---
type: "Bill"
title: "Special Observances"
description: "Special Observances; Designates August 21 of each year as \"Fentanyl Awareness & Education Day\"; encourages specified entities & public schools to sponsor events to promote awareness of dangers of fentanyl & potential overdoses, including education on specified topics."
jurisdiction: "us/states/fl"
legislature: "Florida Legislature"
session: "2025"
identifier: "HB 259"
citation: "Florida HB 259 (2025)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["commercial relations"]
status: "enacted"
chapter_law: "2025-91"
primary_sponsors: ["Gerwig"]
version_count: 2
action_count: 40
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2025-01-27"
last_action: "2025-05-23"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/41fd6ac6-efb2-45db-b7b9-6326f5af09bc"
source_url: "https://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/259/ByCategory"
source_hash: "c6ea532580f2eca3265d7408a8854f27d8d7b28e5fde8002f13901471e2ecb69"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-fl"]
---

# Florida HB 259 (2025) — Special Observances

Special Observances; Designates August 21 of each year as "Fentanyl Awareness & Education Day"; encourages specified entities & public schools to sponsor events to promote awareness of dangers of fentanyl & potential overdoses, including education on specified topics.

**Enacted** — Laws of Florida, Chapter 2025-91.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **H 259 Filed** (filed) — [source](https://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/259/BillText/Filed/PDF)
2. **H 259 er** (enrolled) — [source](https://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2025/259/BillText/er/PDF)

## Votes

- Passage, Third Reading — **106–0** (pass) · lower
- Third Reading — **36–0** (pass) · upper
- Favorable — **23–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Gerwig — primary (person)
- Bartleman — cosponsor (person)
- Black — cosponsor (person)
- Cross — cosponsor (person)
- Grow — cosponsor (person)
- Kincart Jonsson — cosponsor (person)
- López, J. — cosponsor (person)
- Maggard — cosponsor (person)
- Partington — cosponsor (person)
- Tant — cosponsor (person)
- Trabulsy — cosponsor (person)
- Woodson — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2025-01-27** Filed `filing`
- **2025-02-06** Referred to Human Services Subcommittee `referral-committee`
- **2025-02-06** Referred to Government Operations Subcommittee `referral-committee`
- **2025-02-06** Referred to Health & Human Services Committee `referral-committee`
- **2025-02-06** Now in Human Services Subcommittee
- **2025-02-28** Added to Human Services Subcommittee agenda
- **2025-03-04** Favorable by Human Services Subcommittee `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-03-04** Reported out of Human Services Subcommittee
- **2025-03-04** Now in Government Operations Subcommittee
- **2025-03-04** 1st Reading (Original Filed Version) `filing, reading-1`
- **2025-03-07** Added to Government Operations Subcommittee agenda
- **2025-03-11** Favorable by Government Operations Subcommittee `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-03-11** Reported out of Government Operations Subcommittee
- **2025-03-11** Now in Health & Human Services Committee
- **2025-03-20** Added to Health & Human Services Committee agenda
- **2025-03-24** Favorable by Health & Human Services Committee `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-03-24** Reported out of Health & Human Services Committee
- **2025-03-24** Bill released to House Calendar
- **2025-03-24** Added to Second Reading Calendar
- **2025-03-27** Bill added to Special Order Calendar (4/3/2025)
- **2025-04-03** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2025-04-03** Placed on 3rd reading `reading-3`
- **2025-04-03** Added to Third Reading Calendar
- **2025-04-03** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2025-04-03** Passed; YEAS 106, NAYS 0 `passage`
- **2025-04-03** In Messages
- **2025-04-07** Referred to Rules `referral-committee`
- **2025-04-08** Received `enrolled`
- **2025-04-16** On Committee agenda-- Rules, 04/21/25, 2:00 pm, 412 Knott Building
- **2025-04-21** Favorable by- Rules; YEAS 23 NAYS 0 `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2025-04-22** Placed on Calendar, on 2nd reading
- **2025-04-22** Placed on Special Order Calendar, 04/24/25
- **2025-04-24** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2025-04-24** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2025-04-24** Passed; YEAS 36 NAYS 0 `passage`
- **2025-04-24** In Messages
- **2025-04-24** Ordered enrolled `enrolled`
- **2025-05-16** Signed by Officers and presented to Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2025-05-23** Approved by Governor `executive-signature`
- **2025-05-23** Chapter No. 2025-91

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/41fd6ac6-efb2-45db-b7b9-6326f5af09bc`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Florida legislature records).