Legislation

On the eve of a special legislative session called by Gov. Ron DeSantis, Republican lawmakers Sunday filed a flurry of bills to crack down on undocumented immigrants and place additional restrictions on the ballot initiative process.The bills, in part, would end in-state tuition at colleges and universities for undocumented-immigrant students known as dreamers; place new requirements on police to help with immigration-enforcement efforts; and dramatically change the petition process for proposed constitutional amendments.

Florida lawmakers have started filing what are expected to be hundreds of proposals seeking money for local projects and programs — but legislative leaders are cautioning not to expect as much spending as in the past few years.As of Tuesday morning, House members had filed 40 funding proposals, while one had been filed in the Senate, according to legislative websites. Lawmakers will consider the proposals as they negotiate a budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year during the legislative session that will start March 4.

Florida lawmakers ended the 2024 state legislative session, March 8, with a $117.5 billion dollar budget. We explore what passed, what didn’t and what it all means for Florida going forward in a conversation with UCF Political Scientist Aubrey Jewett, Ph.D., and Sun Sentinel Opinion Editor Steve Bousquet.

A Senate Republican has filed a bill that could lead to potentially far-reaching changes in voting by mail. Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, a Spring Hill Republican who is a former chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, filed the bill (SB 1752) for consideration during the legislative session that will start Tuesday.

In a priority of House Speaker Paul Renner, House and Senate Republicans have filed bills designed to prevent minors under age 16 from having social-media accounts.The House version of the bill (HB 1), filed by Rep. Tyler Sirois, R-Merritt Island, and Rep. Fiona McFarland, R-Sarasota, was released Friday night, while the Senate version (SB 1788) was filed Monday by Sen. Erin Grall, R-Vero Beach. They came as the 2024 legislative session prepares to start Tuesday.

Several changes in state laws will take hold as 2024 begins, from an expansion of the state’s “move over” traffic law to stricter rules involving investments in Iran.Lawmakers during the 2023 regular legislative session and during special sessions approved five laws that will take effect in January. But the arrival of 2024 also will bring other changes, from new campsite reservation rules to the end of a program that provides credits to frequent toll-road users.

A different form of county government, Captiva building heigth, and merging the Fort Myers Beach and Lee County mosquito control districts are some of the topics to be touched upon at Thursday's Lee County Legislative Delegation meeting.

Florida lawmakers are championing hundreds of projects and seeking billions of dollars as they prepare for the start of the 2024 legislative session in January.Topped by $50 million requests for expanding water storage and treatment in the Lake Okeechobee and Caloosahatchee River basins and for speeding up private passenger rail between Orlando and Tampa, House members as of Monday morning had filed just under 1,500 separate proposals that would require $3.1 billion to fund.

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration has gone to the U.S. Supreme Court in a fight about a ruling that blocked statewide a new law aimed at preventing children from attending drag shows.The state’s attorneys want the Supreme Court to approve a partial stay of a preliminary injunction that U.S. District Judge Gregory Presnell issued to block the law.

Gov. Ron DeSantis plans to call a special legislative session to bolster state sanctions against Iran, as he and lawmakers continue taking steps to show support for Israel during the war with Hamas.