TALLAHASSEE — Florida lawmakers will start the annual legislative session on Tuesday, March 4. The Republican-majority House and Senate will consider hundreds of bills.
Here are 10 issues to watch during the 60-day session:
— BUDGET: Gov. Ron DeSantis has proposed a $115.6 billion budget for the fiscal year that will start July 1. Lawmakers will consider DeSantis’ proposal as they negotiate a final budget. Leaders say the end of federal pandemic money could lead to less spending on local projects.
— CONDOMINIUMS: Lawmakers face pressure to revise condominium laws as residents and condo associations grapple with increased costs. The higher costs stem, at least in part, from requirements passed after the deadly 2021 collapse of a Surfside condominium building.
— EDUCATION: Among numerous education issues that lawmakers could address, House and Senate bills would repeal requirements aimed at later daily start times for high schools. Many districts are concerned about issues such as bus schedules. Districts must comply by July 2026.
— ELECTIONS: DeSantis is pushing lawmakers to make it harder to put proposed constitutional amendments on the ballot. The push comes after DeSantis helped defeat November ballot initiatives on recreational use of marijuana and enshrining abortion rights in the Constitution.
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— GAMBLING: The House has started moving forward with a proposal that would eliminate a requirement that the state’s two remaining thoroughbred horse tracks hold races to be able to offer other types of gambling, such as poker. The horse-breeding industry is fighting the idea.
— GUNS: Lawmakers could consider repealing a law that prevents people under age 21 from buying rifles and other long guns. The law passed after the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The National Rifle Association is challenging the law in court.
— HURRICANES: With areas such as hard-hit Taylor County struggling to recover, lawmakers could consider proposals to provide hurricane-related assistance, including to the agricultural industry. Three hurricanes hit the state in 2024, with two making landfall in rural Taylor County.
— RURAL FLORIDA: Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, has made a priority of what he calls the “Rural Renaissance” plan. The plan includes trying to bolster health care, education, roads and economic development in rural areas. The Senate said it would affect 31 counties.
— TAXES: DeSantis has proposed a series of tax cuts, including the elimination over two years of a tax that businesses pay on commercial leases. He also has proposed sales-tax “holidays,” including a new tax-free shopping period from Memorial Day to July 4 on ammunition and guns.
— WATER: The Senate has started moving forward with a plan that would make wide-ranging changes in the state’s water management districts and address Everglades restoration. The Senate says the plan, in part, would help districts focus on flood control and add “transparency.”
