The Florida Capitol. Credit: via Shutterstock

Florida’s 60-day legislative session for 2026, where lawmakers will deliberate over which political proposals they believe should become law, begins Jan. 13 and is scheduled to run through March 13, 2026.

More than a thousand bills are filed by state lawmakers in the Florida House and Senate each year, although only a fraction of those bills (less than 300 in 2025) end up gaining enough momentum to secure passage in both chambers and be sent to the desk of the Florida governor for final approval.

So far, more than 1,200 bills and counting have been filed for the 2026 session, covering a range of issues spanning from vaccine mandates to specialty license plates; diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives; and business owners’ ability to sue local governments over local laws they don’t like. Potential property tax reform, renaming campus roadways for the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk, and a further erosion of abortion rights are also on the agenda.

“This is going to be a challenging year for our state, as working families and seniors struggle with an affordability crisis with rising costs of rent, property insurance and groceries,” Cheyenne Drews, deputy communicators director for the advocacy group Progress Florida, told Orlando Weekly.

A projected 1.5 million Floridians are expected to be being kicked off their health insurance this year, she added, due to the expiration of federal healthcare subsidies that previously made certain healthcare plans more affordable. Public schools in Florida, meanwhile, are struggling to keep their doors open amid “billions of taxpayer dollars being siphoned off to unaccountable corporate schools,” Drews pointed out, referring to the state’s expanded (and controversial) voucher program.

“Florida’s elected leaders have a responsibility to the people of our state who deserve the resources and freedoms to make the decisions that are best for them and their families,” Drews said.

“This is going to be a challenging year for our state”

Florida Democrats, who are outnumbered by Republicans in the state Legislature more than two to one, have rolled out their own affordability agenda for session. But let’s remember: Hundreds of bills filed each year are ignored or see little movement — and many of those include proposals from Democrats that Republicans just don’t want to touch.

All bills filed by lawmakers have to clear two or three smaller committees of lawmakers with majority support before they reach the full House and Senate for votes by the full chambers. That’s a lot to get through in 60 days.

Based on conversations with lawmakers and various advocacy groups, we’ve put together a shortlist of some of the most important bills we’re keeping an eye on heading into session that are likely to move forward in the state House and Senate.

All buckled up? Let’s get into it:

Healthcare and reproductive freedom bills

SB 166/HB 173: These bills make it harder for teens to access contraceptive care and STI treatment

This legislation would make it harder for minors under age 18 to access contraceptive care or treatment for sexually transmitted illnesses without parental consent. It’s labeled a “parental rights” bill by its Republican sponsors.

Sponsored by: Sen. Erin Grall (R-Vero Beach) and Rep. Kim Kendall (R-St. Augustine)
What supporters say: “This bill reaffirms the fundamental role of parents in their children’s education and healthcare decisions, ensuring that their rights are respected and that they remain integral to their children’s lives,” said Rep. Kendall.
What opponents say: Opponents described a similar proposal that failed to pass last year as “horrible,” arguing that the bill would make it harder for the most vulnerable teenagers (e.g., teens without supportive parents) to access reproductive healthcare services.
Has this bill been filed before? Yes, this is a repeat bill that failed to pass during a previous legislative session.
Progress: Referred to committees.

HB 289/SB 164: Give fetuses some of the same legal rights as children

This legislation would give fetuses and embryos some of the same legal rights as human children by allowing parents to sue for damages over the wrongful death of an “unborn child.” The term “unborn child,” under the proposal, is defined as “a member of the species Homo sapiens, at any stage of development, who is carried in the womb.”

Sponsored by: Sen. Erin Grall (R-Vero Beach) and Rep. Sam Greco (R-St. Augustine)
What supporters say: Supporters liken fetuses and embryos to babies that have already been born and argue that they deserve the same legal rights.
What opponents say: Opponents say this will have a chilling effect on OB-GYNs and healthcare practitioners. Drews, with Progress Florida, adds the bill “could jeopardize IVF [in vitro fertilization], chemotherapy, and abortion access if the partner, abuser, or rapist of a pregnant patient is able to sue for the loss or termination of the pregnancy.”
Has this bill been filed before? Yes. Similar legislation has been filed during a previous legislative session but failed to pass.
Progress: The House version has already passed three legislative committee hearings ahead of the start of session and is ready for a vote by the full House; SB 164 has cleared its first of three committee hearings.

