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FL H1599
Bill
Status
Failed
6/16/2025
Primary Sponsor
Dean Black
Click for details
AI Summary
- Preempts local governments from removing, damaging, or destroying historic Florida monuments or memorials on public property that have been displayed for at least 25 years, declaring all existing local ordinances or executive actions authorizing such removal void
- Imposes civil fines of up to $1,000 on elected or appointed local government officials who knowingly and willfully violate the state's exclusive authority, and prohibits the use of public funds to defend or reimburse those officials
- Grants standing to groups involved in the design, erection, or care of a monument—or persons regularly using it for remembrance—to file civil suits seeking injunctive relief and actual damages up to $100,000, plus attorney fees
- Requires local governments that unlawfully remove or destroy a monument to restore or relocate it within 3 years; if they lack funds, the state will perform the restoration and withhold all arts, cultural, and historic preservation funding from the local government until reimbursed
- Permits temporary removal of a monument only for military necessity or construction/infrastructure projects, requiring escrow funding, written notification to the Division of Historical Resources within 10 days, and relocation to a site of similar prominence within the same county or municipality
Legislative Description
Protection of Historic Monuments and Memorials
Last Action
Died in Government Operations Subcommittee
6/16/2025
Committee Referrals
Government Operations Subcommittee3/5/2025
Full Bill Text
No bill text available