Florida bills to watch in 2025: boat crashes, park protections, Parkland law reversal

Boating safety: State Sen. Ileana Garcia (R-Miami) wants to make it a first-degree felony to flee a fatal boating accident, with up to 30 years in prison and a minimum four-year sentence for those under the influence.

Weather modification: Garcia also seeks to ban the release of chemicals into the atmosphere "for the express purpose of affecting the temperature, the weather, or the intensity of sunlight."

• The bill appears linked to debunked conspiracies that government agencies release toxic chemicals through airplane contrails to control the weather, according to the Tallahassee Democrat.

Lower age limit to purchase guns: State Sen. Randy Fine (R-Melbourne Beach) filed a bill in December to amend state law and lower the age to purchase firearms from 21 to 18.

• The GOP-led Legislature and then-Gov. Rick Scott raised the age to 21 in 2018 after the Parkland school massacre, a move that drew ire from the National Rifle Association.

No in-state tuition for undocumented students: Fine also wants to end in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants, a measure that Lt. Gov. Jeanette Núñez championed in the Florida House.

• Gov. Ron DeSantis tried (and failed) to repeal the law in 2023.

Protecting state parks: State Sen. Gayle Harrell (R-Stuart) filed the "State Park Preservation Act," which requires public hearings for all updated conservation and nonconservation land management plans.

• Harrell also wants to ban recreation in state parks that requires "golf courses, tennis courts, pickleball courts, [or] ball fields," a rebuke of the controversial plan to develop state parks that leaked last year.

How to watch: Looking to keep up with the Legislature? You can watch the House, Senate and committee hearings online at the Florida Channel.

• Plus, you can visit www.flsenate.gov to track bills and receive email alerts.