Florida's Latest News

DeSantis signs bill requiring Florida health agency to set up website for pregnancy, parenting resources

Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a contentious measure that directs the Florida Department of Health to set up a website that provides “information and links to certain pregnancy and parenting resources,” the governor’s office announced Sunday.

The bill (HB 415) will require the Department of Health to hire a contractor and work with the Department of Children and Families and the Agency for Health Care Administration on the website, which will provide “information and links to public and private resources for expectant families and new parents.”

The bill includes $466,200 in funding.

A legislative staff analysis said the website, at a minimum, must include information on resources related to educational materials on pregnancy and parenting, maternal health services, prenatal and postnatal services, educational and mentorship programs for fathers, social services, financial assistance and adoption services. The website is required to operate by Jan. 1.

New Florida law amends dental insurance claims process

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation on Friday to introduce reforms to Florida’s dental insurance claims process.

The measure, Senate Bill 892, prohibits insurers from limiting dental claim payments to credit cards. Insurers, HMOs, and PLHSOs must now disclose any fees associated with electronic funds transfers (EFT) to dentists before processing payments.

Dentists must additionally provide written consent for EFT payments, including virtual credit cards, given via email with an electronic signature or by checking a consent box. The law further bans fees for automatic clearing house (ACH) transfers unless the dentist has agreed to them.

The bill also prevents insurers from denying payment for procedures they previously authorized, except under specific conditions. These conditions include hitting benefit limits, inadequate documentation, changes in the patient’s condition, or fraudulent claims.

“This legislation will address a key issue that is affecting too many Florida patients – denial of coverage for dental treatment services that had been previously authorized by their dental plan,” said Dr. Beatriz Terry, President of the Florida Dental Association. “This new law will help ensure patients receive the dental benefits they are paying for.”

School safety dashboard helps parents and teachers address root causes of bullying, fighting

Florida updated its school safety dashboard in April 2024, and it is now one of the most comprehensive in the nation. F. Chris Curran is an education policy professor at the University of Florida who partnered with Safe Schools for Alex, a nonprofit created by Max Schachter following the murder of his son Alex in the Parkland massacre in 2018, to release the new version of the dashboard. The Conversation asked him how parents and schools can benefit from the dashboard and what other states might learn from it as well.

What can this dashboard show parents about how safe a school is for their child?

Parents can use the Safe Schools for Alex dashboard to compare safety metrics in their child’s school with district and state averages as well as with other similar schools. The dashboard includes all public K-12 schools in Florida and over 50 indicators of school safety – ranging from fights and weapons to school bus crashes. Parents can also see information on school responses and resources, such as whether school staff are trained in suicide prevention and the ratio of counselors to students.

$25 million plan takes shape for drug-recovery aid in Palm Beach County

A legal battle has resulted in more than $25 million in the form of settlement funds for Palm Beach County, which may be used to aid in addressing the ramifications of the opioid epidemic, county documents show.

Palm Beach County wants to help curb the drug-related hardships faced by the community. During a workshop Tuesday, county commissioners will be presented with recommendations on how to ensure the $25 million in funds goes far.

“Until we fix the addiction problem that is manmade, we’re going to be chasing the devil,” said Maureen Kielian, chair of the Behavioral Health, Substance Abuse and Co-Occurring Disorders advisory committee and leader of Southeast Recovery Advocates.

The focus needs to be on addressing addiction rather than just eradicating the “pill of the day,” she said. The goal: to reach the root issues behind addiction, such as the state of people’s mental health.