End of Legislative Session Statement

For the second year in a row, the Florida Legislature failed to complete its most basic constitutional responsibility: passing a state budget on time. Instead of demonstrating leadership and working toward consensus, lawmakers left Tallahassee in gridlock and dysfunction. Floridians deserve solutions and cooperation, not chaos and political infighting.

To politicians in Tallahassee, the numbers in a budget may look like line items on a spreadsheet. But for the people of this state, those numbers represent real programs and services families depend on every day, funding for schools, healthcare, infrastructure, and community resources that keep Florida running.

During the 2026 regular legislative session, lawmakers filed 1,894 bills, yet only managed to pass  in both chambers - one of the least productive sessions in history. Rather than focusing on the affordability challenges Floridians are facing,  stabilizing property insurance, addressing rising housing costs, or expanding healthcare access,  much of the Legislature’s attention was spent on culture war priorities that do little to help families make ends meet.

Instead, lawmakers pushed forward legislation that raises serious concerns for communities across the state, including new requirements forcing voters to prove citizenship that risk disenfranchising eligible voters. Lawmakers also advanced efforts that expand and potentially weaponize the definition of domestic terrorism in ways that could be used to target organizations and groups engaged in protest or civic advocacy, attacks on workers and unions, and legislation aimed at dismantling diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at the local level. These measures do nothing to lower costs, improve schools, or strengthen communities.

This session reflects a troubling pattern of dysfunction in Tallahassee. The House and Senate were unable to reach agreement on the budget, while meaningful legislation that could improve the daily lives of Florida residents was largely left untouched.

As we prepare to launch our Legislative Debrief Tour, we will make sure voters across Florida understand how their Legislature failed to deliver on the most important task before them. This is unacceptable. We look forward to traveling the state, meeting directly with communities, and providing a clear update on what did and did not happen during this legislative session.