2025 Florida Legislative Session

Legislative leaders said Thursday evening they hope to finish a budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year on Friday so it can go before the House and Senate early next week.

The bills create harsher penalties for some sexual offenders who commit another sexual crime and establish new rules for social media platforms to combat deepfakes.

House and Senate budget negotiators agreed to pay raises for state employees, with bigger boosts going to law enforcement officers and firefighters, as talks continued Tuesday on a state spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year.

House and Senate budget leaders Monday rushed to finalize a new state spending plan, while Gov. Ron DeSantis continued calling for giving property-tax rebates. The goal is to get the budget finished this week, along with accompanying bills that will include a tax package.

The new law will fill in the gaps in learning opportunities by offering an extra year of Early Steps and a specialized summer program

Florida lawmakers are working out the details on the budget and tax breaks. They've given themselves until mid-June to get it done.

The order means that at least for now, new campaigns will largely have to operate under the new restrictions as they try to gather enough signatures to qualify for the 2026 ballot.

The law, which was one of the biggest issues of the 2024 legislative session, seeks to prevent children under age 16 from opening social-media accounts on certain platforms — though it would allow parents to give consent for 14- and 15-year-olds to have accounts. Children under 14 could not open accounts.

The House and Senate are expected to vote June 16 on the budget and a tax package.

Senate spokeswoman Katie Betta said in an email that President Ben Albritton intends to revive the rural proposal next year.

Gov. Ron DeSantis says removing incentives for unwanted, unauthorized occupants will protect Florida property owners.

Nearly a month after leaving the Capitol without passing a budget, House and Senate leaders said Friday night they had reached an agreement that will clear the way for lawmakers to begin hammering out details of a spending plan Tuesday.