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West Orange County Senate and House representatives continue to file bills ahead of the 2026 legislative session, which begins on Jan. 13.
Three weeks ago, VoxPopuli summarized several bills filed by Sens. LaVon Bracy Davis (D-District 15) and Keith Truenow (R-District 13). They have since filed a few more. Reps. Doug Bankson (R-District 39), Leonard Spencer (D-District 45) and RaShon Young (D-District 40) recently filed proposed legislation in their chamber.
Rep. Bruce Antone (D-District 41) has not yet filed any bills.
Let’s take a look at recently filed bills:
Bracy Davis filed SB 414, which would allow a candidate to use campaign funds to pay childcare expenses related to campaign activities, such as canvassing or participation in events and debates. Rep. Kelly Skidmore (D-92) in Palm Beach is sponsoring the companion bill in the House.
The bill would amend Florida Statute Section 106.1405, which restricts the use of campaign funds. Under the current law, a candidate cannot use campaign funds for everyday living expenses for themselves or their families, other than those “incurred for transportation, meals, and lodging by the candidate or a family member during travel in the course of the campaign.”
Under Bracy’s bill, campaign funds could not be used for routine childcare expenses that are unrelated to campaign activities.
The bill also requires candidates to provide “clear records” of campaign reimbursements related to childcare, including the dates, times, and descriptions of campaign events attended by the candidate as well as billing and proof of payment from childcare providers. These expenses must be disclosed in regular campaign reports and records must be maintained for three years after the campaign ends for auditing purposes.
Truenow has filed seven additional bills, bringing his total to 12 for the next session.
SB 410 would amend Florida Statute Section 119.071, which establishes general exemptions for specific personnel from the state’s public records law. For instance, former and active law enforcement personnel and former civilian personnel employed by law enforcement agencies are legally protected from having their home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, and photographs accessed, viewed, or duplicated by the general public.
Truenow’s bill would add private investigators licensed by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and their spouses and children to those exempted from the public records law. Schools and daycare would also be exempt.
According to the bill, because private investigators “often interact with individuals who have strong motives to … cause harm,” public access to their personal information could expose them and their families to threats, harassment, stalking, or physical violence.” The bill that maintains shielding such information doesn’t diminish transparency or accountability, but is a “reasonable and necessary measure to ensure the security and privacy of private investigators and their families while preserving the integrity of this state’s public records system.”
Truenow’s SB 382 would require that anyone riding or renting a class 3 electric bicycle have a valid learner’s permit or driver’s license “in his or her immediate possession at all times” and present it when requested by a law enforcement officer or other authorized state official. Those who don’t have it or show it would first get a warning; subsequent violations would result in a noncriminal traffic infraction. E-bike riders must also yield to pedestrians on shared pathways and “give an audible signal before overtaking and passing a pedestrian.”
Reps. Kim Kendall (R-District 18), Omar Blanco (R-District 115) and Yvette Benarroch (R-District 81) sponsored the companion bill in the House.
Tampering with or modifying an e-bike to “to change the motor-powered speed capability or engagement” would result in a noncriminal traffic infraction, with a first offense resulting in a $100 fine and a second offense escalating that to a $250 fine.
The bill also amends Florida Statutes sections 316.066 and 316.068 to expand the definition of a motorcycle to include electric models powered with an electric motor of 750 watts or capable of driving greater than 28 miles per hour. The bill specifies that any written crash reports detail whether the vehicles involved were a motorized scooter, an electric bicycle, or an electric motorcycle and include motorized scooters, electric bicycles or electric motorcycles in crash statistics.
Truenow’s SB 508 would establish a series of new laws regulating landscape irrigation. These would include provisions to enforce and penalize irrigation systems not in compliance.
The bill aims to promote water conservation by implementing more efficient landscape irrigation techniques and standards. The proposed legislation would regulate new commercial and residential landscapes, “institutional developments proposing to install a landscape irrigation system, and any substantial improvement or modification to an existing landscape irrigation system which requires 50 percent or more of the irrigation system to be replaced or altered.”
The bill does not apply to agricultural production systems, greenhouses and nurseries, vegetable gardens and fruit or nut tree groves, cemeteries, golf courses, athletic fields, playgrounds and “intensive recreational areas.”
Under SB 384, contractors for the state would be indemnified. “The contract documents must, to the extent permitted by law, provide for the indemnification of the department for any liability, including reasonable attorney fees, incurred up to the limits set forth in this chapter to the extent that such liability is caused by the negligence of the contractor or its employees.”
Truenow’s SB 378 would repeal Florida Statute Section 189.0694 concerning special districts and their performance measures and standards. The law addresses establishing goals and objectives for a special district’s program and activities, along with performance measures and standards to determine if the district’s goals and objectives are being achieved. HB 6005 is the companion bill in the House.
Additionally, he filed SB 518, which creates a new statute under the Florida Pesticide Law. The bill would prohibit a products liability action “based on failure to warn” if the pesticide's label complies with specific federal regulations. However, the bill wouldn’t shield a pesticide maker if the federal Environmental Protection Agency determines that the manufacturer “knowingly withheld, concealed, misrepresented, or destroyed material information regarding the human health risks or carcinogenicity of a pesticide in order to obtain or maintain approval of the label for the pesticide.”
