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<\/a><\/p>\nThe first is SB 114<\/a>, which deals with the ever-vexing issue of health care and was inspired by recent problems he and tens of thousands of others encountered late last year after Florida Blue removed<\/a> Memorial Healthcare System from its in-network provider list.<\/p>\n At the time, Jones had just been released from a Memorial hospital following treatment for a serious health condition and found himself suddenly without coverage.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m in limbo,\u201d he said. \u201cI have to find another doctor, and I\u2019m paying out-of-pocket right now.\u201d<\/p>\n SB 114 would ensure that people don\u2019t suddenly find themselves in the lurch due to corporate disagreements outside their control by requiring insurers and health care providers to give affected patients at least 60 days\u2019 advance notice.<\/p>\n The notice would have to explain, in plain language, each patient\u2019s rights, transition timeline and where to direct questions or complaints, with regulators authorized to impose fines for violations.<\/p>\n The bill would also allow patients already in active treatment, including those receiving prenatal care, to continue seeing their current provider under the same contract terms for up to six months or through postpartum care, whichever applies.<\/p>\n \u201cIt basically just protects patients from financial and medical harm,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Hollywood Democratic Rep. Marie Woodson is carrying the bill\u2019s House companion (HB 577<\/a>).<\/p>\n Jones is also sponsoring SB 178<\/a>, which would enable coaches to provide financial help to public K-12 students while mandating new safeguards against misuse or recruitment-related incentives.<\/p>\n Inspiration for the bill, which Florida Politics first reported<\/a> on Oct. 15, came from the story of NFL quarterback-turned-Miami high school football coach Terry Bridgewater, who was suspended last July<\/a> for paying out-of-pocket for Uber rides, clothing, meals and a preseason training camp for his players \u2014 impermissible under Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) rules.<\/p>\n Bridgewater, who retired from the NFL in 2024 but returned to the league<\/a> in August with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, said he spent the money on his players for protective reasons. \u201cI\u2019m a father first before anything,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd when I decided to coach, those players became my sons.\u201d<\/p>\n SB 178, which awaits a House companion, would require the FHSAA to adopt rules allowing high school coaches to use personal funds to help meet students\u2019 basic welfare needs \u2014 food, transportation or recovery services \u2014 without that assistance being treated as an improper athletic benefit.<\/p>\n Under the new rules, coaches would have to report such spending, which would be presumed permissible unless it is unreported, not made in good faith or used for recruiting.<\/p>\n \u201cTeddy Bridgewater wasn\u2019t buying these kids anything quid pro quo. He was making sure they ate and got home on time,\u201d Jones said. \u201cWhat he did was absolutely noble.\u201d<\/p>\n Another bill (SB 252<\/a>), dubbed the CROWN Act<\/a>, would prohibit discrimination against students in Florida\u2019s public education system based on hairstyles historically associated with race, such as afros, braids, locks and twists.<\/p>\n The bill \u2014 which Jones also ran last year<\/a>; it died unheard \u2014 would define \u201cprotected hairstyle\u201d in state law and extend those protections to public K-12 schools and private schools that participate in state scholarship programs.<\/p>\n Schools that violate the policy could face enforcement actions, including loss of eligibility for scholarship funding.<\/p>\n House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell and Fort Lauderdale Democratic Rep. Daryl Campbell are carrying an identical, lower-chamber version of the bill (HB 235<\/a>), which mirrors an identically named law<\/a> Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed in May 2023.<\/p>\n \u201cThis bill absolutely protects individual rights while reinforcing that opportunity in Florida should be based on merit, not appearance,\u201d Jones said.<\/p>\n There\u2019s also SB 418<\/a>, which would create a statewide \u201cblue envelope\u201d program to help people with autism spectrum disorder communicate more effectively with police during traffic stops.<\/p>\n If passed, Jones\u2019 bill or its House analogue (HB 365<\/a>) by Tampa Republican Rep. Susan Vald\u00e9s would institute a policy through which participating drivers would be issued blue envelopes to hold their driver\u2019s license, proof of insurance, vehicle registration and emergency contact information.<\/p>\n The measure would also mandate training for law enforcement officers on recognizing autism, de-escalation techniques and appropriate responses, with the training incorporated into both recruit certification and ongoing education.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a policy already in place or being implemented in 14 other states, and Jones said it would make a big difference for some of Florida\u2019s most vulnerable residents.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are individuals on the autism spectrum who are fully functional \u2014 they work, they drive, and some of them are probably nonverbal \u2014 and we have seen instances where they\u2019ve been pulled over by a police officer, and because the officers do not know how to interact with them, unfortunate things have happened,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m happy we were able to work with police associations and autism organizations to get this to a place where we are now. There was a lot of back-and-forth, but we did it.\u201d<\/p>\n Lastly, Jones and freshman Democratic Rep. Rashon Young of Orlando are collaborating on legislation (SB 814<\/a>, HB 715<\/a>) to improve safety measures at public schools, private schools and child care facilities.<\/p>\n If passed, the proposal would require local law enforcement agencies to issue a new \u201cYa Ya Alert\u201d to those schools, directing them to lock down and remain vigilant when a violent suspect is believed to pose an immediate threat within a 3-mile radius.<\/p>\n It would also establish a broader \u201cImminent Threat Alert\u201d to warn the general public through the emergency alert system and highway message signs when similar dangers exist. Agencies, media and others who disseminate the alerts in good faith would have civil liability protections.<\/p>\n The alert honors, and is named for, T\u2019Yonna \u201cYaya\u201d Major, a 9-year-old who was killed in a 2023 Pine Hills shooting<\/a> while a violent suspect was still at large. The man charged with her killing, Keith Moses, had previously murdered a woman and later returned to the scene, shooting Major and her mother, who survived and has since sued<\/a> the Orange County Sheriff\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/jay-trumbull-florida-politics-banner-ads-728x90-b-scaled-e1740688220698.jpg\")
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