2026 Legislative Items Being Watched

2026 Legislative Items Being Watched

The regularly scheduled 2026 Legislative Session ended on March 13 without the passage of a state spending plan, with many bills left on the floor and in Committees without action, and with the outcome of property tax reform unsettled.  Lawmaker are to return next month for the purposes of adopting the budget.  What is left to know is whether any additional issues will be added to the call.

Below is a list of bills we have identified on your behalf.  This listing will be regularly updated, and will include any action that you, your agency, your city/county may wish to consider taking.  We encourage you to review the bills below, including reading the text of the proposals which can be found by clicking on the links for each bill.  As proposals make their way through their first committees and have Committee Substitutes filed.  we will provide you the link to the Committee Substitute in the tables which show progress on each of the individual bills.  As always, we suggest that you analyze the language and conduct your own assessment of how the language may impact any local policies, procedures, or practices that you may have within your agency/city/county.

As always we encourage you to bookmark this page and review it on a regular basis as things happen quickly during session.

FRPA contracts for additional legislative representation.  We are currently working with Ramba Consulting Group who assists in monitoring legislation, crafting amendments, and all things legislative.  Weekly reports are received at the FRPA Executive Office, and we are sharing those reports here so you can stay abreast of not only action on bills we are following, but also general information about the political climate during session.

PROPERTY TAX REFORM

Due to the large volume of legislative proposals relative to Property Tax Reform, we have created a dedicated page for this subject.  The page will have legislative proposals (in the same format as the bill listings below), as well as helpful resources you can utilize for informing your constituents.   ______________________________

ASSESSMENTS LEVIED ON RECREATIONAL VEHICLE PARKS

SB 118 by Senator Truenow  Approved by Governor on 4/21/2026 - Chapter 2026-37

Providing that certain special assessments on recreational vehicle parks levied by counties, municipalities, and special districts, respectively, may not be levied against a certain portion of a recreational vehicle parking space or campsite; requiring counties, municipalities, and special districts, respectively, to consider a recreational vehicle park’s occupancy rates for a certain purpose, etc.

ATHLETIC COACH BACKGROUND SCREENING

HB 1069 by Representative Trabulsy  Approved by Governor on 5/22/2026 - Chapter 2026-114

Provides that independent sanctioning authority is deemed to be a qualified entity for purpose of participating in Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse; authorizes person who has not undergone certain background screening to act as athletic coach if he or she is under direct supervision of athletic coach who meets certain background screening requirements.

ELECTRIC BICYCLES, SCOOTERS, MOTORCYCLES

SB 382 by Senator Truenow Vetoed by Governor 06/25/2026

Requires certain crash reports to include certain information; requires state to maintain certain statistics; prohibits person from operating class 3 electric bicycle without certain license; provides requirements for such operation; prohibits certain persons from operating certain motorcycles; revises requirements for certain learner's driver license education course; requires minimum number of questions in test bank for Class E driver license to cover safe electric bicycle & motorized scooter operation; provides various penalties.

ELECTRONIC PAYMENTS MADE TO UNITS OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT

HB 967 by Representative Buchanan  Approved by Governor 06/24/2026 - Chapter 2026-169

Requires units of local government to accept certain forms of payments; requires such local governments accept payments online.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT SPENDING

HB 1329 by Representative Benarroch  Approved by Governor 06/24/2026 - Chapter 2026-161

Citing this act as the “Local Government Financial Transparency and Accountability Act”; revising the timeframe during which tentative budgets, and the length of time for which final budgets, must be posted on county websites; revising the timeframe during which a public hearing for an amendment to a county budget must be advertised; prohibiting a local government from expending public funds for the purpose of diversity, equity, and inclusion; requiring the Chief Financial Officer to conduct a specified evaluation, etc.

NATURE BASED SOLUTIONS FOR IMPROVING COASTAL RESILIENCE

CS/CS/SB 302 by Senator Garcia  Approved by Governor on 3/19/2026 - [Chapter 2026-1](https://laws.flrules.org/files/2026_001.pdf)

Nature-based Solutions for Improving Coastal Resilience; Requiring the Department of Environmental Protection to adopt rules and guidelines for nature-based solutions for improving coastal resilience; requiring the department, in consultation with the Division of Insurance Agent and Agency Services of the Department of Financial Services, to conduct a statewide feasibility study regarding the value of nature-based solutions being used for a specified purpose, etc. APPROPRIATION: $250,000

OFFICIAL ACTIONS OF LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

SB 1134 by Senator Yarbrough  Approved by Governor - Chapter 2026-43

Prohibiting counties and municipalities, respectively, from funding or promoting or taking official action as it relates to diversity, equity, and inclusion; providing that certain ordinances, resolutions, rules, regulations, programs, and policies are void; providing that a county commissioner, a member of the governing body of a municipality, or any other county or municipal official acting in an official capacity who violates certain provisions commits misfeasance or malfeasance in office, etc.

