CS/HB 1511 - Florida Cyber Protection Act

• Establishes a state chief information officer appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate to oversee the Florida Digital Service and cybersecurity operations across state agencies.

• Requires state agencies to report ransomware and severe cybersecurity incidents (severity levels 3-5) within 4-48 hours of discovery, with the Florida Digital Service notifying the Governor and Legislature within 12 hours of receiving reports.

• Mandates that state information technology projects costing $10 million or more undergo independent project oversight and comply with established project management standards and enterprise architecture requirements.

• Creates a Cybersecurity Operations Center within the Florida Digital Service to detect, monitor, and coordinate response to cybersecurity incidents across state agencies and local governments.

• Provides liability protection for counties, municipalities, and commercial entities that substantially comply with recognized cybersecurity frameworks and standards (NIST, HIPAA, GLBA, FISMA, HITECH Act), with burden of proof on defendants in litigation.