The 2025 Florida Legislative Session started on March 4th. February was a very busy month with a third special session, the resignation of Florida’s lieutenant governor, the swearing in of a new attorney general, the creation of House budget workgroups and preparation for the 2025 session.

SPECIAL SESSION

After two special sessions on immigration during the week of January 27th, the Governor and Legislature agreed to a third special session the week of February 10th to pass a version of the legislation acceptable to both the Governor and legislative leadership. The Senate passed SB 2C on February 13th by a vote of 27-10 and House vote of 85-30. The bill was presented to the Governor, and he signed it that same day.  The bill is different from the one (SB 2B) passed by the Legislature, and vetoed by the Governor, the previous week. Among the changes is the creation of a State Board of Immigration Enforcement, which will provide bonuses and grants for law enforcement officers and efforts. Additionally, judges will be made aware of defendant’s immigration status that may be used to deny bail, and future transport of illegal aliens will be done at the direction of the federal government with reimbursable state costs.

GOVERNOR’S BUDGET PROPOSAL

Governor Ron DeSantis released his proposed Fiscal Year 2025-2026 budget, entitled “Focus on Fiscal Responsibility” on February 2nd. His proposal totals $115.6 billion, which is approximately $3 billion less than the current year, but $1.2 billion over his previous year’s proposal. State economists currently do not forecast a deficit for Fiscal Year 2025-2026, but expressed caution moving forward.

LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR

The Honorable Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez served as Florida’s 20th lieutenant governor (LG) from the start of DeSantis’ administration in 2019 to February 16th of this year. She was the state’s first Hispanic American woman to serve as LG.  She previously served in the Florida House of Representatives from 2010-2018 with her final two years as Speaker pro tempore. Nuñez was elected interim president of Florida International University in Miami by its board of trustees earlier this month. Governor DeSantis has indicated that he will hold off on appointing a new lieutenant governor and state chief financial officer until after the legislative session.

The Legislature began its 2025 Session on March 4th with the expectation of building the Fiscal Year 2025-26 budget and reviewing approximately 1,831 bills that have been filed.

Due to the recent passing of Senator Geraldine Thompson (D-Orlando), there were several new Senate committee assignments.

House Speaker Danny Perez (R-Miami) created budget workgroups to address some of the $950 million projects vetoed by the Governor in the current year’s budget. The combined workgroups addressed libraries, cultural and historical preservation items; water projects; human services initiatives; and justice-related projects like legal aid. The workgroups had 10 days last month to review the lists and make recommendations. It is not clear whether the entire House will move those recommendations forward and/or if the Senate will initiate a similar exercise. Speaker Perez also created combined workgroups on hemp and Collegiate Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) to look at policy issues.

I-75 EXPANSION PROJECT Groundbreaking of a new 31-mile expansion project on I-75, adding auxiliary lanes from State Road 44 in Wildwood to State Road 326 in Ocala, happened on February 25th. The project, part of the Moving Florida Forward Infrastructure Initiative, is fully funded and moves construction 10 to 15 years ahead of schedule. Launched in 2023, the Moving Florida Forward initiative was designed to accelerate transportation projects across the state.

CITRUS The United States Department of Agriculture predicts that 12 million boxes of oranges will be harvested in Florida this season, including 1.2 million boxes of grapefruit and 300,000 boxes of tangerines and tangelos. Citrus growers have seen a 90 percent decrease in production over the last 30 years. Greening continues to be an issue with the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences working on a genetically modified tree that will poison the psyllids who are spreading the disease.

SEA TURTLES Over 1,000 endangered sea turtles were rescued off the Gulf Coast following the winter storm that battered the Panhandle in January. The lower temperature of the water near St. Joseph Bay effectively paralyzed the turtles, washing them to shore. Dozens of volunteers collected the turtles and transported them to the Gulf World Marine Institute in Panama City Beach for rehabilitation.  

STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS A record number of students have applied for financial help ahead of the 2025-26 school year. The scholarships include Personalized Education Program scholarships, Unique Abilities scholarships and scholarships to cover private school tuition. Scholarship renewals are open until April 30th. New applications for private school and Unique Abilities scholarships will be accepted through November 15th.

SPACE INDUSTRY LAYOFFS Up to 400 employees working on NASA’s Artemis program will be terminated by April. The layoffs affect the members of the Space Launch systems team, as Boeing has experienced delays, setbacks and overspending. Blue Origin has also announced layoffs totaling more than 1,000 employees.

HEALTH CARE FOR THE HOMELESS A self-contained medical pod will allow the homeless population in Tampa access to health care. The 'Clinic in a Box' offers telehealth appointments and can monitor vital signs. The OnMed CareStation is located at Tampa Hope, a homeless shelter. The stations have previously been in community centers, universities and prisons.

