Florida’s 2026 legislative session appears headed for the same kinds of divisions that dominated headlines and kept lawmakers in Tallahassee well past schedule last year.
Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez and Governor Ron DeSantis have been feuding since the beginning of 2025. Their fractured relationship took center stage during the governor’s annual State of the State address Tuesday.
DeSantis shook Senate President Ben Albritton's hand but not Perez’s.
“Whether the governor wants to be petulant and not shake the hand of a partner, that's on him,” Perez said at a press conference later. “It's not going to change our direction. Our direction is that of the pulse of the membership, and what's important to them.”
When contacted for comment, Molly Best, DeSantis’ press secretary, said over email, “There has got to be something better for you to write about.”
But it became the most talked-about moment in the Capitol Tuesday.
“I am going to remain positive,” Albritton said, when asked about it. “I'm going to do everything in my power to work with the governor and the speaker to build wins for Floridians.”
But Perez also doesn’t see eye to eye with Albritton.
“I’ve had my frustrations,” he said. “Frustrations from a lack of opportunity that I see for the state of Florida, if him and I were on the same page. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been a possibility up to now. There's always hope that things can change.”
The differences between the House speaker and the Senate president were obvious from just their opening day speeches.
Albritton took an overall cautionary tone. He repeated a saying that has been a common one in his tenure: “Measure three times and cut once.”
He urged taking time to have “thoughtful deliberations,” warning against “rash or impulsive decision-making.”
He took a similar measured approach last session when Perez pushed a permanent sales tax reduction. Albritton worried it would affect funding for critical government services.
Over in the House, Perez was much less reserved.
“We found the voice of this House, and we used it with resounding clarity. We rode the high of exhilarating victories and faced bitter disappointments,” he said. “Our sprint became a marathon. We listened and we adapted. We stood firm on our principles and we insisted on our independence.”
As for what will happen this session and when it will come to a conclusion, Perez said he was just as uncertain as the reporters and lobbyists who have asked him for clarity for months.
“Honestly, I don’t know what is going to happen. That’s okay because the journey is the best part,” he said.
Last session went a couple months longer than scheduled due to budgetary debates between the chambers. At one point, Perez accused Albritton of “breaking” his word in negotiations.
ALSO READ: Gov. DeSantis touts accomplishments in his final State of the State address
Gov. Ron DeSantis didn’t address his divide with the House during his last State of the State address on Tuesday. Nor did he hold a press conference after to take questions about it.
He used most of his speech to tout his two terms as governor.
“Seven years ago, I stood on the steps of the old Capitol building to articulate a new vision, launch a bold agenda and make a promise to produce big results,” DeSantis said. “Today, I stand here in this chamber to report that, together, we have made good on that agenda.”
Several issues are looming over the Legislature as they enter the next 60 days of lawmaking. And DeSantis said he wants to keep championing conservative bills in his final year.
“My message is simple: Get the bills to my desk,” he said.
Here’s a summary of the top subjects from the first day.
Property taxes
DeSantis took time during his address to stump about his biggest issue this year: reducing property taxes in Florida for homeowners.
“You should be able to own your home without paying perpetual rent to the government,” he said. “The Legislature has the ability to place a measure on the ballot to provide transformational relief for taxpayers. Let's resolve to all work together, get something done and let the people have a say.”
He recently floated a spring special session to create a proposal to appear on November’s ballot. But the House has already started working on its own proposals during this session.
ALSO READ: ‘Locked in their homes’: DeSantis calls fractured Legislature to focus on property tax cuts
Perez said he expects something on the issue to be brought for a vote, but is still uncertain of the timeline.
“Whether it's a portion of what the House has proposed, all of what the House has proposed, or none of what the House has proposed, is still out for debate,” he said.
But he said his chamber was moving “full steam ahead” on property taxes. The chair of the House property tax committee told WUSF last week that he wanted to do it during the two months of session.
Whatever final package emerges, 60% of Florida voters will need to approve it in this fall’s election.
“We are absolutely committed to putting something on the ballot that can help Florida homeowners,” Albritton said. “But we're working through that.”
Redistricting
Florida leaders say the state’s congressional map should be redrawn for the fall election.
“We haven't had those conversations with the Senate yet, to be fully transparent with you,” Perez said. The House has a committee exploring the topic. “I do believe that redistricting is something that will eventually take place in the Legislature. It’s just a matter of when.”
DeSantis has already called a late April special session for redistricting.
At President Donald Trump's urging, Texas approved a congressional map adding five Republican-leaning seats. And he pressed other Republican states to do the same, igniting a redistricting battle between Democratic and GOP states.
Artificial Intelligence
DeSantis also brought up his proposed AI Bill of Rights. The emerging tech was a hot topic in Tallahassee in the committee weeks before the session. DeSantis said legislation is needed to protect Floridians from economic disruptions and social repercussions.
“It can also further devolve our society into a focus not on substance, but on online slop,” he said. “Whoever controls the data inputs will have immense power to shape the reality for hundreds of millions, maybe billions, of people, in ways that could make the truth a foreign concept.”
If lawmakers move forward with DeSantis’ proposal, it could place the state in conflict with the Trump administration. The President is currently pursuing an executive order looking at keeping state governments from regulating AI, but there are questions about the legality of that preemption.
Rural Renaissance
Albritton pushed for a Rural Renaissance package last session to send millions of dollars to the state’s rural counties. However, it was held up in the Florida House due to disagreements with Perez.
This year, he’s pushing for it again. This time, he said he has the Trump administration's support.
“In fact, I’ve had the opportunity to discuss with USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins plans to make our legislation a national model for creating a rural renaissance across the United States,” he said.
Perez wouldn’t speculate on the future of the package.
“Whether it's important to him or not, it doesn't change the direction of the bill itself. If the members want to hear the bill, the bill will be heard. If they don't want to hear it, won't be heard, and if they want to vote it down, they can vote it down. If they want to pass it off the House floor unanimously, they can do so as well. But as of right now, you know that's a process that will take place over the next 60 days,” he said.
It’s shaping up to be one of the main policy pawns lawmakers will be negotiating on over the next 60 days.
Democrats’ response
Florida Democrats have a super-minority in the Legislature, which greatly limits their ability to derail what their Republican colleagues want.
But, in a video response to DeSantis’ State of the State address, Senate Democratic Leader Lori Berman said, “Democrats are laser-focused on what really matters: building a more affordable Florida for all of us.”
She and Florida House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell of Tampa both highlighted their “affordability” agenda, which includes multiple bills aimed at house and insurance costs as well as state spending practices they accuse of being political.
“Our ideas would lower costs, put money back in the pockets of working families and seniors who need it most, and help us grow Florida for the future,” Driskell said.
The Democratic leaders also bashed the redistricting effort, though DeSantis didn’t address it in his speech: “He’s pushing an illegal, politically motivated redistricting effort to give Republicans an unfair advantage at the polls and take away power from the voters — a clear violation of the voter-approved Fair Districts Act,” Berman said.
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This story was produced by WFSU and WUSF as part of a statewide journalism initiative funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
