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With the conclusion of the legislative session in Tallahassee, the spotlight now shifts to Governor Ron DeSantis as he prepares to wield his veto power. The Governor has described this session as “a work in progress,” indicating that lawmakers are likely to reconvene in the capital to address crucial issues such as the budget, redistricting, and property taxes, along with potentially tackling additional legislation.
In this session, just over 200 out of nearly 2,000 proposed bills successfully made it through the legislative process, marking the lowest approval rate since 2020, when only 210 bills were passed by the legislature.
One of the key bills awaiting the Governor’s decision is a significant measure aimed at restricting diversity, equity, and inclusion (D.E.I.) initiatives. This legislation seeks to prevent cities and counties from allocating funds to such programs. Governor DeSantis has been vocal about his stance on the matter, stating, “It’s discriminatory, and it’s a waste of money when they are doing it.”
A top bill on DeSantis’ list was a measure looking to crack down on D.E.I., prohibiting cities and counties from funding and engaging in diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
“It’s discriminatory, and it’s a waste of money when they are doing it,” DeSantis said.
School Safety
Another high-profile bill, HB 757, a sweeping school safety package that would expand the guardian program and allow certain trained employees to opt-in to carrying firearms on college campuses.
The legislation comes after FSU’s deadly mass shooting last April that took the lives of two, traumatizing students who continued to push for long-awaited reform.
“We are going to require that all the state colleges and universities have locks on all of their classroom doors,” said State Rep. Michelle Salzman, (R- Escambia County.
The locks were a key piece students were hoping made it in the bill, something that wasn’t there at the time of the FSU shooting, which forced many to use furniture to barricade themselves while hiding.
AI Data Centers
The governor’s AI Bill of Rights didn’t make the cut, but a separate AI data center bill did, looking to protect taxpayers from rate hikes.
However, late in the game the house faced criticism for removing a key transparency provision involving local governments and nondisclosure agreements with data centers. A move that raised concerns among senators about leaving the public in the dark.
Trump Airport
Both chambers passed a bill that would rename the Palm Beach International Airport after President Donald Trump.
Republicans say it’s a fitting way to honor his legacy, while Democrats argued that he has no legacy worth such recognition.
“People are losing jobs left and right. People can’t put food on their table and were talking about a dog-gone airport naming it after someone who’s an adjudicated rapist, who’s a 30-time convicted felon, but we won’t deal with the hard issues Floridians sent us up here to answer,” said State Rep. Michele Rayner, (D- St. Pete).
Despite those heated debates, the minority party did get some bills of their own across the finish line, including, HB 47 to enhance child protective investigations, HB 277 to enhance protections for victims of domestic violence, HB 428 to help prevent drowning, and HB 809 to expand healthcare access to more Floridians.