UTILITY RATES The Public Service Commission approved plans allowing Tampa Electric Company (TECO) and Duke Energy Florida to collect more than $1.55 billion from customers to cover hurricane-related expenses and replenish storm reserves. Two consumer groups have filed notice that they will ask the Florida Supreme Court to review the approval of the TECO rate plan.

GULF Following President Trump’s executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico, the State is wasting no time changing all references to the body of water to the Gulf of America. 

STERILE MOSQUITOS Ahead of the summer heat, humidity, and mosquito season, Collier County will be introducing sterile male mosquitoes into the wild to help reduce populations. This method has been successfully used elsewhere and targets mosquitoes known to spread dengue fever, Zika and Chikungunya.

TRAIL TOWNS VISIT FLORIDA launched a campaign highlighting the use of trails, trail systems and trail towns. Collaborating with the Office of Greenways and Trails, they are sharing a series of shorts, “Trail Towns", to give visitors a taste of the 15,000 miles of hiking, biking, equestrian, and paddling trails throughout Florida, as well as a glimpse into small heritage towns. View them here.

TOURISM A record 143 million tourists came to Florida in 2024, setting a new tourism record. The highest previous number was 140.62 million visitors in 2024.

SHUT UP NEXT TIME A federal district court judge has ordered a new trial in an insurance fraud case against the former medical director of a West Palm Beach sober living home. The judge ruled that his 2022 conviction was tainted when the government's star witness "forgot to shut up" during testimony plagued with lies. No timetable has been set for a retrial. 

BOOK BANS A federal judge has declined to dismiss a lawsuit by six publishing houses, two parents of schoolchildren and five bestselling authors. The suit challenges a state law that restricts books in school libraries. The trial can now proceed.

PREGAME PRAYER The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals turned down a request from Tampa’s Cambridge Christian School for the full appeals court to hold a hearing on an earlier opinion. That opinion, by a three-judge panel, sided with the Florida High School Athletic Association in a dispute about blocking the school from praying over a loudspeaker before a football game. The panel concluded there was no violation of First Amendment rights when it prevented the school from offering a prayer over a loudspeaker before a 2015 high school championship game.

SCHOOL LIBRARY BOOK APPEALS U.S. district judge Allen Winsor has dismissed a lawsuit that accused Florida of discriminating against those opposed to library book removals across the state. A 2023 law created a process for parents to appeal when a school board decides to keep, but not remove, their challenged books on the shelves. The judge determined that the process is “available only to parents who had their own objection denied”.

TERM LIMIT ELIGIBILITY Representative Mayfield (R-Melbourne) resigned her position in the Florida House to run for the current vacated Senate District 19. The Secretary of State ruled she was ineligible to run due to term limits as she had previously served two terms in the Senate. Mayfield appealed in an emergency filing to the Florida Supreme Court and the Court ruled Mayfield’s candidacy would not violate term limits in the state Constitution. Therefore, she will be a candidate on the primary ballot on April 1st.

TESLA FATAL CRASH Tesla Inc. will not face punitive damage claims in a lawsuit accusing it of causing a 2019 crash that killed a Model 3 driver, a Florida appeals court determined. The court stated the driver's widow failed to prove that the company likely knew its self-driving feature would cause death or great bodily injury.

TEACHER POLITICAL MEMES A state appellate court overturned a punishment handed to a math teacher who was suspended for three days for posting political memes to his Facebook profile. The teacher claimed his right to free speech was violated because the posts were a matter of public concern and did not disrupt school operations.

FSU VS. ACC The contentious lawsuit pitting Florida State University and Clemson University against the ACC has been settled without a trial in circuit court. The agreement would increase the financial distribution to schools with higher viewership numbers and lower the conference exit costs to less than $100 million.

Torey Alston The Broward College Board of Trustees selected Torey Alston as president and CEO of the College. Most recently, Alston was CEO and executive director of the Greater Miami Expressway Agency. He succeeds Dr. Donald Astrab who served as interim president since 2024.

Gus Bilirakis Congressman Gus Bilirakis (R-New Port Richey) was appointed to the Select Committee of Strategic Competition between the United States and Chinese Communist Party by House Speaker Mike Johnson.

Pam Bondi Former Republican Florida attorney general Pam Bondi was sworn in as U.S. Attorney General on February 5th.

Adam Hasner The Florida Atlantic University Board of Trustees unanimously voted to select former Republican Representative Adam Hasner as the university’s 8th president.