SB 1044/HB 993: Make it harder to access IVF

This legislation would add additional barriers to accessing in vitro fertilization services, a fertility treatment that can help women get pregnant. The legislation would, in short, enact stricter informed consent requirements in order to receive IVF.

Sponsored by: Sen. Erin Grall (R-Vero Beach) and Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka (R-Fort Myers)
What supporters say: Orlando Weekly did not receive responses from either sponsor about their support for this legislation ahead of publication.
What opponents say: Rep. Anna Eskamani (D-Orlando) said on social media that the bill “mimics the same types of politically motivated restrictions we’ve seen with abortion care, contraception and gender-affirming care.” She argues the proposal uses informed consent “to push misinformation onto people and deter them from making a decision the state doesn’t approve of.”
Has this bill been filed before? Not that we’re aware of.
Progress: Both bills have been assigned to three committees.

HB 663/SB 1374: Allow family members to sue providers of abortion pills

This legislation would allow a spouse, sibling or parent of someone who sought abortion pills to sue the provider or distributor of that medication for up to two years after, regardless of whether or not they receive or actually go through with taking it. The plaintiff in the suit could be awarded up to $100,000 in damages, under the proposal, if they prevail.

Sponsored by: Rep. Shane Abbott (R-DeFuniak Springs), Rep. Berny Jacques (R-Seminole) and Sen. Jonathan Martin (R-Fort Myers)
What supporters say: Neither Abbott nor Jacques immediately responded to a request for comment from Orlando Weekly on their support for this legislation.
What opponents say: Critics argue the proposal would incentivize anti-abortion abusers to sue for up to $100,000 each and make family members of pregnant people into bounty hunters.
Has this bill been filed before? No, but it’s similar to a first-of-its-kind law approved in Texas last year.

Affordability issues

Reform property taxes (multiple bills)

Several proposed constitutional amendments have been filed by Republican lawmakers in an effort to (sort of) heed the call from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to get Florida on the path toward abolishing property taxes altogether. Republicans aren’t in agreement about how to ease homeowners’ property tax burden, however, so this would still be a contentious debate not just between the two major parties but within the GOP, too.

What supporters say: Supporters tout it as a way to address Florida’s affordability crisis.
What opponents say: This is a proposal that critics say could hurt local governments by decimating a critical source of tax dollars used to pay for things like public safety, road maintenance and libraries.

HB 221/SB 1412: Create a loophole allowing employers to pay some workers less than minimum wage

This legislation would allow employers to pay certain entry-level workers, including interns, apprentices, pre-apprentices and work-study program participants less than the state minimum wage for up to nine months. That’s if the worker voluntarily “opts out” of being paid at least the state minimum wage, which is currently $14 an hour. Under the proposal, employers would be required to pay workers at least the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour.

Sponsored by: Rep. Ryan Chamberlin (R-Belleview) and Sen. Jonathan Martin (R-Fort Myers)
What supporters say: Chamberlin argues that the state minimum wage has “become a weight on Florida’s economy and a hindrance to workers seeking to improve their personal finances.” Martin says he wants to encourage employers to hire more young workers so they can gain job experience (and suffer the indignity of earning a sub-minimum wage while they’re at it?).
What opponents say: Opponents have described the proposal as unconstitutional and argue that this will enable employers to exploit young workers with little job experience and misclassify workers as “interns” in order to pay them less.
Has this bill been filed before? Yes, similar legislation was filed for consideration in 2025 but failed to pass.
Progress: The bill has been referred to three committees, but does not yet have a Senate companion. (This is important because the bill needs to pass both chambers in order to become law.)

HB 191/SB 216: Make it harder to get unemployment benefits

This legislation would add additional eligibility requirements (or hurdles) in order to get and keep unemployment assistance from the state, also known as reemployment assistance. The proposal, for instance, would disqualify recipients if they don’t contact at least five employers per week for a job and would mandate biweekly eligibility checks, adding to the workload of staff within the Department of Commerce, which oversees the program.

