By The News Service of Florida
A proposal expected to allow a Miami resort to develop a water park on its property is headed to Gov. Ron DeSantis alongside the wide-ranging “farm bill,” and a plan to provide stopgap funding for an AIDS drug program.
The bills were part of a batch of measures from the recently completed 2026 legislative session sent to DeSantis on Wednesday. DeSantis will have 15 days to act on them.
The farm bill (SB 290), a priority of Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, includes a provision preventing local bans on gas-powered farm and landscape equipment.
The measure drew concerns from some Democrats over a provision that directs the Department of Environmental Protection to determine if some surplus state-owned conservation lands are suitable for agricultural purposes.
Other parts of the bill would prohibit commercial solicitation on properties with “no solicitation” signs, add criminal penalties for receiving or providing unauthorized assistance on commercial driver’s license exams, criminalize the use of signal-jamming devices that can disrupt emergency calls, and repeal a 2016 program designed to financially aid grocery stores in underserved or low-income communities.
Another bill (HB 399) now awaiting action from DeSantis is reportedly tied in part to the Fontainebleau’s plans for a water park at its Miami Beach resort.
The measure limits local government reviews of some changes to a large destination resort where the changes are consistent with the existing permitted and zoned uses.
The bill states the resort work is intended to “promote and sustain national and international tourism to this state by encouraging the ongoing maintenance, renewal, renovation, and improvement of large destination resorts.”
House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, told reporters the provision could fit similar resorts elsewhere in the state.
The bill became a flashpoint for a clash over growth management on the last day of the session, as senators debated and ultimately rejected a proposal to study on the effects of removing the Urban Development Boundary or similar boundaries in Miami-Dade County and other counties.
Another measure (HB 697) injects money into an AIDS drug program the Department of Health sought to remove patients from earlier in the year, citing a gap in funding resulting from federal cuts.