FL S7048

Restructures the Hope Scholarship Program by eliminating it as a standalone private school scholarship and instead directing eligible students (those who experienced incidents of violence or bullying) to apply for scholarships under the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program or the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program

Expands scholarship eligibility under the Family Empowerment and Florida Tax Credit programs to include dependents of active duty military members with permanent change of station orders to Florida, and removes the requirement that virtual instruction program providers be nonsectarian

Establishes standardized scholarship application and renewal timelines, with renewal windows from February 1 through April 30, new application deadlines of November 15, and parent confirmation deadlines of May 31 for renewals and December 15 for new scholarships, beginning with the 2025-2026 school year

Increases the annual growth cap for Family Empowerment Scholarships for students with disabilities from 3.0% to 5.0% of the state's exceptional student education enrollment, with an additional 1.0% increase triggered when funded scholarships exceed 95% of available slots

Moves motor vehicle sales tax credit contribution provisions (capped at $105 per vehicle purchase) from the Hope Scholarship statute to s. 212.1832, directs those funds to the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program, and requires scholarship-funding organizations to process tuition payments within 7 business days of parent and school approval