Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed three new bills into law Thursday aimed at strengthening support for military veterans and their families. “On D-Day and every day, Florida honors those who served our country in uniform,” DeSantis said in a statement. “I was proud to support three bills today to further our commitment to veterans. Florida remains the most veteran-friendly state in the nation.” The new laws, House Bill 797, Senate Bill 116 and Senate Bill 910, target key areas including long-term care, mental health and protection against exploitation in the benefits process. House Bill 797 removes barriers to long-term care by eliminating Certificate of Need requirements, making it easier for veterans and their spouses to access services. The bill also allows skilled nursing facilities to designate specific beds for veterans and their spouses. Senate Bill 116 expands the state’s veteran suicide prevention programs, targeting now early recognition of mental health conditions in addition to emergency response. The law also triggers the development of a statewide plan to establish adult healthcare centers dedicated to serving veterans. Senate Bill 910 aims to protect veterans from predatory practices during the benefits process. The bill limits payments to unaccredited benefits advisors, prohibits referral kickbacks and misleading guarantees and requires background checks for anyone offering paid benefits assistance. Payments must be tied to actual increases in veterans' benefits and will be capped at whichever is lower; four times the monthly increase or $12,500. "It's like a cottage industry develops where these people are trying to skim off the top and basically just extract money from the system. So I'm really glad that the legislature is doing this. We want to make sure that veterans are not exploited by some of these folks who don't care about the veterans. They're just trying to line their own pockets," DeSantis said. DeSantis signed the legislation at one of the state's eight Veterans' Nursing Homes, which are state-operated skilled nursing facilities for aging veterans and their spouses. Florida is home to more than 1.5 million veterans. For more information regarding services available to veterans in the state of Florida, visit FloridaVets.org