Stay in the know about wildlife, water quality, and ecosystems on Sanibel and Captiva Islands and in Southwest Florida
Florida’s 2026 Legislative Session Underway
Florida’s 2026 Legislative Session starts Tuesday, Jan. 13, and will run for 60 days through March 13. The legislative session starts in January during election years and in March during non-election years.
Gov. Ron DeSantis released his proposed $117.4 billion budget in December with an emphasis on education, transportation, state employee pay increases, and debt reduction. His environmental funding proposals include $810 million for Everglades restoration, $115 million for the Florida Forever land acquisition program, and $200 million for the Florida Rural and Family Lands Lands Protection Program that preserves farmland through conservation easements.
“The 2026 legislative session should be a busy year for harmful land use bills and will include competing preemption bills on plastic containers,” said SCCF Policy Associate Holly Schwartz. “Our environmental policy department will focus on tracking these bills, as well as bills related to water quality and resilience, as outlined in our 2026 Legislative Priorities.”
As always, you can track the status of the bills SCCF is opposing or supporting this year on the 2026 Legislative Tracker.
“If you haven’t already, please sign up for our Action Alerts for the upcoming session to communicate to our legislators the importance of protecting and preserving Southwest Florida’s coastal ecosystems,” Schwartz said. “The participation of our members and supporters in contacting Florida legislators during the 2025 legislative session made a substantial difference in the direction of legislation we were trying to change.”