Governor Ron DeSantis Vetoes Probation Bill

In Brief:

Governor Ron DeSantis vetoed House Bill 1241, which aimed to modify rather than revoke probation for second-time offenders violating probation terms.
DeSantis expressed concerns that the bill would offer undue leniency to repeat offenders, weakening the effectiveness of the state’s probation system.
Additional vetoes included bills on graduate school admissions, stormwater management fees, and driving regulations on multi-lane roads.

Governor Ron DeSantis has vetoed House Bill 1241, an act relating to probation. The proposed bill sought to modify probation rather than revoke it for offenders who violated the terms of their probation for the second time. In his veto letter, Governor DeSantis wrote that he decided to veto the proposed legislation because it would “effectively [provide] an extra, undue pass for probationers who were provided the opportunity to satisfy the terms of their probation through an alternative sanction program, and have already demonstrated that they are incapable of fulfilling their responsibility after a first violation.”

Probation allows those convicted of a crime to serve their sentence outside of jail. However, the convict must abide by certain conditions to remain unincarcerated. There are currently 146,000 people on probation in the state of Florida.

In addition to House Bill 1241, Governor DeSantis recently vetoed proposals related to graduate school admissions, the Melbourne-Tillman Water Control District, and interstate safety.

Senate Bill 494, the bill relating to graduate school admissions, proposed eliminating the standardized tests required for admission to graduate schools. DeSantis noted, “It is not clear that waiving these tests will be beneficial to our institutions or even, in many cases, to the students themselves.”

The Florida Legislature passed House Bill 821, which proposed increasing the maximum fees the Melbourne-Tillman Water Control District may charge for stormwater management. Since the DeSantis Administration has implemented various grant programs to aid in stormwater management without increasing taxes for residents of Brevard County, Governor DeSantis decided to veto the bill.

House Bill 317 proposed prohibiting drivers from driving in the far left-hand lane on any road in Florida with two or more lanes and a speed limit of at least 65 miles per hour. DeSantis vetoed the bill, arguing that “the language of this bill is too broad and could lead to drivers in Florida being pulled over, ticketed, and fined for driving in the furthest left lane even if they are not impeding the flow of traffic or if there are few or no other cars in the immediate area.”