The scheduled last day of the 2025 Florida regular legislative session was Friday.
But no one would call this session "regular."
Case in point: lawmakers are going to have to come back to get the job done. They haven't yet agreed on a budget.
The Senate and House ultimately agreed to extend session until June 6, with lawmakers told to plan to come back the week of May 12.
Lawmakers worked late into Friday night. Bills — and barbs— bounced between the chambers with competing amendments.
They did pass a slew of bills that will have a big impact on Floridians. It's up to Gov. Ron DeSantis to sign or veto them.
But, regardless of the extension, a number of notable measures didn't make it across the finish line and died Friday.
Here's what you need to know about what survived and what died so far this session:
First off...
House Speaker Daniel Perez said the resultant budget will be lower than the governor's.
But the Legislature isn't only going to work through the budget when it comes back. They're also taking up tax cuts.
There will be $2.5 billion in recurring tax cuts as a result of negotiations, Perez said. Of that, $1.6 billion will be from sales tax reductions.
READ MORE: Florida House, Senate leaders reach budget 'framework' deal. Includes $2.8 billion in tax cuts
Separately, one of Senate President Ben Albritton's big priorities this session was a package aimed at providing aid and development opportunities for rural counties. It didn't pass, but the Legislature's resolution to extend session also says it's up for further consideration, too.
The Senate passed his bill, SB 110. The House broke up its provisions and mixed them into various bills covering a wide range of topics, effectively killing them — for now.
The Legislature's resolution to extend session also says Albritton's bill is up for further consideration, though.
What the Legislature passed
- Constitutional amendment process
On 2024's Election Day, Florida voters considered two high-profile constitutional amendments that would've allowed recreational marijuana and expanded abortion access.
Both fell percentage points short of the 60% approval threshold required for passage after facing fierce opposition from the DeSantis administration.
Gov. Ron DeSantis called for changes to the amendment process, and the Florida Legislature responded, passing a bill, HB 1205, that opponents say would make it harder for citizens to place future measures on the ballot.
Republican supporters counter that the changes are needed to prevent fraud.
The legislation says that anyone who collects more than 25 non-family petitions for a ballot measure must register with the state or face felony penalties.
Floridians would also have to provide more personal identifying information on petition forms, and petition groups would face shorter deadlines and heftier fines for violations
The measure also notably prevents public funds from being used to advertise for or against constitutional amendments. Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration faced criticism for using millions of state dollars to oppose the marijuana and abortion measures.
Just hours after legislators approved the bill, DeSantis signed it into law.
- Fluoride ban
Floridians could soon lose fluoride from their tap water.
The Florida Legislature passed a measure, SB 700, banning such additives from public water systems.
Fluoride is a mineral that communities around the United States have added to drinking water for decades to help protect against tooth decay.
But bill supporters say citizens shouldn't have to have additives in their water if they don't want them.
The DeSantis administration has already recommended the removal, citing potential health risks from consuming high levels of fluoride.
Most Democrats opposed the measure.
They said it would hurt residents who can't access regular dental care and cited how dental groups argue the mineral should remain in water supplies for oral health. Those groups say people are only consuming small amounts of fluoride anyway.
- No pickleball in parks
The Florida Legislature approved a bill to ban building things like pickleball courts, golf courses and big hotels in state parks.
The measure, HB 209, came in response to a state plan last year that would have put such developments in some Florida parks.
Gov. Ron DeSantis eventually pulled that plan after significant public outcry. He said it was "going back to the drawing board."
- Condo affordability
Florida lawmakers approved legislation aimed at helping condominium owners hit by rising costs.
The high costs are due to safety standards created after the 2021 deadly condo collapse in Surfside. Condo communities are required to have mandatory inspection and fixes — plus reserve funds to cover them.
That dramatically raised condo association fees for some buildings.
Changes in the near-200-page measure, HB 913, include increased accountability and transparency on condo associations and their leaderships. It also allows those associations to invest reserve money so less is taken out of owners' pockets.
It additionally lets associations pause or minimize funding their reserves for two years after getting an inspection, a cost-saving measure that allows them to focus spending on needed repairs as opposed to maintaining the fund.
- No more later school start times
Starting in 2026, Florida middle schools weren't supposed to start before 8 a.m. and high schools before 8:30 a.m.
That's because state lawmakers a couple of years back passed a measure mandating later school start times.
They were worried about sleep deprivation. But as the deadline approached, another worry took precedence: the logistical challenges of school districts implementing the change.
Many of them reported not having enough resources for implementation, especially when taking into account things like bus pickups.
So lawmakers approved a repeal, SB 296, of that impending requirement.
Under the legislation, those that don't adjust their schedules must submit a report detailing their efforts in considering later start times and the challenges involved.
- School cell phone ban
The Legislature passed a bill, HB 1105, that bans "wireless communications devices" throughout the entire school day for elementary and middle schoolers.
That builds on a 2023 law that banned phones during class time across public schools.
