TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida Legislature concluded a three-day special session on Wednesday, sending several proposals to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk, including one offering millions to Jewish schools and synagogues for added security.

What You Need To Know

  • Lawmakers are sending four bills to Gov. Ron DeSantis after the special session

  • They include sanctions against Iran and assistance to local Jewish institutions

  • School vouchers and property insurance were also addressed

  • The proposals enjoyed bipartisan support

If signed into law, Senate Bill 6-C would provide $45 million in financial assistance to a variety of Jewish institutions, among other at-risk groups. The money will fund various security improvements, such as hardened windows and doors, as well as additional security manpower. 

The bill, which awaits DeSantis’ consideration, garnered bipartisan support in the House and Senate, although some Democratic lawmakers are asking for similar provisions for Florida’s HBCUs. In 2022, the Department of Homeland Security logged 50 reported bomb threats at HBCUs nationwide. 

Antisemitic attacks, meanwhile, are on the rise nationally amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. FBI Director Chris Wray told Congress Tuesday that antisemitism is approaching “historic levels.” 

“It’s very important to have funding to harden these kinds of buildings and these kinds of facilities because they are often the target of hate crime and other type of crime,” said Orlando Democratic Sen. Geraldine Thompson, who listed various instances of hate in Orlando while speaking on the Senate floor. 

In addition to security enhancements, lawmakers passed legislation levying sanctions against Iran, a longtime supporter of Hamas. The bill expands an existing restriction, which bans state investments into businesses that do business with Iran. 

“This is simply denying any funds coming from us to support what would be Iran’s support of terrorism, nuclear proliferation, anything like that,” Lake Mary Republican Sen. Jason Broduer said. “We just don’t want to be a part of it.”

Legislation also passed providing disaster relief to victims of Hurricane Idalia. The Category 4 storm struck Florida’s Big Bend in August, causing nearly $10 billion in damages that ravaged Florida’s farming and agricultural industry. The bill offers tax relief and funding opportunities to impacted farmers. It also pours million into the back-logged My Safe Florida Home Program, which provides Floridians up to $10,000 for home hardening and storm mitigation. 

“It’s good to see that folks are seeing rural Florida,” Quincy Republican Sen. Corey Simon said.

A proposal expanding Florida’s universal school voucher program is on the way to the governor’s desk, too. The latest changes remove the existing scholarship cap for students with a learning disability. Lawmakers provided $350 million to include the roughly 9,000 students on a waitlist. The average scholarship provides parents with nearly $10,000 per student. 

“Making sure that we provide those opportunities to those parents and those families is unequivocally and unquestionably the right thing to do,” said Tampa Republican Sen. Jay Collins, the bill sponsor.