Lastly, SB 528 would amend Florida Statutes Section 20.60, which created the state Department of Commerce, outlined its powers and duties, and detailed the responsibilities of the department’s secretary. Truenow’s bill would establish the position of chief manufacturing officer, who would, among their responsibilities, serve as the state’s subject matter expert related to manufacturing; work with various governmental and nongovernmental entities and collaborate with the Department of Education and other education-related organizations to promote manufacturing as a career path.
Bankson, who is running for re-election, has sponsored HB 309, amending Florida Statute Section 893.03 that would classify both 7-Hydroxymitragynine and xylazine as Schedule I controlled substances. Sen. Clay Yarborough (R-District 4) in Duval County, sponsored the companion bill.
7-Hydroxymitragynine, or 7-OH, is a naturally occurring substance found in the kratom plant, according to a recent Food and Drug Administration report. It says that “7-OH is a potent opioid that poses an emerging public health threat, especially when considering the increasing availability of enhanced or concentrated 7-OH products in the marketplace.”
In a July press release, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said vape stores “are selling addictive products like concentrated 7-OH … that can be more potent than morphine. We need regulation and public education to prevent another wave of the opioid epidemic.”
At an August press conference, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced that an emergency rule was filed to classify 7-OH as a Schedule I controlled substance, making it illegal to sell, possess, or distribute any isolated or concentrated form of it in the state. (But not everyone believes that 7-OH is dangerous.)
Under HB 309, 7-OH, concentrated at above 400 parts per million on a dry-weight basis, would be added to Schedule I, which are “defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.”
Xylazine would also be listed as a Schedule I controlled substance under the bill, which would establish penalties for its use. In the legislature’s last session, earlier this year, Bankson co-sponsored a similar bill, which was tabled.
A veterinary tranquilizer used to sedate animals for surgery or for pain relief, xylazine is not approved for human use. It can cause a variety of symptoms, including sedation and slowed breathing, and is highly addictive with severe withdrawal symptoms.
Bankson’s bill carves out an exception for the drug's veterinary use as established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, but creates criminal penalties for selling, manufacturing, or distributing 28 or more grams of xylazine, including a $50,000 fine and a mandatory minimum prison sentence of three years. For quantities exceeding 100 grams, the penalties include a $100,000 fine and a mandatory prison sentence of seven years. For quantities of 200 grams or more, the penalties are a $500,000 fine and a 25-year mandatory minimum prison sentence. The bill has been referred to the Judiciary Committee and Criminal Justice and Justice Budget subcommittees.
Bankson’s HB 387 would prevent “aircraft or a public or private entity” from using information collected or transmitted through the automatic dependent surveillance broadcast (ADSB) systems “as a means for calculating, generating, and collecting fees from aircraft owners or operators” in the state. Sen. Tom Wright (R-District 8) sponsored the companion bill. ADSB is an advanced aviation surveillance technology that uses an aircraft’s “positioning source, aircraft avionics, and a ground infrastructure” to provide accurate surveillance data to air traffic control.
Spencer, who is still in his first term, sponsored HB 341, which would amend Florida Statute Section 627.7015 and require parties involved in a disputed property insurance claim to participate in mediation before resorting to legal action. Currently, the law provides mediation as an “alternative” or option to resolve conflicts. Sen. Tina Scott Polsky sponsored the companion bill.
The proposed legislation also appropriates $1 million from the Insurance Regulatory Trust Fund to the Department of Financial Services to help administer mediation services.
The bill has been referred to the Commerce Committee and three subcommittees: Insurance and Banking, Civil Justice and Claims, and State Administration and Budget.
Another bill, HB 343, would create the Insurance Solutions Advisory Council within the Office of Insurance Regulation to compile and analyze available data and evaluate pertinent information related to Florida's property and automobile insurance market. The council would advise the office and legislature. Democratic Minority Leader Lori Berman (D-District 26) sponsored the companion bill in the Senate.
The governor, House speaker, Senate president, state CFO, the Citizens Property Insurance Corporation and the state insurance regulation commissioner would appoint the 13-member council, which would be comprised of attorneys, insurers, public adjusters, and consumer advocates.
Spencer introduced similar legislation to form an advisory council last session. This bill has been referred to the Commerce Committee and two subcommittees, including Insurance and Banking, as well as the State Administration and Budget.
Young, who recently won a special election to succeed Bracy Davis in District 40 after serving as her chief of staff, is co-sponsoring HB 187, which amends Florida Statute Section 350.01 regarding the composition of the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC). The commission is a state agency that regulates investor-owned electric, natural gas, water and wastewater utility companies. Under the bill, the PSC would increase from five commissioners to seven and must include a certified public accountant and a chartered financial analyst.
Additionally, PSC orders “must contain adequate support and rationale for the commission's conclusions, including the specific facts and factors on which the conclusions are based,” according to the proposed legislation. “While the commission may make conclusions based upon the public interest, as provided in chapters 350-368, it shall specify in its orders a rationale for such conclusions.”
Among other requirements, the bill requires the commission to submit an annual report about rate changes that includes economic analyses, potential cost impacts, and other assessments.
The bill was introduced by Rep. Alex Andrade (R-District 2) and is also co-sponsored by Rep. Debra Tendrich (D-District 89). Sens. Don Gaetz (R-District 1) and Jennifer Bradley (R-District 6) are co-sponsoring the companion legislation.