Florida Presidential Appointments and Nominations President Donald Trump nominated Judge Jason Reding Quinoñes as the next attorney general for the southern district of Florida. He nominated Gadyaces "Gady" Serralta to lead the U.S. Marshal Service. Serralta previously served as police chief of Palmetto Bay and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2018 to serve as the U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Florida during Trump’s first term. And Trump appointed Governor DeSantis to the Council of Gove

Scott Franklin Congressman Scott Franklin (R-Lakeland) was selected as chair of the U.S. House of Representatives Science, Space and Technology Environment Subcommittee.

John Grosskopf North Florida College president John Grosskopf has announced he will resign in December.

Lena Juarez Floridians for Better Transportation has named Lena Juarez, president and owner of JEJ and Associates, as its president. Juarez replaced retiring president Sally Patrenos. Juarez will continue running JEJ Associates.

Alex Lanfranconi Governor DeSantis’ deputy communications director Alex Lanfranconi has been named director of communications for West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey.

Rhea Law University of South Florida President Rhea Law has announced her intention to retire. She has held the position since 2021 and will stay until a replacement is named.

Chadwick Leonard 1000 Friends of Florida has hired Chadwick Leonard as its conservation and planning advocacy coordinator.

Jeanette Nuñez Jeanette Nuñez has been named interim president of Florida International University by its Board of Trustees. As a result, she resigned from her post as Lieutenant Governor.

Paul Renner Former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner (R-Palm Coast) has been named scholar in residence at The James Madison Institute.

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Frank White CFO Jimmy Patronis appointed former House member Frank White to Citizens Property Insurance Board of Directors.

Congressional Jewish Caucus U. S. Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25), along with New York Congressman Jerrold Nadler, formed the Congressional Jewish Caucus.

State Immigration Enforcement Council Appointed to this newly formed Council by Governor DeSantis was Chief Charles Broadway, Chief of Police for the Clermont Police Department. Appointed by House Speaker Perez were Duval County Sheriff T.K. Waters and Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell. Appointed by Senate President Albritton Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri and Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. Appointed by Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson was Douglas Goerke, St. Cloud Police Chief. Appointed by CFO Jimmy Patronis was Robert Bage, Fort Walton Beach Police Chief.

Dana Young VISIT FLORIDA president and CEO Dana Young retired after leading the agency since 2019. A former legislator (R-Tampa), she served in the Florida Senate from 2016 to 2018 and the Florida House of Representatives from 2010 to 2016.

Appointments by Governor DeSantis:

Advisory Commission for America’s Semiquincentennial Appointed were Representative Patt Maney (R-Fort Walton Beach); Jacqueline Gay Gaines, vice regent of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association; Lucas Morel, professor and head of the politics department at Washington and Lee University; and Matthew Spalding, professor of constitutional government and dean of the Van Andel Graduate School of Government at Hillsdale College’s Washington, D.C. campus.

Board of Governors of the State University System Appointed was Paul Renner, former Republican Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives (R-Palm Coast) and of counsel for Nelson Mullins.

Beach State College District Board of Trustees Appointed was Michael Barnett, a lawyer for Shiner Law Group.

Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Appointed were Alexis Yarbrough, current chair of the Broward College District Board of Trustees; John Gilbert, executive managing director at Stream Realty Partners; and Scott Workman, owner of Workman Transportation and owner and president of Workman Travel.

Daytona State College District Board of Trustees Appointed were Randall “Randy” Dye, owner of Daytona Dodge Crysler Jeep Ram, Maserati & Alfa Romeo; Lloyd Freckleton, former warden for the New York City Department of Corrections; Robert Lloyd, principal of Lloyd Law; and Nellie Lupoli, vice president of ICI Homes.

Florida Commission on Ethics  Appointed was Tina Descovich, co-founder of Moms for Liberty.

Florida Gulf Coast University Board of Trustees Appointed was Dr. Larry Antonucci, president and CEO of Lee Health. Reappointed was Robbie Roepstorff, founder and president of Edison National Bank and Bank of the Islands.

Florida State University Board of Trustees Reappointed was Peter Collins, co-founder and managing principal of Forge Capital Partners, LLC and the CEO Forge’s real estate private equity fund business.

Florida Transportation Commission Appointed were of Barbara Haselden, owner and president of Barbara L. Haselden, Inc.; and Hung Mai, president and CEO of H.T. Mai, Inc. Reappointed were John Browning Jr., president of Browning Consulting and Browning Packing and the vice president of political affairs at Murray H. Goodman; Richard Burke, operating partner at Energy Capital Partners Management, LP; David Genson, president of development at Barron Collier Companies; and Alex Lastra, managing partner of Desarrollo Florida, LLC.

Shevaun Harris Appointed secretary of the Agency for Health Care Administration was Shevaun Harris. Harris led the Florida Department of Children and Families since 2021.

