2024 Legislative Session

The Florida House on Wednesday began moving forward with a proposal that would restrict the types of flags that can be displayed at government buildings and schools, including preventing the display of LGBTQ pride flags.The bill (HB 901), sponsored by Rep. David Borrero, R-Sweetwater, and Rep. Randy Fine, R-Brevard County, drew heavy opposition from LGBTQ people, activists and parents and refueled legislative battles that have raged in recent years about LGBTQ-related issues.

An organization that advocates for LGBTQ Floridians on Tuesday decried what it calls “an alarming slate” of bills filed for the 2024 legislative session. Joe Saunders, senior political director for Equality Florida, said the organization is opposing 22 bills “that attack the freedoms, the rights and dignity of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Floridians.”

In another round in long-running debates about illegal immigration, a Senate committee Tuesday approved a bill that would prevent cities and counties from accepting identification cards issued to undocumented immigrants.

The 2024 legislative session kicked off this week, as Gov. Ron DeSantis urged lawmakers to “stay the course” and House and Senate leaders agreed to use gambling money to fund the further expansion of a state wildlife corridor.DeSantis, who has spent much of his time in Iowa trying to sway voters in his campaign for president, made a pitstop in the Florida Capitol to deliver his annual State of the State address. The governor’s speech in the state House chamber formally launching the 60-day session came six days before the crucial Iowa caucuses.

The Florida House on Friday began moving forward with its version of a plan aimed at boosting the number of physicians in the state and taking other steps to expand access to health care. The House Select Committee on Health Innovation unanimously approved a 315-page bill (HB 1549), sponsored by Majority Leader Michael Grant, R-Port Charlotte. The vote came a day after the Senate Fiscal Policy Committee approved the Senate version of the plan, a top priority of Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples.

While House members have proposed spending more than $7 billion on projects and programs, Speaker Paul Renner is pushing “conservative” spending as the budget is put together over the next two months.It remains to be seen what that means for more than 2,800 projects and programs, from assisting cultural organizations to building educational facilities and railroad right-of-way, that House members are seeking to fund — at a total cost of $7.1 billion.

People would be allowed to kill bears on their property without permits if they feel threatened but would face more rules about reporting the incidents, under a proposal that received an initial approval Wednesday in the Florida Senate.While opponents called instead for better managing trash in rural counties where interactions between bears and humans have reportedly increased, the Republican-dominated Environment and Natural Resources Committee voted 5-2 along party lines to support the bill (SB 632).