicit” entertainment and keep pronouns from being forced on students

Bill enforcing later start times for middle and High schools

Many Florida students may see a change in their school start times in the future, following the signing of a bill by Governor DeSantis

The Florida Senate approved the bill during the final week of the recent legislative session, while the House passed the measure in March

Middle schools will be prohibited from starting the school day before 8 a m , while high schools will be barred from starting before 8:30 a m According to reports, about 48% of Florida’s public high schools currently start school before 7:30 a m Another 19% of high schools start between 7:30 a m and 8 a m

These changes will go into effect by July 2026

The School Board of Miami-Dade County, Florida (Board), intends to commission one firm or joint venture (JV) having full architectural and engineering services available within the entity, or with consultants, as Architect/Engineer of Record (A/E) for the following General Obligation Bond (GOB) funded projects:

QUESTIONS: Written questions regarding this solicitation will be accepted via e-mail as noted below under the Cone of Silence until 1:00 pm local time, Thursday, June 8, 2023. Questions and Answers (Q&As) will be posted under legal ad 198 in the “INFO” icon at http://solicitations.dadeschools.net.

RFQ RESPONSES DUE: Firms or companies desiring to participate in this selection process shall respond with one (1) original RFQ response in a 3-ring binder; one (1) copy in a 3-ring binder; and three (3) flash drives (each containing the entire response as a single PDF document) no later than 1:00 pm local time, Tuesday, June 20, 2023 to the attention of:

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Department of A/E Selection & Negotiations

Carlton Crawl, Professional Selection Analyst

School Board Administration Building 1450 NE 2 Avenue, Room 305 Miami, Florida 33132

REQUIREMENTS: This is an abbreviated ad; the complete legal ad with requisite proposal information, Mandatory Sub-consultant Utilization Goals, project details and instructions for this solicitation, including selection procedures and required U.S. General Services Administration Standard Form 330, are available at http://solicitations.dadeschools.net under legal ad 198.

In accordance with Board policies, a Cone of Silence, lobbyist requirements and protest procedures are hereby activated. Failure to comply with requirements of this legal ad and Board policies shall be grounds for disqualification. These, and all related Board policies, can be accessed and downloaded at https://go.boarddocs.com/fl/sbmd/Board.nsf/Public?open&id=welcome