National Audubon Society

Florida Legislative Session and Policy Update

This week’s policy highlights:

- Florida House and Senate struggle to agree on a budget, may extend Session.

- Urban sprawl bill fails in the Senate, but could return.

- Senate committee rejects bad amendment to undermine state parks bill.

- House vote on bad wetland mitigation bill postponed – thanks to you!

House and Senate Continue to Work on Final Budget

As the 2025-26 legislative session draws closer to its end, the House and Senate are nowhere near reaching a budget agreement.

The impasse? A $4.4 billion gap in spending between the two chambers’ proposals, and differing opinions on tax cuts. The House wants a permanent, across-the-board, 0.75 percent cut to the state sales tax while the Senate is advocating for a more cautious proposal, a split between non-recurring cuts and permanent cuts.

Under the state’s constitution, passing a budget is the only required task for the Legislature. To finish on time, the chambers must have a final budget on members' desks by Tuesday April 29, allowing for the mandatory 72-hour "cooling-off" period before the budget can be passed and sent to the Governor. If that deadline isn't met, two options are available: 1) Extend the current session or 2) Call a special session.

Whether lawmakers extend the session or return for a special session depends on how close the House and Senate are to reaching a deal. Currently, that gap appears to remain wide. A key milestone that hasn’t been reached yet is agreement on allocations funding categories like health care, education, environment, etc.

The state's next budget must be finalized before the new fiscal year begins on July 1.

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Photo: Barb D'Arpino/Audubon Photography Awards

Flycatcher siting on a branch with an insect in its bill

Good News! Urban Sprawl Bill Fails in the Senate

On Wednesday, the Senate voted down SB 1080 (Sen. McClain (R-Ocala)) on third reading. This legislation included harmful language that would have stifled public input in zoning decisions and nullified voter-approved rural protections, further disregarding the conservation and agricultural designations that Florida's communities have fought hard to establish. This is a major win for conservation and quality of life, and we want to thank the Florida Senate and our partners and advocates who spoke out against this bill during the 2025 session.

In a surprise move during the Senate floor session the very next day, Sen. Pizzo (formerly D-Sunny Isles Beach) made a motion to “reconsider” SB 1080, even though it had been voted down with a 1918 vote the day before. According to Senate rules, one of the senators on the prevailing side can ask for the Senate to take another vote on the legislation. The motion was accepted, however, the bill was postponed from immediate consideration. This type of action generally indicates that an amendment could be filed that will address some members’ concerns.

McClain filed and amendment that, if adopted, will remove the agricultural enclave language from SB 1080. Stay tuned, we will keep you updated when Senate is back in session next week.

Great-crested Flycatcher. Photo: Michael Fogleman/Audubon Photography Awards

State Park Bill Moves Forward Again, Without Damaging Amendment

SB 80, filed by Sen. Harrell (R-Stuart), would prohibit golf courses, hotels, and other amenities from being built in state parks. It passed its final committee of reference, Fiscal Policy (Chair, Sen. Gruters (R-Sarasota)), but not without some controversy.

Chair Gruters introduced a controversial amendment that would allow development like golf courses in disturbed upland areas as long as they don’t cause “substantial harm,” though neither “disturbed” nor “substantial harm” were defined, leaving room for abuse. The amendment also included good clarifying language that would legacy existing facilities like the historic Wakulla Springs Lodge. Audubon and others testified that this ambiguity was unacceptable when Floridians have been very clear: These uses are not appropriate for our vulnerable and valuable state parks. Senators Passidomo (R-Naples), Gaetz (R-Pensacola), Bradley (R-Flemming Island), and Jones (D-Miami Gardens) led the questioning and debate that ultimately resulted in the amendment being defeated. The bill passed the committee unamended and now heads to the Senate floor.

The House companion measure, HB 209, sponsored by Rep. John Snyder (R-Stuart), has been voted on favorably by the entire House. SB 80 is on the Senate special order calendar for April 29, 2025.

Senior Director of Policy Beth Alvi testifying on the state parks bill. Photo: The Florida Channel

You Spoke, They Listened. Vote on Mitigation Bill Postponed in the House

Voting on HB 1175, Mitigation (Rep. Duggan (R-Jacksonville)), in the Florida House of Representatives was temporarily postponed.

Your voice is making a difference, keep it up! We will keep our action alert open, so if you haven’t told your representative that you don’t support this legislation to change the mitigation banking system, you still have time.

HB 1175 would allow impacted wetlands to be replaced far away and years after the impacts are approved. All this will add up to overdevelopment of wetlands in the communities that can least afford it —places like coastal South Florida and the Indian River Lagoon.

We understand that this bill is intended to alleviate the hardship of watersheds with insufficient mitigation remaining—unfortunately, as written, this language will harm wetland functions in those already highly developed watersheds—which are essential to community health and welfare.

What’s Happening in the Florida Senate?

Earlier this week, the Senate companion, SB 492, (Sen. McClain (R-Ocala)) passed the Rules Committee, chaired by Sen. Passidomo (R-Naples), its last committee of reference.

Amendment Summary:

An amendment with a few improvements was passed by the committee. It included provisions prioritizing mitigation banks that fully cover the impact area, inclusion of permittee-responsible mitigation as a potential solution when bank credits aren’t available, gives state agencies the responsibility to determine if out of service area or out of kind mitigation is needed, and shortens the window for applicants to rely on out-of-service-area credit decisions to six months.

However, a loophole in the bill will allow mitigation to occur (in some instances) far from the site of environmental damage without using a multiplication factor. This means a developer would not be required to purchase additional credits even though they are mitigating far away from the disturbance site.

It's not over yet, folks. SB 492 is on the special order calendar on April 29, 2025.

Blue Grosbeak. Photo: Kenneth Salazar/Audubon Photography Awards

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