TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV/Gray Florida Capital Bureau) – Hundreds of bills, including property insurance reforms and AI consumer protections, are dead for the 2026 Florida legislative session, which is scheduled to end next week.
Tuesday marked the last day for committee hearings. The Senate Rules Committee spent the day preparing bills for a floor vote, while the House voted on bills already cleared for consideration.
House Speaker Daniel Perez told disappointed lawmakers last month the session’s outcome should not be measured by a bill count.
“Sometimes we have ideas that our colleagues don’t share, and that means that we have to listen more, dig deeper, and find new ways to solve old problems,” Perez said. “Some things take time.”
Bills aimed at limiting AI use across industries and related consumer protections were never heard in the House. Senate President Ben Albritton’s Rural Renaissance initiative also failed to advance. House Republican priorities, including measures to ease gun-buying restrictions, died after not moving in the Senate.
By day 50 of the 60-day session, fewer than 20 bills had reached Gov. Ron DeSantis for his signature.
Florida politics:
Rep. Kelly Skidmore, D-Boca Raton, said the slow pace is not entirely unwelcome.
“Oftentimes, the less we do, the better,” Skidmore said. “The less harm we do if we pass fewer bills. It does feel very slow-paced.”
Democratic lawmakers said Republican disagreements are responsible for the lack of progress. The Democrats’ affordability agenda, which included property insurance measures, was never heard.
House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell, D-Tampa, said the session has been unproductive.
“I feel that the 60 days this legislative session have been wasted on intra-party fighting by the Republicans,” Driskell said. “They certainly have a lot of dysfunction going on right now.”
Completing the state budget is now the top priority. It needs to be done next Tuesday so lawmakers can vote on it on March 13. As of Tuesday, public budget negotiations had not yet begun.
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