Sponsored by: Rep. Shane Abbott (R-DeFuniak Springs) and Sen. Stan McClain (R-Ocala)
What supporters say: Supporters say the proposal will help weed out fraud.
What opponents say: Opponents say the proposal would further burden the Department of Commerce (and could be costly), plus make it harder for people to access unemployment benefits. Florida already offers one of the lowest weekly benefit payouts in the nation at $275 per week, maximum.
Has this bill been filed before? Yes, this was filed for consideration during a previous session but failed to pass due to it stalling in the Senate.
Progress: The House version has cleared two committees and is ready for deliberation by the full House. The Senate version has cleared its first of three committees.

Preemption and home rule

HB 479/SB 718: Prevent local regulation of water quality and pollution control

This legislation would prohibit counties and cities from adopting any local laws regulating water quality or pollution control. The bill would preempt such regulation to the state.

Sponsored by: Rep. Randy Maggard (R-Dade City) and Sen. Stan McClain (R-Ocala)
What supporters say: Orlando Weekly did not receive responses from the sponsors on their support for this legislation ahead of publication.
What opponents say: Environmental advocates have described it as “one of the worst water bills to be filed.” Orlando Rep. Eskamani described the preemptions to Orlando Weekly as “utterly unhinged.” Similar legislation has, in the past, faced opposition from the Florida Association of Counties (a lobbying group for county governments) and Friends of the Everglades.
Has this bill been filed before? Similar legislation was filed for consideration by lawmakers in 2023 but failed to pass.
Progress: Referred to committees.

HB 105/SB 588: Allow businesses to block local laws they don’t like

This legislation would expand on a 2023 law that allows a person or business owner to sue a local government to stop a local law or ordinance they deem “arbitrary” or “unreasonable” from going into effect. Under the new proposal, businesses would be able to sue over existing ordinances, too.

Sponsored by: Rep. Robbie Brackett (R-Vero Beach) and Sen. Stan McClain (R-Ocala)
What supporters say: The legislation aims to ensure “fair, consistent, and transparent enforcement” of local regulations, according to the bill text.
What opponents say: Opponents argue the proposal threatens home rule, opens the door to steep legal costs to be footed by taxpayers, and is “designed to dismantle local regulatory authority by making governance-by-litigation the new normal,” per Indian River Neighborhood Association board chair Mike Johannsen in a recent op-ed.
Has this bill been filed before? No, although it is an expansion of a controversial law that passed in 2023.
Progress: Both bills have been referred to three committees.

Florida Republicans have also filed proposals seeking to preempt local governments from adopting pro-climate policies on greenhouse gas emissions (HB 1217) and local policy that “substantially burdens the free exercise of religion” (HB 1227).

Immigration issues

HB 229/SB 304: Punish local governments that defy federal immigration agenda

This legislation would allow the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to fine local law enforcement agencies that don’t cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). According to news website the Florida Phoenix, it would also allow families to sue a law enforcement agency or local government they allege to be noncompliant with Florida’s immigration policies, if there is evidence to suggest that this noncompliance led to the death of a Floridian at the fault of an undocumented immigrant.

Sponsored by: Rep. Berny Jacques (R-Seminole) and Sen. Jonathan Martin (R-Fort Myers)
What supporters say: “Florida stands against lawlessness,” Jacques shared in a press release. “We will stand with law-abiding citizens first and ensure that those who break our laws are held accountable.”
What opponents say: Opponents characterize this as an effort to financially punish local governments that don’t fully go along with Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda.
Has this been filed before? No.
Progress: Both bills have been referred to three committees for hearings.

Ana Maria Hernandez, field director for the Florida Immigrant Coalition, told Orlando Weekly that advocates are also keeping an eye on legislation (SB 566/HB463) that would make it harder for undocumented people to acquire a car or mobile home, as well as legislation that would require law enforcement officers acting as federal immigration enforcement to wear or present visible identification while carrying out immigration enforcement functions (HB 419/SB 316).

Yes, there’s more

Legislation targeting providers of gender-affirming care (HB 743), Pride flags (HB 347) and public sector unions (HB 995) has also been filed for consideration by Republican lawmakers, although it’s unclear whether there’s an appetite in the Florida Legislature this year to advance them.

Legislation aiming to prohibit local governments and schools from flying Pride flags (celebrating LGBTQ+ identities), for instance, has been filed multiple times before during previous legislative sessions but has failed to pass.

Jon Harris Maurer, public policy director for Equality Florida, described the proposal as overreaching and said, “The bill is as tired as it is sweeping — banning any display or representation of a rainbow flag on government property, from a lapel pin to a coffee mug.”

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