Florida Senate - 2025 CS for SB 1172 By the Committee on Commerce and Tourism; and Senator Jones 577-02482-25 20251172c1 1 A bill to be entitled 2 An act relating to preferences for veterans and 3 military spouses; amending s. 295.07, F.S.; requiring 4 the state and its political subdivisions to give 5 preference in appointment and retention in positions 6 of employment to the spouses of wartime veterans, 7 veterans, members of any reserve component of the 8 United States Armed Forces or the Florida National 9 Guard, and certain active duty servicemembers; 10 amending s. 295.187, F.S.; defining the term “veteran 11 owned or military spouse-owned business”; providing 12 for contracting preferences for such businesses; 13 amending s. 295.188, F.S.; authorizing private 14 employers to adopt employment policies that give 15 preference in hiring to current members of any reserve 16 component of the United States Armed Forces or the 17 Florida National Guard and their spouses and the 18 spouses of active duty servicemembers serving in the 19 United States Armed Forces; prohibiting members on 20 active duty training from being eligible for such 21 preference; creating s. 295.189, F.S.; providing a 22 short title; providing definitions; requiring the 23 Department of State to waive specified fees for 24 certain businesses; providing eligibility requirements 25 for the fee waivers; providing applicability; 26 providing specified tax exemptions for certain 27 businesses; requiring the Department of Revenue to 28 develop procedures for such exemptions; providing that 29 such exemptions apply for a specified period for 30 certain businesses relocating to this state; 31 establishing the Veteran and Military Spouse 32 Entrepreneurship Program in consultation with the 33 Department of Commerce; providing requirements for the 34 program; requiring that certain businesses receive 35 expedited processing for certain certifications; 36 providing for rulemaking and interagency cooperation; 37 providing reporting requirements; providing an 38 effective date. 39 40 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 41 42 Section 1. Paragraphs (c), (f), and (g) of subsection (1) 43 of section 295.07, Florida Statutes, are amended, and paragraph 44 (h) is added to that subsection, to read: 45 295.07 Preference in appointment and retention.— 46 (1) The state and its political subdivisions shall give 47 preference in appointment and retention in positions of 48 employment to: 49 (c) A wartime veteran as defined in s. 1.01(14), who has 50 served at least 1 day during a wartime period, and his or her 51 spouse. Active duty for training may not be allowed for 52 eligibility under this paragraph. 53 (f) A veteran as defined in s. 1.01(14) and his or her 54 spouse. Active duty for training may not be allowed for 55 eligibility under this paragraph. 56 (g) A current member of any reserve component of the United 57 States Armed Forces or the Florida National Guard and his or her 58 spouse. 59 (h) The spouse of an active duty servicemember serving in 60 the United States Armed Forces. Active duty training may not be 61 allowed for eligibility under this paragraph. 62 Section 2. Present paragraph (d) of subsection (3) of 63 section 295.187, Florida Statutes, is redesignated as paragraph 64 (e), a new paragraph (d) is added to that subsection, and 65 subsection (4) of that section is amended, to read: 66 295.187 Florida Veteran Business Enterprise Opportunity 67 Act.— 68 (3) DEFINITIONS.—For the purpose of this section, the term: 69 (d) “Veteran-owned or military spouse-owned business” has 70 the same meaning as in s. 295.189(3). 71 (4) VENDOR PREFERENCE.— 72 (a) A state agency, when considering two or more bids, 73 proposals, or replies for the procurement of commodities or 74 contractual services, at least one of which is from a certified 75 veteran business enterprise or veteran-owned or military spouse 76 owned business, which are equal with respect to all relevant 77 considerations, including price, quality, and service, shall 78 award such procurement or contract to the certified veteran 79 business enterprise or the veteran-owned or military spouse 80 owned business. 81 (b) Notwithstanding s. 287.057(12), if a veteran business 82 enterprise or a veteran-owned or military spouse-owned business 83 entitled to the vendor preference under this section and one or 84 more businesses entitled to this preference or another vendor 85 preference provided by law submit bids, proposals, or replies 86 for procurement of commodities or contractual services which are 87 equal with respect to all relevant considerations, including 88 price, quality, and service, the state agency shall award the 89 procurement or contract to the business having the smallest net 90 worth. 91 (c) Political subdivisions of the state are encouraged to 92 offer a similar consideration to businesses certified under this 93 section. 94 Section 3. Section 295.188, Florida Statutes, is amended to 95 read: 96 295.188 Preference in hiring veterans and their spouses for 97 private employers.— 98 (1) The Legislature intends to establish a permissive 99 preference in private employment for certain veterans and their 100 spouses. 