Legislative Reporter We see a Florida where our communities, economies, and environments all thrive.
Friday, Feb. 13, 2026 The legislative session reached its halfway mark this week as the Senate held the final meetings of its policy committees and House committee and subcommittee agendas remained packed with bills. House subcommittee meetings are expected to conclude next week. Most importantly, this week was the point in session when the number of bills “in play” narrows. These deadlines are established in both Senate and House rules and represent standard operating procedure. The budget process, however, has been anything but standard operating procedure. The initial rollout of the Senate and House budget proposals diverged from traditional practice. A longtime Florida Press Corps reporter sums up the dynamic on X: —@Fineout: So... in a fashion that is nowhere near the normal routine... Senate withholds releasing budget, then delays it till next week bc of House. Then the House — without ever discussing recommendations in public — puts out its entire budget. This Session is... interesting... With only four weeks remaining in the legislative session, capitol observers hope these early bumps in the budget process will not lead to missing the Sine Die deadline of March 13. Below is an update on the bills APA Florida is tracking this session. The full monitoring bill tracking list and priority bill tracking.
Priority Bill Action (Alphabetically) Affordable Housing – CS/HB 1389 by Rep. Mike Redondo (R-Miami) and SB 1548 by Sen. Alexis Calatayud (R-Miami) make a variety of changes regarding the Live Local Act, passed during the 2023 Regular Session The bills provide that the preemptions of the Live Local Act permitting the development of affordable housing apply on any property owned by a county, municipality, or school district, provide that a local government may not utilize other dimensional means such as setbacks to constructively restrict the height of an authorized project, provide that farming and farm operations are excluded from the definitions of commercial, industrial, or mixed-use zoning, permit the utilization of the Live Local Act in the vicinity of airports when approved by the airport’s governing body, and clarify language around the prohibition against discriminating against affordable housing development in land use decisions by a local government, and waives sovereign immunity in cases based on such discrimination. The proposed effective date is July 1, 2026. (Senate Staff Analysis / House Staff Analysis) HB 1389 passed the House Housing, Agriculture and Tourism Subcommittee on Feb. 11 by a vote of 15-0. Agricultural Enclaves – CS/CS/SB 686 by Sen. Stan McClain (R-Ocala) and HB 691 by Rep. Adam Botana (R-Bonita Springs) revise the definition of “agricultural enclave” and create an expedited public hearing process. If the local government does not approve or deny certification as an agricultural enclave within 90 days, the parcel is automatically approved. Upon certification, property owners may submit development plans for single-family residential housing consistent with the land use requirements of adjacent parcels. If the certified agricultural enclave is adjacent to an interstate highway, the parcel may be developed for commercial, industrial, or single-family residential purposes if one or more adjacent parcels or an adjacent development permits the same density or intensity as the proposed development. The bills deem development plans approved under a new certification process a conforming use, regardless of local comprehensive plans or zoning, and prohibit enactment or enforcement of burdensome regulations specifically targeting agricultural enclaves. The bills provide that the agricultural enclave process does not apply to the Wekiva Study Area, the Everglades, Areas of Critical State Concern, the Florida Wildlife Corridor, or military installations or ranges. The amendments made by this act expire Jan. 1, 2028. The proposed effective date is July 1, 2026. (Senate Analysis / House Analysis) SB 686 passed the Senate Judiciary Committee on Feb. 10 by a vote of 11-0.