TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The latest Legislative session is set to come to a close next week, though lawmakers have already filed hundreds of bills for consideration.
But of these hundreds of bills, only a few have actually been approved so far by both the state House and Senate.
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As of Feb. 27, there are 15 bills that have been passed by both chambers of the Legislature. They now await Gov. Ron DeSantis’ signature, meaning that any of these bills could possibly be the first new Florida law in 2026.
According to Legislative analysts, these bills are as follows:
HB 89 — Veterinary Prescriptions
House Bill 89 requires licensed veterinarians to clearly inform clients of their right to receive a written prescription for medication that can be filled at the pharmacy of a client’s choice.
The bill also mandates that if the veterinary clinic is able to fill the prescription, the vet should disclose that option to the client, as well.
HB 91 — Candidate Qualifications
House Bill 91 provides that someone’s compliance with the 365-day party affiliation requirement can be challenged in court by a qualified candidate in the same race.
That requirement mandates that candidates must have been registered members of their political party for 365 days before the beginning of the qualifying period preceding the general election.
HB 199 — Veterans Affairs
House Bill 199 allows eligible defendants to be placed into a veterans treatment court with the approval of the court — no longer needing approval by the state attorney.
HB 397 — Pretrial Release
House Bill 397 creates a new criminal offense for willfully violating a condition of pretrial release relating to a no-contact order with a victim.
This charge can be brought about if the suspect was arrested for crimes like murder, assault, battery, stalking, kidnapping, sexual battery, robbery, or false imprisonment.
Violations under this bill are punishable as a first-degree misdemeanor (subsequent violations are treated as third-degree felonies).
HB 441 — Conservation Lands
House Bill 441 requires that when a water management district considers selling conservation lands, the governing board publish the following information at least 30 days before meeting:
- The district-owned parcels of land for sale or proposed for exchange
- The privately owned parcels proposed for exchange
- The portions of those parcels that will be preserved in a permanent conservation easement
- A statement from the district explaining why those lands are no longer needed for conservation purposes
HB 461 — Poll Volunteers
House Bill 461 provides that the prohibition on the use of private funds for election-related expenses doesn’t ban high school students who are registered to vote from volunteering to help poll workers for the purpose of receiving community service hours for high school graduation requirements.
HB 893 — Trust Fund Interest
House Bill 893 allows a financial institution to hold funds in interest-bearing trust accounts of lawyers or law firms (“IOTAs”).
Under the bill, these institutions must remit any interests or dividends earned on IOTAs to entities established by the Florida Supreme Court to provide free legal services to low-income individuals.
HB 895 — Trustee Settlement
House Bill 895 establishes a summary procedure for trustee liability and claims discharge under the Florida Trust Code.
This applies to non-adversarial irrevocable trust administrations where the trustee has substantially complied with certain trustee duties, negating the need for judicial process to achieve such discharge.
HB 919 — Donald Trump Airport
House Bill 919 preempts to the state the ability to name major commercial service airports.
More specifically, the bill renames the Palm Beach International Airport as the “President Donald J. Trump International Airport.”
All other major airports, including the Orlando International Airport, may keep their current names.
HB 1137 — Alcoholic Beverage Taxes
House Bill 1137 allows alcoholic beverage distributors to take a deduction from alcoholic beverage excise taxes for standard product losses, including breakage, spoilage, evaporation, and expiration.
HB 1337 — Estate Authority
House Bill 1337 amends several provisions of Florida law to reduce the necessity for court involvement or formal proceedings in the distribution of a decedent.
More specifically, this bill does the following:
- Gives a personal representative more authority with respect to a decedent’s safe deposit box
- Expressly allows a personal representative to institute a proceeding to enforce his/her authority as personal representative
- Increases the amounts of what Florida law considers “small estates,” such that procedures other than formal probate proceedings may be instituted to dispose of the subject property under certain conditions
HB 5401 — Trust Funds (SCS)
House Bill 5401 terminates the Mediation and Arbitration Trust Fund within the State Courts System.
The bill also provides that all current balances and revenues be transferred to the State Courts Revenue Trust Fund.
HB 6515 — Gate Arm Victim
House Bill 6515 seeks to authorize Miami-Dade County to pay $500,000 to compensate Lourdes and Edward Latour after Lourdes Latour was seriously injured by a malfunctioning automatic gate arm while leaving the Gables by the Sea community on her bicycle in 2017.
HB 6517 — Bus Crash Victim
House Bill 6517 seeks to appropriate $2.3 million to compensate Heriberto Sanchez-Mayen, who was left severely injured after an encounter with a police officer in 2023.
HB 7011 — Public Records (Aquaculture)
House Bill 7011 continues a public records exemption for certain aquaculture records held by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
That exemption refers to the following:
- Shellfish receiving and production records generated by licensed shellfish processing facilities
- Audit records and supporting documentation required for submerged land leases
- Aquaculture production records and receipts generated by certified aquaculture facilities