Week  8 of the 2026 Session  



Welcome to week 8 of the 2026 legislative session! With 7 days to go until Sine Die, stay on top of county priorities with this weekly legislative bulletin and our comprehensive Bill Tracker.  

The two chambers have not come to an agreement on budget allocations and have yet to begin a budget conference. With only a week left in session, it is unlikely the two chambers will reconcile their spending decisions prior to the 60-day regular session. A finished budget will need to be considered during an extended session at a later date.

On Tuesday, 3/3, the Senate Rules committee passed CS/CS/SB 354 Blue Ribbon favorably by Senator McClain but was temporarily postponed in the Florida Senate on 3/5.  


This bill creates a new type of large development in Florida called a “blue ribbon project.” The goal of the law is to encourage large landowners to develop land in a way that protects natural resources while still allowing new communities and economic growth. The Legislature states that these projects should preserve natural areas, wildlife corridors, and agricultural land while promoting compact, mixed-use communities designed for long-term sustainability and job creation. 

To qualify as a blue ribbon project, the development must include at least 15,000 acres of contiguous land owned or controlled by the same person or entity. At least 60% of the land must be preserved as “reserve area” for conservation, agriculture, wildlife habitat, recreation, or other public benefit uses. Up to 40% of the land may be developed, but development areas must include walkable, mixed-use communities and dedicate at least 10% of the development area to nonresidential uses. 

The development must include a variety of housing types. At least 20% of residential units in each phase must be affordable housing, “missing middle” housing such as duplexes or townhomes, or housing affordable to individuals eligible for the Florida Hometown Hero program. Development occurs in phases, and development rights are vested for 50 years, with a possible 25-year extension if certain development thresholds are met. 

Each project must include a “blue ribbon plan,” which is a conceptual master plan identifying development areas, reserve areas, infrastructure, transportation, utilities, parks, and strategies to protect natural resources. The landowner must apply to the local government for approval of the plan and related comprehensive plan amendments. If approved, the plan governs the future use of the property and must be recorded in county records. 

The bill also allows appeals of approvals or denials through existing legal procedures. Overall, the bill creates a framework for very large, long-term developments that preserve significant land for conservation while concentrating development in designated areas. 

To watch the committee hearing, click here. 

To watch the Session floor session, click here.  

On Wednesday, 3/4, CS/CS/HB 1389 by Representative Redondo passed the Florida House floor 76–29. In the Senate, SB 1548 by Senator Calatayud passed unanimously in the Senate Rules Committee on Tuesday, but was temporarily postponed on second reading on Friday, 3/6. 

Both bills focus on increasing affordable housing in Florida by making it easier to build certain types of housing and limiting some local government restrictions. Specifically, the bills require counties and municipalities to allow multifamily and mixed-use residential developments in areas already zoned for commercial, industrial, or mixed use. If at least 40% of the units are affordable rental units for a minimum of 30 years, local governments may not require additional zoning changes, comprehensive plan amendments, or discretionary approvals. 

HB 1389 contains several provisions that expand upon these policies. The bill broadens where affordable housing may be developed by allowing certain projects on religious institution properties larger than three acres. It also includes provisions related to accessory dwelling units (ADUs), or small secondary housing units located on the same property as a primary residence. In addition, the House bill addresses property tax treatment for affordable housing developments, allows incentives when land is donated for affordable housing (including housing for military families), and directs a state office to study alternative financing tools and the potential use of tiny homes as strategies to address housing shortages. 

On Friday, 3/6, Senator Calatayud filed a Strike-All Amendment to CS/CS/HB 1389. The amendment substantially revises the House bill by replacing much of its language and further expanding provisions of Florida’s Live Local Act. The amendment aims to increase opportunities for affordable housing development and further limit local government barriers for qualifying projects. The amendment to the House bill was adopted on the Senate floor, read for a third time, and passed unanimously. The amended bill is now in returning House messages. 

To watch the committee hearing, click here. 

To watch the House floor session, click here.  



To watch the Senate floor session, click here.  

On Tuesday, 3/3, the Senate Rules committee passed CS/SB 1366 Claims Against the Government favorably by Senator Brodeur. This bill amends Florida’s sovereign immunity law (s. 768.28, F.S.), which provides a limited waiver allowing certain tort lawsuits against the state and its agencies or subdivisions. While the state may be sued for the wrongful acts of its employees, payments on claims and collection of judgments remain capped unless the Legislature approves additional compensation through a claim bill. 

