Rotunda Report 2026 | Pre-Session

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS NEWS UPDATE

January 9, 2026

OUR FIRM

PRACTICE & INDUSTRY GROUPS

NEWS & INSIGHTS

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

The 2026 Regular Session of the Florida Legislature commences Tuesday, January 13, and is scheduled to conclude Friday, March 13. Nearly 2,000 pieces of legislation will be available for consideration during the 60-day period, including bills that could impact your business or industry in a number of ways.

This Pre-Session Report highlights a few bills that will likely draw substantial attention during the upcoming session. Additionally, here is a link to a comprehensive list covering dozens of bills that have already been filed.

REDISTRICTING

In August 2025, the House created a Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting. Speaker Perez stated that he would prefer to act while members are already convened for regular session and that any efforts would be limited to Congressional maps. Earlier this week, however, Governor Ron DeSantis announced a special session to convene the week of Monday, April 20, 2026, more than one month after the end of the regular legislative session. The Governor’s proclamation limits the purpose of the Special Session to drawing congressional districts.

PROPERTY TAX REFORM

Both the Governor and Legislative Leadership have signaled an interest in passing some version of property tax reform. In the lead up to the 2026 Legislative Session, over a dozen joint resolutions and bills have been filed that, if passed and enacted, could have substantial impacts on property taxes in Florida. Joint Resolutions passed by the Legislature cannot be vetoed by the Governor and like other proposed amendments to the Florida Constitution, must be approved by 60% of the voters during the 2026 General Election. The proposals span from eliminating all homestead property taxes, to more narrowly tailored approaches such as increasing the amount of portability.

LAND USE AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Legislators have filed comprehensive land use and affordable housing bills ranging from requiring local governments to enact accessory dwelling units (ADUs) ordinances (SB 48 filed by Sen. Gaetz/HB 313 filed by Rep. Nix), to creating an administrative approval for large scale developments known as Blue Ribbon Projects (SB 354 filed by Sen. McClain /HB 299 filed by Rep. Melo). There are other proposals that would seek to streamline the permitting process by requiring local governments to create a registry of qualified contractors that would be authorized to approve certain applications subject to a land development code (SB 1138 filed by Sen. Massullo /HB 927 filed by Rep. Sapp), in addition to several proposals seeking to reform impact fees.

ADDITIONAL CATEGORIES

Finally, there are several comprehensive environmental bills that would seek to preempt local governments from regulating water policy (SB 718 filed by Sen. McClain /HB 479 filed by Rep. Maggard), to proposals creating an AI Bill of Rights (SB 482 filed by Senator Leek), and legislation that would address the elimination of the penny coin (SB 1074 filed by Sen. Gaetz/HB 951 filed by Rep. McFarland.)

Throughout Session, the weekly Stearns Weaver Miller Rotunda Report will provide a high-level summary of what occurred during the prior week. A practicing attorney in the related industry will also do a deeper analysis of a single piece of legislation. If you have any questions about legislation this session, please do not hesitate to contact us.

The information provided in this email does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; instead, all information in this email is for informational purposes only. Information in this email is general in nature and may not constitute the most up-to-date legal or other information. Readers of this email should contact us or an attorney of their choice to obtain advice with respect to any particular legal matter. No reader of this email should act or refrain from acting on the basis of information in this email without first seeking legal advice from counsel. Only your individual attorney can provide assurances that the information contained herein – and your interpretation of it – is applicable or appropriate to your particular situation. This email does not create an attorney-client relationship between the reader and the authors of the email or this law firm.

OUR GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS TEAM

Our Government Affairs practice group monitors both the legislative and executive branches to stay well-informed of emerging legislative and regulatory developments.

About Stearns Weaver Miller

Stearns Weaver Miller is a Florida-based law firm with more than 150 attorneys and offices in Miami, Coral Gables, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa and Tallahassee. For 50 years, our multidisciplinary team of attorneys and professionals have worked collaboratively to help our clients understand and resolve complex legal issues and disputes. For more information, please visit stearnsweaver.com.