Dear Friends,
Today is the day! The official start of Florida’s 2026 Legislative Session. We literally cannot believe that it’s here. 🙃
On paper, it’s 60 days of lawmaking. In reality, it’s something else entirely.
Long before the gavels fall, hundreds of bills are already filed, talking points are locked in, and press conferences planned. Still, the central question goes unanswered: who are they actually governing for?
Because if the last few years have taught us anything, it’s that much of what happens in Tallahassee isn’t about governing at all. It’s about performing. Campaigning. Auditioning for corporate donors. And protecting the interests that are already pulling the strings.
This year will be no different, and with the Republican party running the show for nearly 30 years, pay attention to where the blame falls for the affordability crisis. Families are struggling with housing costs, insurance bills, and everyday expenses. Yet as lawmakers claim to be focused on relief, the Legislature is also devoting time and attention (in other words, taxpayer dollars) to bills like SB1428 / HB113 which threatens withholding funding for state universities if they don’t comply with renaming a street after podcaster Charlie Kirk.
When lawmakers are more focused on positioning themselves for the next election or pleasing the next donor than solving problems, governance becomes theater.
Who’s Still Pulling the Strings
Our Who’s Pulling the Strings? report laid it out plainly: corporate money doesn’t just influence Florida politics — it directs it.
Major corporations and industry groups funnel money through trade associations, political committees, and consulting firms. Lawmakers take the checks. Then come the policies:
• Tax breaks and loopholes for corporations
• Weak worker protections
• Preemption laws that strip local communities of power and penalize local governments
• Underfunded public services paired with flashy headlines about “efficiency”
The script rarely changes. And in 2026, we expect many of the same actors to take center stage again.
What We’re Watching
We’re not here for the show. We’re here for accountability.
Property taxes are being used as a red herring. House proposals shift costs rather than lower them — undermining schools and essential services while protecting wealthy property owners and corporate interests. All while ignoring the real crisis: property insurance rates that have increased 30–70% over the last three years, compared to homesteaded property taxes capped at 3% annually.
CEOs rigging the rules and the legislators who enable them are to blame.
Budgets will be framed as “tough choices,” even as billions in giveaways and incentives remain untouched. Investments in education, healthcare, and housing will be treated as optional while corporate priorities are assumed.
Preemption will continue. More decisions pulled away from cities and counties. Less local control. Less accountability. Less democracy for Floridians all justified as “uniformity” or “efficiency.
Human rights are the umbrella issue. Immigration, reproductive freedom, and LGBTQ+ rights are all shaped by the same legislative decisions about who the state protects and who it controls. When lawmakers make any group’s rights conditional, they weaken rights for everyone.
Redistricting will hover in the background, treated as a technical exercise rather than what it really is: a fight over political power and representation. With a redistricting special session scheduled in April, the outcome will shape whose voices matter on paper (and whose don’t) for years to come.
This session, Florida For All will be paying close attention to who advances real affordability solutions, rejects corporate giveaways, and supports workers, renters, students, families and public investments that give us the freedom we deserve.
Do your elected officials treat governing as a responsibility to working families, or a performance for corporate mega donors? Time will tell. And here are some of the bills we’re following to find out.
Bills We Support:
✅ SB 366 / HB 319 “Property Insurance Interstate Compact” by Sen. Bernard and Rep. Skidmore – Creates a multi-state catastrophic risk pool to stabilize insurance markets and reduce premiums without cutting local services.
✅SB 780 / HB 687 “Government Waste and Misconduct” by Sen. Berman and Rep. Driskell – Mandates a state spending audit/report on controversial expenditures and creates a tax rebate program for low- and moderate-income residents funded by recovered misspent funds.
✅SB 1598 / HB 1419 “Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore Florida Voting Rights Act” by Sen. Bracy Davis and Rep. Young- Establishes state-level voting rights protections and anti-discrimination standards.
✅ SB 1726 / HB 1493 “Housing” by Sen. Smith and Rep. Joseph- Repeals rent control preemption and restores local authority to address rising rents and housing costs.
✅SB 1112 / HB 1287 “Labor Pool Act” by Sen. Garcia and Rep. Chambliss – Regulates labor staffing intermediaries to protect workers — limiting fees that can raise costs for employers and potentially workers, adds registration requirements, and strengthens legal enforcement provisions.
