The full Senate is poised to consider legislation that would impose reporting requirements and mandate the removal of teachers accused of a wide variety of crimes detailed in Florida Statutes.

The Rules Committee advanced Sen. Clay Yarborough’s legislation (SB 1374) requiring more detailed reporting on teachers accused of crimes effective July 1, 2025.

“We’re all committed to student safety and that’s what this bill is about,” Yarborough said.

Teachers and administrators would be required to self-report the accusations within 48 hours of arrest, and would also be compelled to report convictions and rulings for any offense except a minor traffic violation in the same time frame.

Districts would have to remove the teachers from classrooms within 24 hours of the notification. They would be suspended with pay and reassigned to duties where they don’t interact with students, with a disciplinary hearing required within a year of the removal from the classroom.

Yarborough was inspired to file this bill by a series of incidents in his native Jacksonville, where the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts had a number of teachers who flouted laws and community standards.

In a letter last year to Acting Superintendent Dana Kriznar, the School Board and Jacksonville General Counsel Michael Fackler, he expressed “serious concerns about the immediate safety” of students at Douglas Anderson in the wake of an arrest of a teacher over a “sexual incident” covered in the local press.

“The fact that the district was aware of this and allowed the teacher to remain in direct proximity with students and chose not to inform parents until last week is beyond comprehension,” Yarborough wrote.

This legislative proposal is an attempt to get state guardrails on a situation neglected by locals.

The bill notes that the “self-report is not considered an admission of guilt and is not admissible for any purpose in any proceeding, civil or criminal, administrative or judicial, investigatory or adjudicatory.”

A House companion bill has one committee stop to go before it hits the floor.

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“Brooke’s Law” keeps moving in the Legislature, with the Senate Rules Committee advancing it.

SB 1400, sponsored by Sen. Alexis Calatayud, is designed to require internet platforms to remove altered sexual depictions and copies of such depictions from their platform upon request of the victim.

“This legislation addresses the reality there’s no avenue by which an altered sexual depiction posted on an internet platform can be removed by the individual whose image was used. We’re specifically talking about deep fake images, of which 99% are women and 98% are pornographic,” Calatayud said.

The bill was inspired by what Jacksonville’s Brooke Curry went through in 2023, when a deepfake nude of her was posted to social media.

The legislation would require internet platforms to develop and prominently promote a policy by the end of 2025 for removing deepfake images and videos of this type after someone is victimized in this way.

“This bill prescribes a timeline for platforms to create a process for the removal of altered sexual depictions that were created without the consent of the identifiable person and outlined specific requirements for the process, including a clear and conspicuous notice of the process of platform to remove it. They must remove the image within 48 hours after receiving a valid request and make a reasonable effort to remove other copies of the images,” Calatayud added.

The bill, which envisions the Florida Unfair Trade and Deceptive Practices Act as its enforcement mechanism, expands on legislation championed by former Senate Democratic Leader Lauren Book that imposed criminal and civil penalties by creating law to force sites to take the objectionable image down.

Calatayud noted that the legislation is particularly important given “underaged women” are targeted by the technological depravity.

The House version cleared its final committee on Monday, and it too is ready for floor consideration.

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Just before Monday night’s tipoff of the Gators’ national championship game, Florida’s Attorney General dropped his own three-pointer about the state’s future power intentions.

James Uthmeier revealed that he had signed an opinion from Texas, Utah, and other states regarding a significant legal challenge against the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

The AG said Monday that a big reason was to let the federal government know Florida was ready to move and was tired of dithering from D.C.

“For decades, Washington has made promises about nuclear energy — but then throws up roadblocks when real innovation comes along,” said Uthmeier. “Florida is done waiting. We’re taking action to unleash the full potential of safe nuclear technology, strengthen our energy independence, and secure cleaner water and air in our state.”

NRC v. Texas has already been heard by the Supreme Court, but no ruling has been issued.

For Uthmeier, the need for nuclear power is undeniable. The state’s “growing population” and “increasing electricity demand” create “significant challenges” that can be met in part by small, modular reactors. Yet, states looking to innovate are frustrated by an outmoded regulatory scheme that doesn’t contemplate technological advances.

“By taking legal action, Florida is standing up for innovation, energy reliability, and the American people, ensuring that the state can explore all avenues to meet its energy needs,” Uthmeier’s office claims.

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