The committee substitute makes several key changes: 

• Raises liability caps from $200,000 per person / $300,000 per incident to $350,000 per person / $500,000 per incident. Amounts exceeding these caps may still be pursued through the claims bill process.  
• Maintains the exception for riot-related liability, clarifying that sovereign immunity caps do not apply when a municipality breaches its duty to allow law enforcement to respond appropriately to protect persons or property during a riot or unlawful assembly.  
• Revises notice requirements for claims against government entities, requiring claimants to present a written claim to the appropriate agency (and the Department of Financial Services for most claims) within 18 months after the claim accrues, rather than the previous three-year period, with specified exceptions for certain types of claims.  
• Updates claim processing timelines, providing that failure by the Department of Financial Services or the appropriate agency to make final disposition of a claim within four months constitutes a denial of the claim, with a 90-day period applicable to medical malpractice and wrongful death claims.  
• Requires additional claimant disclosures regarding identifying information and outstanding adjudicated debts owed to the state or its subdivisions, allowing those debts to be set off against any settlement or judgment.  
• Retains the statutory limitation on attorney fees, prohibiting attorneys from charging more than 25 percent of funds recovered through judgment or settlement in these actions. 

This bill also revises the statute of limitations and procedural requirements for bringing tort actions against the state and its agencies or subdivisions and makes conforming changes throughout the Florida Statutes. 



The House companion, HB 145, by Rep. McFarland passed its third committee hearing on 1/15. 

To watch the committee hearing, click here. 

On Tuesday, 3/3, the Senate Rules Committee passed CS/CS/CS/SB 1566 Local Government Spending unanimously by Senator DiCeglie. The House companion, CS/CS/HB 1329 by Representative Benarroch, passed the House floor session (82/28) on 3/4. The Senate amended their version of the bill onto the House bill and passed the amended bill unanimously. The bill now heads back to the House for final passage. The bill revises local government budget transparency requirements and website posting standards as well as making impact fee ordinance adoption changes. 

The bill requires: 

• Posting tentative budgets and budget amendments at least 5 days before hearings (currently 2 days) 
• Posting final budgets online for 5 years (currently 2 years) 
• Publishing budgets in downloadable, searchable formats 
• Including five years of historical financial data when preparing budgets 
• Creates standards for tentative, adopted tentative, and final budgets to include 
• budget overview and summary including a narrative analysis that also utilizes graphical illustrations to highlight major points of emphasis and trends, 
• revenue and expenditure summaries including summary of revenue by fund, expense summaries by department and division, program and function 
• debt summaries, capital project summaries, organizational chart or staffing summary and reserve analyses 

Local governments must also: 

• Publish quarterly employee compensation reports listing names, titles, and salaries 
• Publish an annual budget development calendar by January 30 that identifies the timeframes for upcoming budget cycle 
• Conduct a workshop for a 10% budget reduction exercise prior to final budget adoption and publish on the local government website 

On Impact Fees, the bill: 

• Adds provisions implementing requirements for local governments seeking to increase impact fee rates beyond the ordinary phase-in limitations due to extraordinary circumstances. The demonstrated-need study required to show extraordinary circumstances justifying an impact fee rate increase must specify the standards used to support the existence of such extraordinary circumstances and be accompanied by a declaration of the method and timeframe by which the impact fee increase will increase capacity. 
• Prohibits a local government, including a school or special district, from increasing an impact fee rate utilizing the extraordinary circumstances provisions by more than 100 percent in a 4-year period; provides for refund and reasonable attorney fees and costs to a petitioner in an action challenging an impact fee imposed in violation of the statute; provides for the expiry of certain interlocal agreements; and amends the requirements of the interlocal cooperation element of a comprehensive plan 

The bill is effective on January 1st, 2027. 

To watch the committee hearing, click here. 



To watch the House floor session, click here. 

On Tuesday, 3/3, CS/CS/HB 433 Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services by Representative Alvarez was substituted for CS/CS/CS/SB 290 Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services by Senator Truenow and passed the Florida House (94/10). Having passed both chambers, the bill will now be sent to the Governor for his consideration. 

The DACS package prohibits counties from adopting or enforcing any ordinance, resolution, rule, or policy that restricts or prohibits the use of gasoline-powered farm or landscape equipment. Furthermore, Section 3 of SB 290 revises how state and local governments may surplus lands with agricultural potential. The Acquisition and Restoration Council (ARC) must review any surplused lands and determine whether the property is suitable for bona fide agricultural purposes. If ARC finds that a parcel is suitable for commercial agriculture, both the state and local governments may not transfer future development rights for that land. Additionally, the bill expands the existing preemption related to agritourism by preventing local governments from requiring an agricultural property owner to obtain a rural event venue permit or license.  



Finally, the bill amends s. 403.0855, F.S., to require that permittees of biosolids land application sites permitted after July 1, 2020, ensure that only Class AA biosolids are land applied, effective July 1, 2028. 

The bill provides an extension for local governments that do not transport biosolids for land application outside their jurisdictional boundaries. For those local governments, compliance with the Class AA land application requirement is extended until July 1, 2031. The bill further clarifies that this section does not prohibit a local government from transporting Class B biosolids outside its boundaries to a Class AA biosolids treatment facility or a waste-to-energy facility. 

The bill will take effect July 1st, 2026. 

To watch the House floor session, click here.  

