Florida’s legislative session begins March 4—just weeks after a special session that passed sweeping immigration reform. As bills stack up for the regular session, the Republican-controlled legislature continues to angle for President Donald Trump’s favor. And while legislative leaders and the governor appear to have made up after butting heads earlier this year, some are questioning how long that will last.
Below is a list of some of the top issues lawmakers are expected to tackle this session.
Editor’s note: Florida is currently controlled by the Republican party. The governor, the cabinet, and the House and Senate leaders are all Republicans. The GOP has a strong majority in both chambers. Most of the bills listed below are filed by Republican lawmakers. That’s because Republican issues and priorities are the most likely to get hearings and to become law. Democrats in the state also have a list of priorities for the upcoming session—many of them in opposition to those listed here. But in many cases, the likelihood that Democratic priorities will move forward is slim.
WFSU's focus is on vetting, understanding and explaining the bills most likely to become law since those are the issues that have the greatest impact on our audience members and their communities.
Signaling support for the Trump Administration
Much of the pre-session warmup has seen legislative leaders and the governor jockeying for the president’s favor as they work to prove their loyalty and signal their devotion to supporting the Trump administration's agenda. The endorsement and support of Trump has proven important over the past several years for Republicans with political ambition.
Several of the bills up for discussion this session are part of that effort.
Water Fluoridation
One measure that aligns with the Trump administration’s agenda is a proposal by Sen. Keith Truenow (R-Tavares) that would block all Florida municipalities from adding fluoride to public water supplies. Trump’s Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had said he’d like to see a similar push on a national level. And Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo recently called fluoridating water systems “public health malpractice.” The proposal is part of a larger measure called The Florida Farm Bill. It’s got the backing of Tallahassee power player, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson. Simpson is on the short list of possible candidates for a 2026 gubernatorial run when Gov. Ron DeSantis’ term ends. The Governor’s wife, Casey DeSantis, has also been pitched as a possible frontrunner. But, on Feb. 20, Trump posted on his social media site, Truth Social, an endorsement for Congressman Byron Donalds. The president’s backing weighs heavily in the race. His endorsement is believed to have helped Gov. Ron DeSantis clinch the Republican gubernatorial primary during his race in 2018.
Gulf of America
Lawmakers will also take up a bill by Sen. Nick DiCeglie (R-St. Petersburg) to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America in Florida statute and on state maps and documents. The move echoes that of President Donald Trump who signed an executive order renaming the water body.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 9, 2025
Florida Senate President Ben Albritton is in support of the Florida proposal.
“Florida stands with President Trump and his decisive action to honor our great country by remaining the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America,” Albritton said in a statement. “About 770 miles of coastline in our state border the Gulf, and its waters have always been critical to our economy, in particular our tourism, aquaculture, and maritime industries. Naming this amazing body of water the Gulf of America highlights its tremendous value to our state and nation.”
Firearms
Governor Ron DeSantis says Florida needs to take steps to protect the Second Amendment and he’s got a few ideas. The issue has become red meat for candidates who wish to rally their bases as they eye gubernatorial runs in 2026 and, for DeSantis, another potential try at a presidential run in 2028. Members of the legislature are also using the issue to chum the water as they prepare for special elections in April in the race for two seats in Congress.
Firearm proposals filed for this session have raised alarms from gun reform activists who see several of the measures as an attempt to roll back protections put in place following the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland that resulted in the death of 17 people.
Open Carry
Governor Ron DeSantis and his wife Casey DeSantis have both posted on social media in favor of legislation that would allow open carry in the state of Florida, with Casey writing it “sounds like a great priority for our GOP supermajority.” State Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Wilton Simpson, has voiced similar support as well.
A bill filed by Rep. Joel Rudman (R-Navarre) would pave the way for open carry in the state. Rudman resigned from office, effective January 1 to run for the Congressional seat left open when former Florida Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz resigned. Florida’s resign to run law requires lawmakers to leave their post, win or lose. The resignation is permanent. Rudman lost the Republican primary race for the seat to state Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, who had President Donald Trump’s endorsement.
Efforts to pass open carry policy in the past have historically failed because of pushback from law enforcement. Senate President Ben Albriton has previously spoken against the move for that reason.
“Let me be clear about this, I’ve supported law enforcement my entire life. It’s the way I was raised, and I’ve been super-consistent as a legislator to support law enforcement in Florida. And I’d encourage you to check that record,” Albritton told reporters after the organizational session in November. “And I stand with them today in opposition. They oppose it. I trust my law-enforcement officials, and that’s where I stand.”
