When asked by the press last week about the state budget negotiations, House Speaker Daniel Perez said, \u201cwe are not close enough\u201d and \u201cthere is a fundamental disagreement,\u201d leading to speculation that the 2026 legislative session was on track to go into overtime.<\/p>\n
For the session to end on time, the budget had to be completed and sent to legislators by March 10 for a constitutionally mandated 72-hour review period. This looked increasingly unlikely since no budget conference meetings had been posted as of March 6. Additionally, according to FL Tax Watch, another sure sign of overtime occurred last week when the House Rules & Ethics Committee approved a rule that allows members to fundraise during extended or special sessions. Fundraising isn\u2019t typically allowed until session is adjourned.<\/p>\n
The $113.6 billion House spending plan is close to $1 billion below last year\u2019s final state budget of $114.8 billion. The Senate\u2019s budget proposal is $115 billion, while Gov. Ron DeSantis\u2019 current proposed budget is $117.4 billion.<\/p>\n
BILL UPDATES<\/p>\n
\u2013 Blue Ribbon Projects \u2014 SB 354\/HB 299: After the bill sponsor, Sen. Stan McClain, filed an amendment to match the House bill with the change to increase the size of a Blue Ribbon Project from 10,000 to 15,000 acres, many thought the bill would gain approval through its last stop in Senate Rules last week.<\/p>\n
In a rare move, Rules Chair Sen. Kathleen Passidomo spoke last in opposition to the bill. While several other committee members spoke against the bill, Sen. Passidomo\u2019s critique was the most vigorous. She lamented its broad scope and lack of details, and the overdevelopment problems in the state that need a more comprehensive review rather than piecemeal approval of large-scale development, which the bill would do. If passed, the bill would pave the way for developments the size of medium-sized cites (up to 50,000-plus homes) to be built in the most rural areas of Florida. The bill barely passed its final Senate committee by a vote of 12-10.<\/p>\n
Many legislators vote to pass bills in committee that they\u2019re not in total agreement with on the hope that positive changes will be made before final passage by the full chamber. As an example of this strategy, Sen. Stan McClain offered one last amendment to the full Senate on March 5 to limit the areas where data centers can be built, with the expectation that it would encourage a few more legislators to lean in his favor.<\/p>\n
Sen. Passidomo started the debate with an even stronger opposition to the bill than she had previously presented. In addition to all the points she had made previously, she said that the bill is \u201cnot ready for prime time,\u201d \u201cthe bill language doesn\u2019t match the intent\u201d and \u201cif this bill passes, we are going to be in a world of hurt.\u201d She reiterated the need for a comprehensive look at the current development issues Florida is facing.<\/p>\n
Other senators opposing the bill added: \u201cI\u2019m not going to turn over my community to a hedge fund,\u201d referring to the owners of a tract of land in northeast Florida that would benefit from the bill, and \u201cwe\u2019re playing billionaire bingo\u201d if we pass the bill.<\/p>\n
During the debate only one senator, future Speaker Jim Boyd, spoke in favor of the bill. Seeing that the bill was facing an uphill battle, presiding Speaker Sen. Jason Brodeur temporarily postponed the bill, ending the debate.<\/p>\n
The bill could come back this session, but the more likely scenario is that it will return in a different form next session.<\/p>\n
\u2013 FL Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (Florida Farm Bill) \u2014 SB 290\/HB 433: After the bill was amended to remove the controversial disparagement (a.k.a. muzzle) clause in both the House and Senate versions, the Senate finalized the vote (94-10) last week to send the bill to the governor. The House approved the bill the prior week.<\/p>\n
The final bill also narrowed the language outlining state conservation lands suitable for surplus to be sold for agricultural purposes, but opponents of this element of the bill remain concerned.<\/p>\n
\u2013 Land Use Regulations for Local Governments Affected by Natural Disasters \u2014 SB 840\/HB 1465: The bill was introduced by Sen. Nick DiCiglie as the fix to 2025\u2019s problematic HB 180 \u2014 Emergencies, which was intended to aid homeowners to rebuild after hurricanes but turned into a vehicle abused by developers to override local planning laws. SB 840 would contract the sunset times of HB 180, narrow the geographic scope of the bill, and shift a local government preemption on new or updated land use laws to apply only to properties impacted by a storm.<\/p>\n
SB 840 was embraced by the Senate and awaited House approval as of March 6. The comparable House Bill 1465 essentially doubled down on the bad elements of the 2025 bill and never got out of its first committee. Unfortunately, House Speaker Daniel Perez, when asked about SB 840, said, \u201cA bill that hasn\u2019t moved in the House will not be brought up at this time.\u201d While that is technically true, there are endless avenues for bills to be brought to the floor for a vote, but this statement seems to close the door on SB 840 for this year.<\/p>\n
\u2013 Net-zero Policies by Government Entities \u2014 SB 1628\/HB 1217: These local government preemption bills would prohibit all local government entities from expending funds to implement, support or advance net-zero policies. SB 1628 was amended on to the Senate\u2019s tax package, SB 7046, under the guise that net-zero policies cause unnecessary taxation.<\/p>\n
HB 1217 passed the full House on March 5 by a vote of 80-29. It was then referred to the Senate Rules Committee. The most likely vehicle for passage of this plan is the amended Senate tax package, which is aligned with the provisions of the House version of the bill.<\/p>\n
Check out our 2026 Legislative Tracker at https:\/\/sccf.org\/what-we-do\/2026-legislative-session\/<\/a> to see a table of the bills that the SCCF is following, updated daily during session.<\/p>\n Holly Schwartz is policy associate for the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF). Founded in 1967, the SCCF\u2019s mission is to protect and care for Southwest Florida\u2019s coastal ecosystems. For more information, visit sccf.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n