Week 1

Florida Legislative Session Update – Week 1 Recap

Speeches, Property Taxes, and Rural Renaissance

The 2026 Florida Legislative Session kicked off on

Tuesday with addresses from the Speaker and President and the Governor’s final State of the State speech. With some exceptions, such as President Albritton’s rural renaissance initiative, the Governor DeSantis’s “AI Bill of Rights”, and non-detailed mentions of property tax relief, all three addresses were light on session priorities, instead emphasizing past successes.

As usual, budgeting and taxes will be two of the top issues. State economists have been warning legislators of looming budget shortfalls if Florida keeps spending money like it has been.

On the tax front, property taxes will dominate the debate. The Governor, House, and Senate have all voiced support for some type of property tax relief, with a focus on homeowners. Despite the support, there is no consensus on how this would look. For a description of the House Select Committee proposals, along with their estimated fiscal impacts, read this Florida TaxWatch summary.

TaxWatch Releases New Property Tax Report

Helping guide the Legislature towards a property tax proposal that is best for all Florida taxpayers is one of Florida TaxWatch’s top priorities for this session. We just released a new report Save Our Taxpayers – Property Tax Relief Must be Accomplished Equitably, providing the Legislature with recommendations on how to provide meaningful and equitable property relief/reform.

This follows our September 2025 report Options to Eliminate or Reduce the Property Tax Burden on Florida Homeowners and the new edition of How Florida Counties Compares, which is full of data taxpayers, legislators, and local officials can use to see how their county compares to the rest of the state on property taxes, city and county revenue and expenditures, and much more.

Bill Action in Week 1

Several bills advanced this week that align with Florida TaxWatch recommendations and 2026 Session research priorities.

• HJR 203 – Property Tax Relief – 10-year Phase-Out of Non-School Property Taxes on Homestead Properties – Approved by the State Affairs Committee, now ready for the floor.
• SB 250 – Rural Renaissance – Helping rural communities to improve infrastructure, expand education offerings, increase health care services, and modernize commerce. Approved unanimously by the full Senate.
• SB 528 – Manufacturing – Creating a Chief Manufacturing Officer and Statewide Promotion Program. Passed by the Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee.
• SB 48 – Housing – Requiring cities and counties to allow accessory dwelling units and increasing affordable housing incentives. Passed by the Appropriations Committee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development.
• HB 85 – Swimming Lesson Voucher Program – Expand program eligibility from children under 4 to children aged 1-7. Passed the House Health Care Budget Subcommittee.
• HB 121 – Nursing Education – Increasing oversight and accountability for prelicensure nursing education programs. Approved by the full House.