Taylor Hatch Appointed secretary of the Florida Department of Children and Families was Taylor Hatch, who formerly served as director of the Florida Agency for Persons with Disabilities.

Jacksonville Transportation Authority Appointed were Max Glober, vice president of marketing at First Coast Energy, LLP; and Donald “Donnie” Horner III, vice president of investor relations for Intrepid Capital Management.

Pensacola State College District Board of Trustees Appointed were Dr. Joel Rudman, family practice physician at Dr. Joel D. Rudman, M.D; Edward Fleming, founding partner of McDonald Fleming Attorneys At Law; Andrew Hobbs, chief deputy of administration for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office; and Zachary Smith, senior legal fellow and manager of the Supreme Court and Appellate Advocacy Program at the Heritage Foundation.

Santa Fe College District Board of Trustees Appointed was Dr. Tara Ezzell, partner and dermatologist at Dermatology Associates.

School Board of Gilchrist County Appointed was Roy Smith, owner of Smith’s Septic Tank Service, Inc.

Space Florida Board of Directors Appointed chair of the Space Florida Board of Directors was former Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez.

State Board of Immigration Enforcement Appointed executive director of this newly created board was Larry Keefe, a former federal prosecutor. Florida Cabinet members serve on the Board.

University of Central Florida Board of Trustees Reappointed was William J. Christy, president and CEO of CLASH Endurance.

University of South Florida Board of Trustees Appointed was Charbel Barakat corporate vice president and counsel for public policy with D.R. Horton, Inc.

James Uthmeier Replacing Ashley Moody as Florida’s 39th Attorney General is James Uthmeier. Uthmeier previously served as DeSantis' chief of staff and before that, as the Governor’s general counsel. He was sworn in on February 17th.

Jason Weida Agency for Health Care Administration secretary Jason Weide has been named Governor DeSantis’ chief of staff.

Billy Cypress Billy Cypress, the former long-serving chair of the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians died on February 28th at the age of 74. First elected to the Miccosukee Business Council in 1973, Cypress served for 26 years as chair. During his tenure, he helped reclaim tens of thousands of acres for the Tribe, established the Tribe’s gaming operations, pioneered an embassy and authorized Tribal passports that were formally recognized. As strong advocate for the Everglades, Cypress helped set pollution-control standards and brought billions of dollars in state and federal funding in support of restoration efforts.

Lincoln Díaz-Balart Lincoln Díaz-Balart, a Cuban American Republican politician died on March 3rd at the age of 70. The son of a prominent and powerful Cuban family, they fled Cuba in 1958 after the rise of Fidel Castro. Díaz-Balart served in the U.S. House of Representatives for 18 years (1993-2011) and was known for defending immigrants and fiercely opposing Castro’s regime. He strove to help restore democracy in his native Cuba. Like many Cuban Americans, he was initially a Democrat, leading the Florida Young Democrats and running unsuccessfully for the State Legislature in 1982. But along with other Cuban exiles and their children, he began to identify as a Republican during the administration of President Ronald Reagan. He remained staunchly Republican thereafter.

Geraldine Thompson Senator Geraldine F. "Geri" Thompson (D-Orlando) died on February 13th following complications from knee replacement surgery. Thompson served in the Florida House of Representatives from 2006-2012 and 2018-2022 and in the Florida Senate 2012-2016 and 2022-2025. Born in New Orleans, she moved to Florida as a young child. She later graduated from the University of Miami and Florida State University. Thompson was a former Orange County school teacher and Valencia College administrator and the founder of the Wells’ Built Museum of African American History and Culture in Orlando. Current U.S. Representative Maxwell Frost summed up her life by saying “For nearly 20 years in the Florida Legislature, she broke barriers and created opportunities, especially for Black and Brown communities and those too often overlooked. She paved the way for many, including myself, to step up and serve our communities.”

Georgefest

In honor of President’s Day on February 17th, we thought you would enjoy this story about Georgefest and the world’s largest rubber duck. The City of Eustis celebrates the country’s longest-running George Washington’s Birthday Festival each February, called Georgefest. This year, a 6-story rubber duck was displayed for all to admire. Mama Duck (nicknamed “Duke” for festival sponsor Duke Energy) weighs 11 tons and makes appearances around the world. Georgefest began on February 22, 1902 with a few Ford Model T’s in a parade. Now, thousands of visitors enjoy a parade, carnival, race, music, dining, fireworks and a 5k race. For 123 years, people have celebrated the Founding Father in style.

Please let us know if you would like more information about any of the items in this eNewsletter. We will be sending out a special edition shortly with a snapshot of the 2025 Session’s key issues and bills of interest.

JEJ Team