Florida lawmakers move forward on state transgender bathroom ban bills

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A Florida Senate committee Thursday will take up a bill that would require schools and other public facilities to restrict access to restrooms for single-sex facilities to genders assigned at birth.

The bill (SB 1674) labeled as the “Safety in Private Spaces Act,” filed by Sen. Erin Grall, R-Vero Beach, would ban people from “willfully entering” gender-specific bathrooms and changing rooms designated for “the opposite sex.” Violators of this law could face second-degree misdemeanor charges and fines of up to $10,000.

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This bill comes amid national battles about bathroom use by transgender students.

The bill, which will be heard by the Senate Rules Committee, directly defined what each gender meant, labeling a female as “a person belonging, at birth, to the biological sex which has the specific reproductive role of producing eggs.”

Similarly, it defines a male as “a person belonging, at birth, to the biological sex which has the specific reproductive role of producing sperm.”

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In addition to public facilities, the bill would apply to places such as “changing facilities” in schools, jails and prisons, public shelters, and health care facilities ranging from optometrists to pharmacies.

The bill does contain some exemptions. For example, it would, for instance, exclude chaperones for young kids, custodial workers, as well as cops and emergency medical workers who are also entering for work-related reasons.

In addition, if a same-sex restroom is out of order, then someone can provisionally use the opposite-sex facility as long as no one is in there before entering.

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The bill however holds that each provision is severable, indicating that a successful legal challenge of one part of the bill would not invalidate the law overall.

The House Regulatory Reform & Economic Development Subcommittee voted 11-3 on Tuesday to approve the House version of the bill (HB 1521), sponsored by Rep. Rachel Plakon, R-Lake Mary.

If approved, the bill would go into law on July 1.

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