ONE-CENT PIECE

SB 1074 by Senator Gaetz  Approved by Governor - Chapter 2026-68

Authorizes dealers to round to nearest nickel in certain circumstances; provides procedures for such rounding; requires tax due on rounded transactions to be calculated on price before rounding; provides that rounding to nearest nickel is not deceptive & unfair trade practice in certain circumstances.

SEXUAL OFFENDERS AND SEXUAL PREDATORS

SB 212 by Senator McClain  Approved by Governor 4/1/2026 -  [Chapter 2026-17](https://laws.flrules.org/2026/17)

Revises definitions of terms "public swimming pool" & "public pool"; defines "public bathing place"; revises residency restrictions for persons convicted of certain sexual offenses; revises requirements for search of sexual predator or sexual offender registration information by state agency or governmental subdivision before appointing or employing person to work; revises special conditions for certain sexual offenders subject to conditional release supervision; revises standard conditions of probation or community control for certain sexual offenders.

SUITS AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT

HB 145 by Representative McFarland  Signed by Officers and Presented to Governor 06/15/2026

Suits Against the Government; Increases statutory limits on liability for tort claims against state & its agencies & subdivisions; authorizes subdivision of state to settle claim in excess of statutory limit without legislative action regardless of insurance coverage limits; prohibits insurance policy from conditioning benefits on enactment of claim bill; specifies that limitations in effect on date claim accrues apply to that claim; revises period within which certain claims must be presented; revises exceptions relating to instituting tort claims against state or agencies or subdivisions; revises period after which failure of certain entities to make final disposition of claim shall be deemed final denial of claim for certain purposes; revises statute of limitations for tort claims against state or agencies or subdivisions & exceptions thereto.

SWIMMING LESSON VOUCHER PROGRAM

SB 428 by Senator Yarborough  Approved by Governor on 4/21/2026 - Chapter No. 2026-38

Revises age requirements for children receiving voucher through Swimming Lesson Voucher Program from 1-4, to 1-7.

NO FINAL ACTION TAKEN

ADOPTION AND DISPLAY OF FLAGS BY GOVERNMENTAL ENTITIES

SB 426 by Senator Yarborough  Died in committee

BEACH MANAGEMENT

SB 636 by Senator Leek    Died on Calendar

HB 1297 by Representative Greco   Died in State Affairs Committee

Requiring the Department of Environmental Protection to review certain data when designating certain beaches as critically eroded and in need of restoration and nourishment; requiring that certain beaches, whose local government preserved funds for a certain purpose and which possess specified features, be designated as critically eroded; revising the list of areas that may receive designation as an area of critical state concern, etc.

CARRYING A HANDGUN, WEAPON, OR FIREARM

HB 321 by Representative Hunschofsky  Died in Criminal Justice Subcommittee

SB 406 by Senator Polsky  Died in committee

DROWNING PREVENTION EDUCATION

SB 606 by Senator Smith  Died on Calendar

HB 503 by Representatives Eskamani ; (CO-INTRODUCERS) Campbell ; Harris  Died in Rules Committee

GOLF COURSES

SB 544 by Senator Truenow  Died in Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government

HB 495 by Representative Albert  Died in Natural Resources & Disasters Subcommittee

PARKING ON PUBLIC PROPERTY

SB 910 by Senator Mayfield  Died in committee

HB 323 by Representative Steele   Died in Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee

PROTECTION OF HISTORIC MONUMENTS AND MEMORIALS

SB 496 by Senator McClain   Died in committee

HB 455 by Representative Jacques  Died in State Affairs Committee

PUBLIC WATERS

HB 669 by Representative Gossett-Siedman  Died in State Affairs Committee

SB 1042 by Senator Rodriguez   Died in committee

SMOKING IN PUBLIC PLACES

SB 986 by Senator Gruters  Died in Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government

HB 389 by Representative Tendrich  Died in Health & Human Services Committee

TOURIST DEVELOPMENT TAXES

SB 454 by Senator Smith  Died in committee

HB 6007 by Representative Eskamani  Died in Ways & Means Committee

SB 456 by Senator Smith  Died in committee

SB 458 by Senator Smith  Died in committee