On Tuesday, 3/3, CS/CS/CS/HB 399 Land Use and Development Regulations by Representative Borrero passed the Florida House (71/38). The bill revises several laws related to land use and development regulation. The bill: 

• Requires development permit and development order application fees to reasonably relate to the costs of review, processing, and final disposition, and prohibits fees based on a percentage of construction costs, site costs, or project valuation. 
• Requires local government interlocal agreements with school districts to address reasonable access to public easements and rights-of-way necessary for public school facilities. 
• Requires comprehensive plans and land development regulations to include factors for assessing compatibility of allowable residential uses within a residential zoning district and future land use category. 
• Requires land development regulations to incorporate measures to mitigate or minimize potential incompatibility and requires local government staff to identify specific incompatibilities and recommend mitigation measures before recommending denial of certain development applications. 
• Prohibits denial of an application on compatibility grounds if the applicant proposes mitigation measures, unless written findings determine the mitigation is inadequate and feasible mitigation measures do not exist. References to “community character” or “neighborhood feel” alone are insufficient to support denial. 
• Provides that compatibility provisions do not apply to uses in different future land use categories, development within planned unit developments or master planned communities, or development within historic districts designated before January 1, 2026. 
• Requires amendments to the future land use element of a comprehensive plan to be transmitted and adopted by a majority vote of governing body members present at the hearing, notwithstanding any county charter provision requiring a greater vote threshold. 
• Requires local governments to administratively approve applications for minor special exceptions or variances submitted by qualifying large destination resorts. 
• Authorizes residential manufactured buildings to be placed on any lot in a recreational vehicle park, mobile home park, or similar community subject to existing requirements. 
• Requires parity in zoning and land use regulations for off-site constructed residential dwellings compared to site-built single-family homes. 
• Requires the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) to study the impacts of removing Urban Development Boundaries or similar boundaries in Miami-Dade County and other counties. 

Most provisions of the bill take effect upon becoming law, with several land use and fee provisions taking effect January 1, 2027. 

To watch the House floor session, click here. 



The Senate companion,  CS/CS/SB 208 Land Use and Development Regulations passed favorably by Sen. McClain (22/1) on Tuesday, 2/24 by the Senate Rules Committee.  

On Wednesday, 3/4, CS/CS/HB 655 Public Records and Public Meetings/Attorney Meetings to Discuss Private Property Rights Claims by Representative Duggan was substituted for CS/CS/SB 332 and passed the Florida Senate (37/0). The Senate subsequently laid HB 655 on the table. The bill has now passed both chambers and is headed to the Governor’s desk. The bill is a part of FAC’s Legislative Action Plan. 

This bill creates a new Florida law about public meetings and records when government agencies discuss certain private property rights claims. Specifically, it deals with claims made under the Bert J. Harris, Jr., Private Property Rights Protection Act, which allows property owners to seek compensation if government actions unfairly limit how they can use their land. 

The law allows government agencies to hold closed meetings with their attorneys during the 90-day notice period after a property owner files this type of claim. Normally, Florida’s “Sunshine Law” requires government meetings to be open to the public. However, this bill makes an exception, so agencies can privately discuss legal advice, settlement negotiations, and strategies related to the claim. 

Even though these meetings can be closed, the bill still requires accountability and transparency. The meeting must be recorded by a certified court reporter, and a full transcript must be created. The agency must also give public notice of the meeting, announce when the private session begins and ends, and list who attended. No part of the discussion can be kept off the record. 

The transcripts, recordings, and other records from these meetings are temporarily exempt from public records laws while negotiations are ongoing. However, once the claim is settled—or if the time limit to file a lawsuit passes without a case being filed—the transcript becomes public record. 

The law is scheduled to take effect July 1, 2026, and it will automatically expire on October 2, 2031, unless the Legislature reviews and renews it. 



To watch the Senate floor session, click here.  

On Thursday, 3/5, CS/CS/SB 1138 Qualified Contractors by Senator Massullo Jr. was substituted for CS/CS/CS/HB 927 Local Land Planning and Development and passed the Florida Senate (33/0). The Senate subsequently laid HB 927 on the table. The bill has now passed both chambers and is headed to the Governor’s desk. This bill changes how cities and counties in Florida handle land development applications. It requires larger local governments to offer programs where developers can get help reviewing their plans before officially submitting them. These pre-application consultations are meant to make sure applications are complete and follow local land-use rules, which can reduce mistakes and delays.  

The bill also sets strict timelines for how quickly local governments must review development applications. If officials do not confirm that an application is complete or make a decision within certain deadlines, the application may automatically move forward or even be considered approved. These rules are designed to make the approval process faster and more predictable.  

Another major change is that developers may hire qualified private professionals—such as engineers, planners, architects, or surveyors—to review plans and help process applications. Local governments must maintain a list of these qualified contractors, and their work can help speed up reviews when government staff are limited.  

This bill also encourages faster housing development by allowing some building permits to be issued before a subdivision is fully finalized, as long as certain safety and planning requirements are met. Overall, the bill aims to streamline development approvals, reduce delays, and support more housing construction while still requiring projects to follow state and local laws. 



To watch the Senate floor session, click here.