101 (2) A private employer may adopt an employment policy that 102 gives preference in hiring to an honorably discharged veteran, 103 as defined in s. 1.01(14); the spouse of a veteran with a 104 service-connected disability, as described in s. 295.07(1)(b); 105 the unremarried widow or widower of a veteran who died of a 106 service-connected disability, as described in s. 295.07(1)(d); 107orthe unremarried widow or widower of a member of the United 108 States Armed Forces who died in the line of duty under combat 109 related conditions; a current member of any reserve component of 110 the United States Armed Forces or the Florida National Guard or 111 his or her spouse; or the spouse of an active duty servicemember 112 serving in the United States Armed Forces. Active duty training 113 may not be allowed for eligibility under this subsection. Such 114 policy shall be applied uniformly to employment decisions 115 regarding hiring and promotion. 116 (3) These preferences are not considered violations of any 117 state or local equal employment opportunity law. 118 Section 4. Section 295.189, Florida Statutes, is created to 119 read: 120 295.189 Business development incentives for veterans and 121 military spouses.— 122 (1) SHORT TITLE.—This act may be cited as the “Florida 123 Veterans and Military Spouse Business Development Act.” 124 (2) LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS AND INTENT.— 125 (a) The Legislature finds that veterans and military 126 spouses contribute significantly to this state’s economy through 127 their skills, expertise, and entrepreneurial efforts. 128 (b) The Legislature recognizes the challenges of frequent 129 relocations and economic instability faced by many military 130 spouses. 131 (c) It is the intent of the Legislature that this act 132 attract and support veteran-owned and military spouse-owned 133 businesses by providing financial and operational incentives. 134 (3) DEFINITIONS.—For the purpose of this section, the term: 135 (a) “Military spouse” means the spouse of: 136 1. An active duty member of the United States Armed Forces; 137 or 138 2. A veteran. 139 (b) “Veteran” has the same meaning as in s. 1.01(14). 140 (c) “Veteran-owned or military spouse-owned business” means 141 a business entity that is at least 51 percent owned, controlled, 142 or managed by one or more veterans or military spouses. 143 (4) FEE WAIVER.— 144 (a) The Department of State shall waive all fees for: 145 1. A new business established by a veteran or military 146 spouse. 147 2. An existing veteran-owned or military spouse-owned 148 business that relocates to this state. 149 (b) The Department of State shall establish registration 150 requirements for such fee waivers, which must include: 151 1. For veterans, a DD Form 214 or another acceptable form 152 of identification as specified by the Department of Veterans’ 153 Affairs; or 154 2. For military spouses, verification of a military spouse 155 relationship with a spouse who is on active duty. 156 (c) The fee waivers apply to veteran-owned or military 157 spouse-owned businesses established or certified between July 1, 158 2025, and December 31, 2030. 159 (5) TAX EXEMPTIONS.— 160 (a) Eligible veteran-owned and military spouse-owned 161 businesses shall receive: 162 1. A 5-year exemption from the state corporate income tax 163 and state franchise tax. 164 2. A one-time sales tax exemption on equipment and supplies 165 directly related to its business operations. 166 (b) The Department of Revenue shall establish procedures 167 for claiming these exemptions. 168 (c) For businesses relocating to this state, tax exemptions 169 apply for 5 years after the date of certification. 170 (6) VETERAN AND MILITARY SPOUSE ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM.— 171 (a) The Department of Veterans’ Affairs, in conjunction 172 with the Department of Commerce, shall establish the Veteran and 173 Military Spouse Entrepreneurship Program, including an 174 application process and eligibility criteria. The program must 175 include: 176 1. Personalized business mentorship and consulting 177 services. 178 2. Assistance with obtaining startup capital through state 179 and federal funding programs. 180 3. Educational resources, including workshops on business 181 planning, marketing, and regulatory compliance. 182 (b) Priority must be given to applications from businesses 183 that are veteran-owned or military spouse-owned. 184 (7) EXPEDITED PROCESSING.—Veteran-owned and military 185 spouse-owned businesses must receive expedited processing for 186 certifications. 187 (8) ADMINISTRATION.—The Department of Veterans’ Affairs, 188 the Department of Revenue, and the Department of State shall: 189 (a) Develop rules for administering this section. 190 (b) Ensure interagency cooperation for seamless 191 implementation of this section. 192 (9) ANNUAL REPORTING.—The Department of Veterans’ Affairs 193 shall submit an annual report to the Governor, the President of 194 the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives that 195 includes: 196 (a) The number of veteran-owned or military spouse-owned 197 businesses that were established in this state or that relocated 198 to this state. 199 (b) Economic metrics such as jobs created by and tax 200 revenue impact of veteran-owned or military spouse-owned 201 businesses. 202 (c) Demographic data for the participating veterans and 203 military spouses. 204 Section 5. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.