Guns on Campus
Sen. Randy Fine (R-Melbourne) is pushing a measure that would allow students and others to carry guns on college and university campuses. The measure would allow schools to ask the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to designate zones during sporting events where firearms would not be allowed.
“The fact of the matter is, the right that you have across the street from a college campus, you should have on the college campus," Fine said in an interview with WFSU.
Fine is another lawmaker vying for a special election Congressional run. With Trump's endorsement, he won his primary race and is expected in April to win the seat vacated when former Republican Congressman Mike Waltz was tapped to be Trump’s national security advisor.
“I showed tonight what loyalty to Donald Trump meant. I didn’t endorse him for politics. So we can get into why I did that over a year ago,” Fine said on the Senate floor after the primary vote. “But my reward for that loyalty is, I’m going to Congress.”
Like Rudman, Fine also had to resign to run for the congressional seat. But he’s planning to stick around for most of the legislative session. His resignation is effective March 31. The 60-day session begins March 4.
Firearm purchasing age
Fine is also behind a bill that would reverse a piece of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act that raised the minimum age to purchase a firearm to 21.
Firearm reform advocates are pushing back on the plan. Cathy Swerdlow chairs the Gun Violence Prevention Team for the League of Women Voters of Florida. She says she’d like to see lawmakers reduce firearm access.
“We know that access to guns leads to a lot of unnecessary gun deaths," Swerdlow said in an interview with WFSU. "I'm not [just] talking about criminal activity; I'm talking about suicides and unintentional shootings of children and people with suicidal ideation.”
Lawmakers are also looking into a bill by Sen. Blaise Ingoglia (R-Spring Hill) that would ban the use of artificial technology to detect firearms in most public spaces.
Second Amendment Summer
DeSantis has a budget proposal he says would help bolster the Second Amendment. It would offer a sales tax break on the purchase of guns, ammunition and accessories. The holiday would run from May 26, 2025 (Memorial Day) to July 4.
The Budget
DeSantis is also asking lawmakers to repeat several of the sales tax holidays they’ve approved in the past, including giving Floridians a sales tax break on back-to-school supplies and on disaster preparedness supplies.
Every year the one thing lawmakers are required to do during their two months in Tallahassee is pass a balanced budget. The governor’s budget proposal is just the first step in the process. Lawmakers in both chambers will also propose their versions of a state spending plan before working together to create a compromise. Then, the governor can use his line-item veto power to carve out spending he disagrees with. Last year, DeSantis vetoed close to $950 million in projects.
During a special session last month, lawmakers voted to override some of those vetoes and now House Speaker Daniel Perez has assigned four work groups to review more of the budget cuts DeSantis made last year. The committees have identified several projects they’re recommending the legislature fund by overriding DeSantis’ vetoes.
It's another signal from the legislature that lawmakers aren't willing to just go along to get along with the governor as they have in years past.
A Rural Renaissance
During this year’s organizational session where lawmakers officially recognized Ben Albritton as Senate speaker, the citrus farmer said he’d like to focus his tenure on what he calls a “rural renaissance.”
“Rural communities look after one another and would give their last dollar and even the shirt off their own back to help a neighbor in need. Our rural communities are full of opportunity. When I travel across the Panhandle, the Big Bend, and the Heartland, I see so much of that unrealized opportunity,” Albriton said during his prepared remarks. “Opportunity in rural Florida doesn’t just mean development. What I see are opportunities to improve our rural quality of life, while preserving the time-honored way-of-life that has been deeply cherished generation after generation after generation.”
Albritton tapped Sen. Corey Simon (R-Tallahassee) to carry the package. The legislation, which comes with a $197 million appropriation intended to combine with another $97 already allocated for sparsely populated areas, focuses on expanding education, healthcare and infrastructure in the state’s rural communities.
In a written statement Simon said, “Our rural renaissance legislation contains critical enhancements and investments to support 31 of our 67 counties and hundreds of rural communities across Florida. We are combining enhancements to the traditional infrastructure for schools and hospitals with innovations that expand and strengthen access. We know commerce and capital are attracted to strong transportation infrastructure and robust public services, which will provide the chance for rural communities to prosper and grow as they see fit.”
Housing
Lawmakers are also expected to tackle housing and housing affordability. That includes the looming condo crisis. After the Surfside condo collapse disaster, lawmakers put provisions in place aimed at ensuring the safety and upkeep of condo buildings. Now, condo owners say those rules are leading to hefty, and in some cases unaffordable, condo association fees. Governor Ron DeSantis had hoped lawmakers would take the issue up earlier. He’s been pushing for special sessions on the condo crisis since last year. But Albritton and Perez pushed back.
