The Florida legislature failed to reach an agreement on a constitutionally mandated balanced budget by the end of its regular 60-day session on May 2.

As of May 9, according to Florida Senate President Ben Albritton, it is unknown when legislators will return to Tallahassee to complete the work.

In this post:

• A look at some bills that passed, including two local bills,
• A look at some that didn’t, and
• A preview of what’s to come.

If you missed it, my April 11 post, Catching Up with Our Florida Government, provides some helpful background.

Bills That Passed

Of the 1,952 bills filed, 255 bills (13 percent) passed both chambers of the Florida legislature. That’s typical for a Florida session, but each year’s mix of topics varies widely. Of the bills that passed, 19 have already been signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis. Among those, some notable bills that have already taken effect:

Citizen Initiative/Petition Process: One of the most impactful and controversial bills makes it harder for paid and volunteer signature gatherers to collect petitions. It also creates new crimes, heightens existing penalties for wrongdoing, and shortens the time frame for petitions to be returned to supervisors of elections’ offices. (HB 1205, News Service of Florida) This change could have significant effects on future citizen-led ballot initiatives, including recreational marijuana and Medicaid expansion.

Gulf of America: Two bills that require references in geographic materials, instructional materials, and library media center collections to reflect the new federal designation of “Gulf of Mexico” as “Gulf of America.” (HB 549 and HB 575, News Service of Florida) It remains unclear how this will be implemented in schools and libraries.

Fentanyl Testing: Requires hospitals or hospital-based off-campus emergency departments to test for fentanyl in urine tests and perform a confirmation test if urine test results are positive for fentanyl. Requires specified results to be retained as part of the patient’s clinical record. (HB 1195, WFSU Public Media)

Still to be Signed or Vetoed

Several significant bills await the governor’s decision. These are some to watch:

Hurricane Relief: Streamlines permitting and debris management for post-storm rebuilding. (SB 180; Senate News Release)

School Start Times: Lets districts avoid state-mandated later start times by filing an exemption report. (SB 296, Tampa Bay Times via Miami Herald)

Student Cell Phone Use: Expands the ban on student cell phone use in elementary and middle schools to include the entire school day. Creates a pilot program to do the same in high schools. (included in HB 1105, News Service of Florida)

Charter Schools: Allows charter schools to have stricter codes of conduct than traditional public schools and to increase enrollment to more than what was initially approved. (HB 443, News Service of Florida)

Public to Charter School Conversion: Permits conversion of public schools into charter schools without teacher consent. (included in HB 2205, Seeking Rents)

Fluoride Ban: Prohibits local fluoridation of water supplies. (HB 700, News Service of Florida)

State Parks: Prohibits golf courses, resort lodges, and pickleball courts in state parks. (HB 209, USA Today Network-Florida via Naples Daily News)

Condominium Regulations: Allows some condo associations to fund their maintenance reserves through a line of credit or loan and pause reserve payments while prioritizing needed repairs. Extends deadlines for when associations must complete structural integrity studies. (HB 913, Miami Herald)

Public Officers and Employees: Limits political activities of state and local officials; adds residency/alumni requirement for university leaders. (HB 1445, Seeking Rents)

Affordable Housing: Amends the 2023 Live Local Act to allow local governments to approve affordable housing projects on land owned by a religious organization containing a house of public worship. Prohibits them from requiring a certain amount of residential usage in mixed-use developments. (SB 1730, Florida Politics)

Lifetime Disabled Parking Permits: Creates a lifetime disabled parking pass for certain permanently disabled individuals. (HB 961)

Local Bills Related to Collier County

Two bills introduced by District 82 Rep. Lauren Melo also passed both chambers and await the Governor’s signature:

Greater Naples Fire Rescue District: Requires a referendum no later than December 31, 2026, asking residents of the Greater Naples Fire Rescue District whether fire commissioners should be elected at-large district-wide instead of by divisions. (HB 4029, Analysis: Effect of the Bill)

Corkscrew Grove Stewardship District: Creates an independent special district in what will ultimately be a 3,000-acre master-planned community being developed by Alico, Inc. in northwest Collier County. (HB 4041, Alico Inc. News Release, Corkscrew Grove Villages website)

Bills That Didn’t Pass

Some significant or controversial bills that failed to pass were officially marked ‘indefinitely postponed and withdrawn from consideration’ on the final day of session—a procedural step that closes out unfinished business. But just because a bill didn’t pass this year doesn’t mean it won’t return; lawmakers often refile the same or similar bills in subsequent sessions, especially if public interest remains strong.

Here are some notable examples:

Property Insurance: Despite urgent calls for reform, no legislative action passed to address Florida’s property insurance crisis. (Tampa Bay Times)

Minimum Wage Requirements: Proposed allowing certain workers to opt out of Florida’s minimum wage law. (HB 541/SB 676, Florida’s Voice)

Employment of Minors: Sought to remove work-hour and break protections for minors. (SB 918, Newsweek)

Term Limits for Members of County Commissions and District School Boards: Proposed constitutional amendment to impose eight-year term limits. (HJR 679, News Service of Florida)

Civil Liability for the Wrongful Death of an Unborn Child (aka Fetal Personhood): Known as fetal personhood, would have allowed wrongful death lawsuits over unborn children. (HB 1517, see also Tallahassee Democrat; NPR.org)

Parental Rights: Would have required parental consent for minors seeking birth control or STI treatment. (HB 1505)

Food and Hemp Products: Failed agreement on regulating the sale and production of euphoria-inducing hemp products. (SB 438, News Service of Florida)

Anti-LGBTQ Bills: Including Pride flag bans (HB 75), workplace censorship (HB 1495), local anti-DEI measures (HB 1571), and defunding DEI in state agencies (HB 731). (Equality Florida)

What’s Next

House and Senate leaders say they’ve agreed on a framework for a budget deal, including $2.8 billion in tax cuts. House Speaker Daniel Perez says the budget will total less than Gov. DeSantis’ proposed $115.6 billion and that it will include his priority of reducing the state’s 6 percent sales tax rate. (News Service of Florida)

But DeSantis has criticized using sales tax cuts over property tax relief, signaling potential conflict ahead. “Any Florida-last tax package is going to be dead on arrival,” DeSantis said during a press conference Wednesday. “We are not going to kneecap our ability to provide you property tax relief just so we can give a little bit of a benefit to Canadian tourists.” (Florida Voice)

As lawmakers return to Tallahassee next week to complete the budget, Floridians should watch how the final spending plan takes shape and whether competing priorities like sales tax versus property tax relief are resolved. Meanwhile, the bills that passed—and those still awaiting the governor’s signature—will begin shaping policy across the state in the year ahead. Staying informed and engaged remains the best way to understand and influence how these decisions affect our communities.

Sources

Primary Sources:

• Florida House website
• Florida Senate website
• Florida Sen. Kathleen Passidomo’s newsletters
• Florida Rep. Lauren Melo’s newsletters

News Services

• News Service of Florida: newsletters and podcasts (free); subscription ($)
• USA Today Network-Florida: distributed via Naples Daily News, News-Press, Tallahassee Democrat, Palm Beach Post, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, The Gainesville Sun, and more ($)
• Miami Herald ($)
• Tampa Bay Times ($)

Blogs and Specialty Services

• Florida’s Voice (leans right)
• Seeking Rents, by Jason Garcia (leans left)

Thanks for reading! More soon.

I welcome your feedback. Please email thoughts and suggestions to sandy@sparkers-soapbox.com.