TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Two bills that aim to increase amusement park ride safety passed through Florida legislature Wednesday and will next head to Gov. Ron DeSantis for his signature.
What You Need To Know
- Two bills regarding amusement parks have cleared the state legislature
- They were created after Tyre Sampson fell to his death last year on a ride in Orlando
- They will now head to DeSantis for his signature
The first bill, SB 902, is a new safety measure implemented to honor Tyre Sampson. The 14-year-old boy was visiting Orlando from Missouri when he fell to his death after slipping through the restraints of the Orlando FreeFall ride.
The bill requires that new permanent amusement rides have a ride commissioning and certification report on file with the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
The bill also revises the circumstances where ride owners must report an incident, which could later result in the ride being shut down.
The other bill, SB 904, is related to amusement parks as well. This proposal, if signed, will make records surrounding active amusement ride investigations no longer accessible by the public. The legislature can only make changes to public records laws with a two-thirds majority vote in both the House and the Senate. That bar was reached Wednesday.
Both would take effect July 1 once signed into law.