The bill amends various sections of Florida Statutes to enhance support for veterans and their families, including redesignating the official state flagship to the S.S. American Victory and updating the Department of Veterans Affairs' designation as the state approving agency for veterans' education and training. It increases the membership of the board of directors for Florida Is for Veterans, Inc. from 11 to 12 members, ensuring representation from active or retired military personnel. The Veterans Employment and Training Services Program is renamed to the Veterans Florida Opportunity Program, with new guidelines limiting grant reimbursements to $5,000 per eligible trainee per fiscal year. Additionally, the bill prohibits the Department of State from charging veterans fees for filing specific documents and mandates the issuance of free disabled veteran motor vehicle license plates without the previous identifying letter designation.

The bill also appropriates $2.5 million in recurring funds from the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Veterans Affairs for various programs aimed at improving access to benefits, employment services, and educational resources for veterans. It introduces a new section exempting veterans from certain filing fees related to business registrations and clarifies provisions regarding disabled veterans, including the issuance of free motor vehicle license plates and driver license fee exemptions. The terminology is updated to specify that a "disabled veteran" license plate must be issued instead of the previous "DV" designation, and it allows for specialty plates embossed with "DV." The changes are set to take effect on July 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
S 1280 Filed: 295.124, 295.22, 322.21, 394.47891
S 1280 c1: 15.0465, 295.124, 295.22, 322.21, 394.47891