By News Service of Florida
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday signed 17 bills into law, and formally received 20 more pieces of legislation.
The bills he signed are known as local bills, dealing with a piece of law affecting only specific city or county jurisdictions.
For instance, one bill (HB 4029) puts a referendum on the November ballot for Hillsborough County voters, giving them the option to increase their county commission from seven members to nine members, with further expansion to 11 members if their population hits 2.5 million. As of the 2020 census, Hillsborough County had 1.58 million people.
Another bill (HB 4027) asks Hillsborough voters if they want to move from an appointed school district superintendent to an elected one.
Among the bills DeSantis received Tuesday are measures to increase the penalty for the manslaughter death of a law enforcement officer to life without parole (SB 156) and adding the existence of an illegal gambling house to the places that qualify as a public nuisance (SB 168).
DeSantis has until June 30 to act on the bills he received.