The class time-only limitation would remain for high schoolers, though a pilot program for a ban would be launched in six school districts.
What failed
- Child labor law rollbacks
Legislation moved this session that would have substantially rolled back child labor laws in Florida.
But that won't happen.
The Florida House did pass its version of such changes, HB 1225. One of its rollbacks would have allowed 16- and 17-year-olds to work more than 30 hours during a school week. Employment restrictions eased on younger teens, too.
The legislation didn't get through the Senate.
Supporters framed the measure in the lens of parental rights, saying working hours should be up to families. They also talked about the skills minors can learn on the job and the money they can bring in.
But opponents — mainly Democrats but some Republicans as well — said they wanted "kids to be kids." Some also worried about labor exploitation.
- Minimum wage work-around
Lawmakers pushed legislation that would've allowed some employees to be paid less than the state minimum wage.
That's despite Florida voters approving a constitutional amendment raising the minimum wage five years ago. It's currently $13 an hour but will reach $15 late next year.
A bill, HB 541, made it as far as the House floor but never reached a final vote. It would've allowed employers to pay consenting interns and those in similar programs like work-studies and pre-apprenticeships less than minimum wage for nine months or two semesters.
Bill proponents said it would've allowed those new to a field to gain needed experience, leading to higher pay down the line. Opponents questioned the constitutionality of the change and worried some employers might exploit the system.
- Fetal personhood
The Florida House passed legislation, HB 1517, that would've allowed parents to sue and get damages from someone responsible for the death of an unborn child.
That measure never made it through the Senate.
It failed last year, too, amid concerns about how it would affect IVF treatments.
The 2025 House bill specifically said that lawsuits can't be brought against mothers or medical providers giving lawful care, including IVF treatments.
Democrats still opposed the bill, saying it could lead to more abortion restrictions. Even some Republicans expressed reservations, worrying about how it might incentivize lawsuits.
- Less strict gun laws
At the start of the legislative session, Gov. Ron DeSantis called for the Legislature to allow the open carry of firearms in Florida.
He also wanted lawmakers to repeal a red flag law — which allows courts to temporarily take away guns from people deemed a threat — as well as lower the shotgun and rifle buying-age from 21 to 18.
The Florida Legislature passed the red flag law and raised the purchasing age following the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018.
Lawmakers in both chambers didn't show an appetite for open carry or red flag legislation. The House passed a bill, HB 759, lowering the long gun-buying age. The Senate didn't move that forward.
- 'Culture war' bills
Several contentious "culture war" bills didn't make it across the finish line — or even out of the committee process.
One failed measure would have prohibited requiring public employees and state contractors from referring to someone with pronouns that don't align with their sex assigned at birth.
Others targeted diversity, equity and inclusion spending at state agencies and local governments.
Legislation geared at protecting Confederate monuments and banning "political" flags — with cited examples including Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ+ pride flags — also did not survive their trek through committees.
- Book removals
The Florida House passed legislation, HB 1539, that would've overhauled the school book removal process.
The legislation says if a book is challenged in schools for allegedly being harmful to minors, officials can't consider its "potential literary, artistic, political, or scientific value" when deciding whether to keep it on shelves.
Republicans said that would protect children from age-inappropriate books that remain in schools.
Democrats and some First Amendment groups warned it would lead to a surge of book removals – again.
Florida already has more removals in public school libraries than any other state, according to recent reports.
The Senate, though, didn't pass the bill.
- Presidential search transparency bill
Ignoring a veto threat from Gov. Ron DeSantis, the House passed a bill that would've limited his sway in state university and college presidential searches.
The legislation said officials like the governor can't talk with higher education leadership about a presidential position vacancy or an anticipated vacancy.
It would have also repealed a shield placed on public higher education presidential search records that lawmakers created in 2022. The hidden information includes the names of candidates who weren't finalists.
The Senate version of the legislation went less far. It never ultimately passed.
- Hemp regulations
Last year, Florida lawmakers passed strict regulations on various hemp-derived products.
Those products, like delta-8, smell like marijuana and have similar intoxicating effects. Yet, they are far less regulated.
Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed that legislation. He said it was too burdensome on local businesses but urged lawmakers to take up new regulations during the 2025 session.
They did. But the legislation, which moved steadily over the last couple months, died in the final days of session.
- E-Verify
Legislation moved this session that would've required small businesses to use E-Verify, which checks the legal status of workers.
Only businesses with more than 25 employees have to do so under current state law.
A bill requiring E-Verify for all businesses, HB 955, passed the House. It died in the Senate.
- Mockingbird stays supreme
The northern mockingbird is Florida's state bird — still.
There have been frequent attempts to change that over the years. Legislation this session that would've made the American flamingo the state bird and the Florida scrub-jay the state songbird never made it out of the committee process this year.
If you have any questions about the legislative session, you can ask the Your Florida team by clicking here.
This story was produced by WUSF as part of a statewide journalism initiative funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Copyright 2025 WUSF 89.7
