FL S0642

Amends school facility capacity reporting in the Florida Inventory of School Houses to define elementary schools as those containing students in kindergarten through grade 5 and middle schools as those containing students in grades 6 through 8.

Requires the Commissioner of Education to grant exemptions from State Requirements for Educational Facilities (SREF) upon request by a district school board that submits a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis.

Districts granted SREF exemptions must continue complying with applicable provisions of the Florida Building Code and Florida Fire Prevention Code for construction, remodeling, and renovation of educational facilities.

Applies the same school facility capacity definitions (elementary as K-5 and middle as 6-8) to the capital outlay full-time equivalent membership calculations used in allocating funds from the Public Education Capital Outlay and Debt Service Trust Fund.

Effective date: July 1, 2017.