Florida’s 2026 legislative session kicks off on January 13, and it’s shaping up to be controversial. Lawmakers are gearing up for a busy 60 days, with plenty of heated debates on deck.
At the center of it all is Governor Ron DeSantis and his massive $117.36 billion “Floridians First” budget proposal. This is his last year in office, and he’s pushing for more money for teachers, higher salaries for law enforcement, and cost-of-living raises for state employees.
DeSantis has already called a special session for April to tackle the hot topic of congressional redistricting. And property taxes? He’s making that a top priority too, floating the idea of another special session just to address potential cuts or even elimination of property taxes for homesteaded properties. It’s a big swing, but nobody’s sure yet where lawmakers will land.
Immigration will be front and center again, with several bills already filed. Education remains a huge focus, especially K-12 and the state’s ever-expanding school voucher programs. Lawmakers will also wade into regulating artificial intelligence, with DeSantis pushing his own “AI Bill of Rights.” Other big issues on the table: school vaccine requirements, prescription drug prices, medical malpractice, environmental policy, and more.
Education funding stands out in DeSantis’ plan. He’s calling for a historic $30.6 billion for Florida’s K-12 public schools. That’s the highest per-student investment Florida’s ever seen at $9,406 per student, up $279 from last year. The budget covers nearly 476,000 students expected to use the Family Empowerment Scholarship, the backbone of Florida’s school choice program.
Here’s where some of that money goes:
– $1.56 billion for teacher and instructional staff pay raises, up $200 million from last year.
– $1.71 billion for early childhood education, including $483.4 million for Voluntary Prekindergarten.
– $300 million for Safe Schools, $10 million more than last year.
– $17.5 million for civics engagement, including $10 million for the Florida Civics Seal of Excellence.
Higher education isn’t getting left behind, either. Florida’s held the top spot in national rankings for years, and DeSantis wants to keep it that way without raising tuition. The budget includes $1.9 billion for the Florida College System, $4 billion for state universities, $100 million to attract and keep top faculty, and $146 million for Florida’s four Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Jobs matter, too. DeSantis set an ambitious goal: to make Florida the best state in the country for workforce education by 2030. Since 2019, the state’s poured more than $12 billion into workforce training. This year, the budget adds another $800 million for workforce programs that lead to high-wage, high-demand jobs. That includes $130 million for nursing education to tackle staffing gaps, $100 million to expand career and technical programs, and $20 million for grants that help high school and college students get real-world apprenticeship experience.
Florida lawmakers are in for a packed session. With so much money on the line, and so many hot-button issues, expect plenty of fireworks.
