On June 29, with one day to spare before the beginning of the July 1 fiscal year, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the 2026-27 state budget. This budget was the result of a special legislative session in May. The additional session was necessary due to the lack of a budget agreement during the 2026 regular legislative session that ended in March. In Florida, the legislative session is statutorily scheduled for 60 consecutive days, or until a budget agreement is reached.<\/p>\n
The governor vetoed $810 million out of nearly $1.3 billion in local member projects for a final total state budget of $117.63 billion.<\/p>\n
Florida\u2019s environment received support this year, as Everglades restoration funding fared well. However other needs, such as funding for the Florida Forever Land Acquisition Program, received no new funding from the Legislature. Additionally, previously approved Florida Forever funds were swept into the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program to be used for paying agricultural conservation easements. While prohibiting residential development and serving as wildlife corridors, lands conserved through the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program do not preserve environmentally sensitive areas and can be removed for agricultural purposes. Lands preserved through the Family and Rural Lands program are not open to the public; lands purchased through the Florida Forever program are open to the public.<\/p>\n
Other 2026-27 approved environmental resource funding include:<\/p>\n
\u2013 $665 million for Everglades restoration<\/p>\n
\u2013 $425 million to the Florida Rural and Family Lands Conservation Easement Program<\/p>\n
\u2013 $20 million to accelerate projects to meet scientific nutrient-reduction goals, called Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs)<\/p>\n
\u2013 $8 million to assist county governments with their response to emergency conditions associated with harmful algal blooms and red tide events<\/p>\n
\u2013 $4.2 million in funding for continued support of research activities conducted by the Center for Red Tide Research<\/p>\n
\u2013 $250,000 for Captiva Invasive Plant Replacement and Dune Biodiversification<\/p>\n
SCCF PRIORITIES, HOW THEY FARED<\/p>\n
Ecosystem impacts, water quality<\/p>\n
\u2013 PASSED: Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (Florida Farm Bill) \u2014 SB 290\/HB 433. The bill originally contained a controversial disparagement (a.k.a. muzzle) clause in both the House and Senate versions designed to silence public discussion of any disparagements of food products or practices. The clause was eventually removed amid strong public opposition. The bill still contains some concerning elements, such as the requirement to review state conservation lands (with some exemptions) to be surplussed and sold for agricultural purposes, and a provision that would prohibit local governments from outlawing gas-powered leaf blowers and other landscaping equipment.<\/p>\n
\u2013 PASSED: Conservation Lands \u2014 SB 546\/HB 441. Adds transparency to any proposed sale of conservation land.<\/p>\n
Growth management, local government preemption<\/p>\n
\u2013 FAILED: Blue Ribbon Projects \u2014 SB 354\/HB 299. Allowed for administrative approval of development projects over 15,000 acres.<\/p>\n
\u2013 PASSED: Land Use and Development Regulations \u2014 SB 208\/HB 399. The bill initially sought to eliminate urban growth boundaries and require only a simple majority on land use issues rather than the super majority required now. While those elements of the bill were removed, several concerning components of the approved bill remain, including: applying stricter requirements for a local government to deny a development project; fast-tracking for some large resort special exceptions or variances by allowing administrative approvals; and applying additional restrictions on local government power to limit housing and development projects.<\/p>\n
\u2013 FAILED: Land Use Regulations for Local Governments Affected by Natural Disasters \u2014 SB 840\/HB 1465. The bill was introduced by Sen. Nick DiCeglie to fix 2025\u2019s problematic HB 180 \u2014 Emergencies bill, which restricts local governments from approving land use measures after a storm event. The effect of the bill was much broader than the original storm recovery intent, which resulted in developers by-passing local environmental laws and policies.<\/p>\n
\u2013 PASSED: Agricultural Enclaves \u2014 SB 686\/HB 691. It is a local government preemption bill that encourages sprawl in rural areas. HB 691 passed with an amendment that made the bill worse by allowing maximum density (industrial\/commercial) if the land is adjacent to an interstate highway. The premise of the bill will allow lands adjacent to newly zoned commercial lands to also be considered for increased density (domino effect), hastening sprawl. The new rules created by the bill will expire on Jan. 1, 2028, at which point the laws will revert to how they existed on June 30, 2026.<\/p>\n
Energy, sustainability<\/p>\n
\ufeff- PASSED: Net-zero Policies by Government Entities \u2014 SB 1628\/HB 1217. The local government preemption bill will prohibit all local government entities from expending funds to implement, support or advance net-zero policies. During committee debate, there was conflicting information presented by the bill sponsor, Sen. Bryan Avila, about whether local governments would be absolutely prohibited from pursuing any policies and purchases that would result in lower carbon emissions. In the end, it was communicated that purchase cost and future savings should also be considered. Policies that only support carbon-neutral outcomes, without cost analysis, will be prohibited. Senators that opposed the policy said that this was a partisan waste of time and would result in a chilling effect on future Florida innovation and jobs.<\/p>\n
\u2013 PASSED: Nature-based Coastal Resiliency \u2014 SB 302\/HB1035. The bill develops guidelines for nature-based shoreline protection and promotes solutions for coastal resiliency. It requires the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to initiate rule making to establish a statewide permitting process for nature-based methods and requires the DEP to develop design guidelines and standards for using green or hybrid green-grey infrastructure to address coastal resiliency.<\/p>\n
Several bills this session were changed for the better due to strong public engagement. Together, this session, we sent over 13,728 messages to our legislators to let them know how their decisions would impact our community. Thank you for your involvement.<\/p>\n
We anticipate many of the controversial bills that did not pass this year will come back in some form next session. We appreciate your feedback throughout the year and look forward to working with you next session to continue to advocate for our natural systems.<\/p>\n
A complete list of the bills that the SCCF was tracking and their outcomes can be found on our 2026 Legislative Tracker at https:\/\/sccf.org\/what-we-do\/2026-legislative-session<\/a>.<\/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