While the 2026 Florida legislative session came to an end on March 13th, for the second year in a row, lawmakers required an extension to set the state budget.
Plans put forward by the House and the Senate differ greatly, with a $1.4 billion dollar spending difference between the chambers. A special legislative session to finalize the budget began on May 12 and is set to end on May 29th. The state budget must be passed on July 1st.
We will update this page with a brief summary of this year’s budget when it is finalized, but in the meantime, here are the rest of our 2026 legislative session updates.
Bills that Passed
At the start of the 2026 state legislative session, our student-led team sifted through more than a thousand bills to find those that pertain to our state’s environment. To learn more about the variety of bills introduced in this session, visit our original post.
Of the bills we covered, see below for those that passed. While some have already been signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis, others are awaiting his signature.
Habitats & Biodiversity
CS/HB 441 – Conservation Lands: Increases transparency, public notice, and accountability in the sale or exchange of state-owned conservation lands. Requires the Division of State Lands to publish information before council and board meetings and appraise parcels proposed for exchange. Florida’s water management districts must also make information available before reviewing proposed land sales or exchanges. These requirements strengthen oversight by the Board of Trustees of Internal Improvement Trust Fund and the Acquisition and Restoration Council, improve land exchange decisions through standardized scoring criteria, and provide water management districts with the information needed to evaluate proposed transactions.
Natural Hazards
CS/CS/SB 302 – Nature-based Solutions for Improving Coastal Resilience: Mandates that the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) develop and implement methods for identifying and monitoring mangrove threats. It also requires the DEP to provide protection for barrier islands, which are naturally made of sand, and spoil islands, which are man-made through dredging, and to establish a framework for nature-based solutions. Learn more.
Recycling & Pollution
CS/CS/HB 1019 – Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances: Will phase out, with exceptions, the certain use & sale, purchase, or distribution of aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF), commonly referred to as “firefighting foam,” which contains perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The bill will also require certain entities to submit AFFF inventories and disposal plans to the DEP and prohibits possession and use of AFFF, and require certain public entities to submit quarterly water sample results to the DEP.
CS/CS/HB 1245 – Biosolids Management: Creates new restrictions and regulations for Class AA biosolids, particularly as applied in agriculture. Also requires the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) to publish recommended agronomic rates for the beneficial reuse of bulk Class AA biosolids fertilizer biannually.
CS/CS/CS/HB 589 – Onsite Sewage Treatment and Disposal System Permits: Prohibits a municipality or political subdivision from requiring owners & builders of single-family residences that requires the use of an onsite sewage treatment and disposal system (OSTDS) to receive construction permits from DEP as condition of issuing building or plumbing permits and requires such owners & builders to provide proof that permits have been applied for.
Water Quality & Quantity
HB 167 – Former Phosphate Mining Lands: Provides a defense against pollution liability under the Water Quality Assurance Act for persons or entities owning former phosphate mining lands. If the Department of Environmental Protection finds that a “natural geological substance of a former phosphate mine” is present, the defendant can avoid liability by providing a notice that the property is a former phosphate mine and by requesting that the Department of Health conducts a radiation survey of the property.
CS/CS/SB 848 – Stormwater Treatment: Creates a “stormwater treatment credit” system, shifting who is responsible for meeting water quality requirements and how those requirements can be met. It allows developers or Environmental Resource Permitting (ERP) applicants to buy “enhancement credits” for Water Quality Enhancement Areas (WQEAs), rather than treating stormwater on smaller, localized sites. The credit generator or WQEA operator will be held legally responsible for meeting water quality requirements, rather than the property owner or developer.