Local advocates hope scrapping much of their proposed Safe Walkways to School Act for a much shorter bill will help improve walking conditions for schoolchildren in the future.
Rep. Michelle Salzman amended her bill to call for the Department of Transportation to study what constitutes a safe and suitable walkway for children from kindergarten through 12th grade, and ultimately recommend criteria for what would be considered hazardous. The amended bill, HB 229, passed the Florida House's Early Learning and Elementary Education Subcommittee on Thursday.
"It's a huge win for Florida. It's a long, long, long run but it's still a huge win. It's a step moving forward and we've never made it this far ever," Salzman said.