Governor DeSantis, State Lawmakers Update Special Needs Community at 23rd Family Cafe

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN) – After a whirlwind week, Governor Ron DeSantis came to Orlando Friday for his Governor’s Disability Summit at the 23rd Annual Family Cafe, an annual conference for the special needs community, at the Hyatt Regency on International Drive in Orlando Friday. Several other state lawmakers joined him to provide legislative updates:

• Rep. Randy Fine (R-53, Brevard County)
• Rep. Daisy Morales (D-48, Orange County)
• Rep. Michelle Salzman (R-1, Escambia County)
• Rep. Scott Plakon (R-29, Sanford)
• Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez (R-39, Doral, Miami-Dade County)

Several of the lawmakers spoke during the summit, including Rep. Morales. For the Orange County Disability Vice Chair, the special needs community is near and dear. Morales sponsored two bills and co-sponsored two others aimed at the special needs community.

The two she sponsored gained some steam, but didn’t reach the governor. HB 269, which broadened the definition of developmental disability to benefit more of the special needs community in an effort to make more residents eligible for affordable healthcare, died in the House Children, Families & Seniors Subcommittee. CS/CS/HB 1347, Educational Opportunities for Disabled Veterans, passed the Florida House and died in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Two bills she co-sponsored made more headway:

HB 117, Resource Information for Individuals with Disabilities, co-sponsored with Rep. Allison Tant was laid on the table, but Senate companion bill SB 1714 is sitting on the Governor Ron DeSantis’s desk.

HB 173, Individual Education Plan for Students with Disabilities, also co-sponsored with Rep. Allison Tant, is also on the governor’s desk.

Rep. Plakon received Family’s Cafe’s Bill Galvano Leadership Award for his legislative work for the community. In the 2021 Legislative Session, he sponsored four bills and co-sponsored another:

• HB 627, Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia-Related Disorders Education, which died in the House Appropriations Committee
• CS/HB 1373, Rare Disease Advisory Council, which was laid on the table
• HB 3827, Innovative Transportation for Persons with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities Grant Program, which reached the House Appropriations Committee
• HB 3829, The Family Cafe, which was on its first reading

CS/HB 149, Students with Disabilities in Public Schools, which Plakon co-sponsored with Reps. Bobby Dubose and Rene Plascencia, passed the House.

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Mellissa Thomas is Editor for Florida National News, part of the FNN News Network. | mellissa.thomas@floridanationalnews.com