"The question shouldn't be when," Perez told reporters in November. "The question should be what. What is the solution that people are offering to the issue before condos? It's an issue we'll be discussing during [the regular] session."
Affordability
In an effort to address housing affordability lawmakers are looking into several solutions. One involves a bill by Sen. Don Gaetz (R-Pensacola) that requires local governments to permit accessory dwelling units, often called mother-in-law suites. Gaetz says paving the way for homeowners to build and then rent the units will create more in-community affordable housing for people like teachers and emergency responders.
Meanwhile, Rep. Berny Jacques (R-Clearwater) has a measure aimed at limiting the ability of investors and multinational corporations to buy housing stock and turn it into rental properties. Under the bill, local governments would be able to designate land exclusively for single-family home ownership.
And Sen. Jonathan Martin (R-Fort Meyers) wants the state to study getting rid of property taxes. He has a bill to do just that.
Insurance
Florida is in the midst of an ongoing insurance crisis. It's an issue that's undoubtedly up for discussion this session. For some people the cost has become so unaffordable they’ve dropped their coverage and in some cases have lost their homes. Others have been dropped by their insurers or have seen their companies, facing insolvency, leave the state. Lawmakers have passed legislation over the past few years in an attempt to stabilize the flagging market.
Recently, state-backed Citizens Property Insurance announced an increase for most of its policyholders. The company was intended to be the state’s insurer of last resort, but as private companies leave the state, its rolls have begun to swell. The rate increase is intended to send some customers back to the market—helping to reduce the state’s risk. That comes as lawmakers are expected to consider a bill this session that would allow all Floridians to get wind-only coverage under Citizens.
The legislation filed by Rep. Hillary Cassell (R-Dania Beach) and backed by Democrats including Rep. Anna Eskamani (D-Orlando) would turn Citizens into the “insurer of first resort” for wind damage.
Education
Every year one of the biggest pieces of the state budget is education. This year lawmakers are looking into legislation aimed at helping one of the biggest pieces of parents’ budgets—childcare.
VPK Expansion
Sen. Lori Berman (D-Boynton Beach) has a measure to expand state coverage for Pre-K from four hours a day to eight. Right now, parents have to leave work to pick their kids up at the day’s halfway point or pay for their child to stay a whole day. Berman says her proposal is a win all around, keeping workers in their jobs, saving parents money and giving kids more time to learn each day.
Autism Support
More time to learn is also one goal of a comprehensive package on autism. The measure is a priority for Albriton. He’s tapped Sen. Gayle Harrel (R-Stuart) to champion the legislation.
It includes a provision aimed at expanding the Early Steps Program—letting kids receive treatment there until they’re four so they don’t have a break between the program and the start of kindergarten. The plan would also ramp up efforts to promote school readiness within the program. It would create a summer program specifically for kids with autism and would create a grant for charter schools that specifically serve kids with autism.
“Continuing to develop reading, language, and math skills will help children prepare for school and make the transition easier. Additionally, by developing summer programs designed specifically for children with autism, we can help parents find summer camps and other activities that can accommodate the specific needs of a child with autism, ensuring year-round continuity of care,” Harrel said in a statement.
In addition, the measure seeks to increase screening efforts and early detection of autism.
Health care and maternity care
Maternal mortality and pregnancy care are top of mind this session as lawmakers discuss their healthcare priorities. Legislators are looking for ways to shrink so-called maternity care deserts. Part of that effort includes a bill by Sen. Rosalind Osgood (D-Tamarac) to promote the use of doulas to help women during pregnancy, labor and postpartum. Lawmakers also want to increase oversight and training for doulas providing that care.
Environment
One of the things Florida is best known for is its environment. Tourists flock to the Sunshine State for its sugar-white sand, turquoise ocean water and natural marvels. This year, as lawmakers take up discussions on water quality issues and efforts to protect Florida's flora and fauna one bill that's expected to come up is aimed at blocking proposed pickleball courts, golf courses and hotels at Florida state parks. Sen. Gayle Harrell (R-Stuart) is behind that measure.
Harrell says her goal is to underscore the function of Florida's state parks.
"And for me, it is to preserve this natural environment, to preserve our historical sites for the future, for our grandchildren—I've got eight of them. I want them to come and enjoy it just like my kids did."
Florida’s regular legislative session lasts 60 days. During the session, the one thing lawmakers are required to do is pass a balanced budget.
WFSU will keep you up to date as these and other issues progress.
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