✅ SB 328 / HB 315 “Immigration, Law Enforcement, and State-issued Identification” aka Florida Economic Prosperity and Immigration Act by Sen. Smith and Rep. Joseph- Creates protections for immigrants and refugees.
✅ SB 316 / HB 0419 VISIBLE Act/ Unmasking Bill by Sen. Smith and Rep. Nixon- Requires covered immigration officers to wear visible identification and prohibit certain face coverings.
✅ SB 700 / HB 621 “States of Emergency” by Sen. Smith and Rep. Driskell- Creates stronger legislative checks on executive emergency powers, ensuring they are used for genuine crises.
✅SB 764 / HB 1223 “HIV Prevention Justice Act” by Sen. Jones and Rep. Young– Modernizes outdated HIV laws, reflects current science, reduces unnecessary prosecutions, and advances public health.
✅SB 782 / HB 681 “Health Care Freedom Act” by Sen. Jones and Rep. Eskamani- Restores abortion access up until the start of the third trimester and repeals numerous discriminatory restrictions on essential medical care for transgender Floridians.
✅SB 790 / HB 677 “Freedom to Learn Act” by Sen. Davis and Rep. Nixon- Repeals the prohibition of discussing topics like systemic injustice or racism in schools, curbs book-banning abuses, and also repeals the funding ban on DEI programs.
✅SB 1416 / HB 1191 – Election Emergencies (DAVBOR) By Sen. Polsky and Rep. Cross– Creates protocols for emergency election management, requiring statewide plans and clear communication for rescheduled elections
Bills We Oppose:
❌Property Tax Constitutional Amendments (HJR 201–213, HB 215): A series of proposals that undermine local services, benefit the wealthy, and shift costs to working people.
❌SB/164 / HB 289 “Civil Liability for the Wrongful Death of an Unborn Child” by Sen. Grall and Rep. Greco- Expands wrongful-death lawsuits to include unborn children, increasing legal risk for doctors and hospitals.
❌SB 1106 / HB 31 “Recognizing Judea and Samaria” by Sen. Massullo and Reps. Tramont; Tendrich- Prohibits the use of the term “West Bank” in official government materials.
❌SB 1278 / HB 197 “Employment Eligibility” by Sen. Martin and Reps. Jacques; Michael- Requires all private employers use the E-Verify system.
❌SB 304 / HB 229 “Violation of State Immigration Law” by Sen. Martin and Rep. Jacques- Allows people to sue local governments or law enforcement if they fail to cooperate with ICE.
❌SB 1380 / HB 1307 “Unauthorized Aliens” by Sen. Martin and Rep. Jacques- Restricts benefits for immigrants who are undocumented and creates penalties for employers hiring them.
❌SB 426 / HB 347 Pride Flag Ban by Sen. Yarborough and Rep. Borrero – Creates sweeping restrictions on flags displayed by government entities, targeting LGBTQ+ visibility.
❌SB 1134 / HB 1001 “Anti-DEI in Local Government” by Sen. Yarborough and Rep. Black- Defunds and bans DEI programs and authorizes removal of local officials.
❌SB 1010 / HB 743 “Enforcement of Protections for Minors” by Sen. Yarborough and Rep. Melo- Expands liability and enforcement around gender-affirming care.
❌SB 1692 / HB 1119 “Materials Harmful to Minors” by Sen. McClain and Rep. Bankson- Expands book banning and censorship in schools.
❌SB 670 / HB 551 “Right of Medical Conscience” by Sen. Yarborough and Rep. Black- Expands the ability for health care providers to discriminate.
❌SB 216 / HB 191 “Verification of Reemployment Assistance Benefit Eligibility” by Sen. McClain and Rep. Abbott- Tightens rules and expands grounds to deny unemployment benefits
❌Tina Vidal-Duart’s Executive Appointment – The Senate is considering confirming the DeSantis-appointed CEO who profits from torture at the Everglades Detention Camp to the Florida Atlantic University Board of Trustees. (If the Senate does not schedule a vote for her confirmation, she will not receive the appointment.)
The Curtain’s About to Rise
The lights are coming on in Tallahassee. The stage is set. The same corporate donors are in the front row.
The question for 2026 isn’t whether lawmakers will perform. The question is whether enough Floridians will see past the act and demand something better. It is an election year, after all.
We’re watching. We’re tracking. And we’re organizing.
Because this state belongs to the people — not the puppeteers.
Onwards and upwards,
Your Friends at Florida For All
(make sure to follow us on Instagram @FLForAllVote for more updates!)