A wave of changes is about to hit Florida as nearly 140 new laws take effect on July 1, 2026, the start of the state’s fiscal year.
Some are grabbing headlines more than others, like House Bill 919, which will rename Palm Beach International Airport for President Donald Trump. Another big one: Senate Bill 484, which instructs regulators to make sure the hefty power and water bills from new data centers aren’t dumped on Florida’s taxpayers.
Lawmakers didn’t stop there. They’ve given state officials the authority to label groups as “domestic terrorist organizations” and told public schools they have to display portraits of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, plus teach cursive writing in elementary grades.
This year’s changes reach into all corners of life in Florida. The $114.5 billion state budget sits on Gov. Ron DeSantis’s desk, where he’s promised to take his veto pen for a spin, his fourth year in a row cutting spending at the state level. The budget’s not alone. Another tax cut bill is waiting for DeSantis, aiming to shave $106.7 million off state and local collections. Guns, gun accessories, camping gear, fishing equipment, and a couple of tennis tournaments get sales tax relief, and there are new tax breaks for gambling operators.
Education isn’t just getting new rules about what hangs on the wall; there’s now a District School Board Members’ Bill of Rights. Elementary students must learn cursive. High school coaches can spend up to $15,000 a year of their own cash on team expenses, though not for recruiting. Marching band counts towards graduation’s PE and arts requirements.
On the business side, developers of huge data centers get new tariff rules, so their massive utility tabs don’t land on other Floridians. Old phosphate mining lands come with new liability protections for owners.
In law enforcement, “Missy’s Law,” born from a tragic Tallahassee case, requires courts to hold violent or sexual offenders without bond if they’re convicted or plead no contest. Houses of worship can now have volunteer security guards carry arms with fewer licensing headaches.
Elections get updates too: No more foreign money for political campaigns, parties, or committees, effective almost immediately.
Florida’s also planting its flag on infrastructure. Palm Beach International Airport becomes Trump International Airport. Roads, boulevards, even Tallahassee International Airport gain new monikers, including one for the late FSU football coach Bobby Bowden. The Department of Transportation now has more freedom to fully fund public vertiports if federal cash isn’t coming.
In the local government world, the state now blocks local bans on gas-powered equipment and “net-zero” greenhouse gas policies. Developers can press agricultural land to be reclassified to match the density next door, making new housing easier.
Pets: New rules require pet dealers to show veterinary records. For the first time, there’ll be a public website naming those convicted of animal cruelty.
The state’s shifting its “flagship” designation from the Schooner Western Union to Tampa’s S.S. American Victory, a huge victory ship with its own WWII history.
And four bills from the 2025 session kick in early, including one declaring specific gold and silver coins legal tender for new debts and another creating lifetime disabled parking permits.
The nearly 250 proposals that made it through both chambers cover everything from cruise ship operations near Manatee County to a “Farm Bill” that bans citywide rules against gas-powered leaf blowers, adds new penalties for cheating on commercial driver’s license tests, and repeals an old program meant to help low-income grocery stores. As always, some laws take effect later this year or next, but July 1 sets the new baseline.
Click here for the Florida Senate Laws website.
