H 1543

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    HB 1543  2026
1A bill to be entitled
2An act relating to schools of hope; amending s.
31002.333, F.S.; authorizing the mutual management
4plans for school district facilities used by schools
5of hope to include a provision for the school of hope
6and school district to share specified costs;
7providing an effective date.
8
9    Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
10
11Section 1.       Paragraph (a) of subsection (7) of section
121002.333, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
131002.333        Persistently low-performing schools.—
14(7)     FACILITIES.—
15(a)     A school of hope shall use facilities that comply with
16the Florida Building Code, except for the State Requirements for
17Educational Facilities. A school of hope that uses school
18district facilities must comply with the State Requirements for
19Educational Facilities only if the school district and the hope
20operator have entered into a mutual management plan for the
21reasonable maintenance of such facilities. The mutual management
22plan shall contain a provision by which the district school
23board agrees to maintain the school facilities in the same
24manner as its other public schools within the district or a
25provision that provides for the school of hope and district
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 HB 1543  2026
26    school board to share the maintenance and other costs for such
27    school facilities. A school of hope may colocate with another
28    school in a public school facility. The school district must
29    permit any school of hope to use all or part of underused,
30    vacant, or surplus school district facilities, and receive
31    facility-related services, pursuant to State Board of Education
32    rule. Students enrolled in the school of hope shall be included
33    in the district's total capital outlay full-time equivalent
34    membership for the purpose of s. 1013.62 and for calculating the
35    Public Education Capital Outlay maintenance funds or any other
36    maintenance funds for the facility. The local governing
37    authority shall not adopt or impose any local building
38    requirements or site-development restrictions, such as parking
39    and site-size criteria, student enrollment, and occupant load,
40    that are addressed by and more stringent than those found in the
41    State Requirements for Educational Facilities of the Florida
42    Building Code. A local governing authority must treat schools of
43    hope equitably in comparison to similar requirements,
44    restrictions, and site planning processes imposed upon public
45    schools. The agency having jurisdiction for inspection of a
46    facility and issuance of a certificate of occupancy or use shall
47    be the local municipality or, if in an unincorporated area, the
48    county governing authority. If an official or employee of the
49    local governing authority refuses to comply with this paragraph,
50    the aggrieved school or entity has an immediate right to bring
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51    an action in circuit court to enforce its rights by injunction.
52    An aggrieved party that receives injunctive relief may be
53    awarded reasonable attorney fees and court costs.
54Section 2.       This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.
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