Florida Bill Tracking And State Guide
Everything you need to know to engage with the Senate and House
How does a bill become law in Florida?
- Drafting the Bill: A Representative requests a bill from House Bill Drafting Services, providing details or a general idea. A bill drafter helps finalize the draft, which is then assigned a bill number.
- First Reading: The bill is published with its number, sponsor, and a short description in the House Journal. The Speaker refers it to committees.
- Committee Review: Committees review the bill. The Chair decides which bills are heard. Many bills can "die" if not heard.
- Second Reading: If favorable, the bill is placed on the House Calendar for a second reading, where it is explained and questions are asked.
- Third Reading: After the second reading, the bill goes to third reading for final discussion before the vote.
- House Vote: Members vote on the bill. If passed, it is sent to the Senate with a message.
- Senate Process: The Senate may pass the bill, amend it, send it to committee, or defeat it. If amended, it returns to the House for consideration.
- Final Form: If the Senate passes the bill without amendments, the House creates an "enrolled" version, which is sent to the Governor.
- Governor's Consideration: The Governor can sign the bill, allow it to become law without a signature, or veto it. A veto can be overridden by a 2/3 vote in the Legislature.
How can a member of the public get involved in the legislative process in Florida?
A member of the public can get involved in the legislative process in Florida in several ways:
1. Contacting Legislators: Individuals can reach out to their state representatives or senators to express their opinions, provide input, or advocate for specific issues or bills. This can be done through phone calls, emails, or in-person meetings.
2. Attending Committee Meetings: Citizens can attend committee hearings where bills are discussed. This allows them to stay informed on the legislative process and voice their opinions during public comment periods.
3. Participating in Public Hearings: Public hearings are held to gather input from the community on specific legislation. Community members can attend and provide testimony regarding their views on the bills being considered.
4. Joining Advocacy Groups: Many organizations focus on specific issues (e.g., education, healthcare, environment) and actively lobby for changes in legislation. Joining these groups can amplify an individual's voice and involvement.
5. Staying Informed: Keeping track of bills and legislative sessions throughout the legislative process can help the public stay engaged and aware of important issues.
6. Using Social Media: Engaging with legislators and sharing opinions on social media platforms can raise awareness and build support for specific legislative initiatives.
7. Voting: Participating in elections is essential for influencing who represents them in the legislature and the types of laws that are enacted. Voting on ballot initiatives can also impact legislation directly.
How can FastDemocracy help me with that?
Tracking bills is hard, especially if you rely on state legislature websites, which are often hard to navigate. Thousands of bills get filed in Florida every year (and about 180,000 bills nationwide). If you want to be an effective advocate, you need to know where legislation of interest stands, and act quickly.
FastDemocracy's free version allows you to track an unlimited number of bills - no strings attached. We'll send you a daily or weekly email on your priority bills and give you tools to research bills and legislators.
FastDemocracy Professional is for anyone who tracks bills in a professional capacity. It features
- real-time bill, amendment and hearing alerts
- automated reporting
- team collaboration
- bill tagging for clients and stakeholders
- bill similarity detection
- ...and much more
How do I track bills in Florida?
1. Sign up here for a free FastDemocracy account.
2. Head to Tracked Topics to select issue areas you care about.
3. Use the search bar on top if you're looking for something specific.
4. Click "Track Bill" for any legislation you'd like to monitor a bit closer. That's how you add it to your Tracked Bills. You can also click on a bill to learn more, see the bill summary, most recent actions, votes, news and tweets. You can also contact legislators or share your bills on social media.
5. You can track an unlimited number of bills for free and we'll send you a daily or weekly email if your tracked legislation moves.
6. Do you need real-time alerts, outreach tools, bill lists, and professional functions? Then FastDemocracy Professional is the right fit for you.
7. Track bills on your smartphone using our free mobile app.
How do I find my local Florida Senator and Representative?
You can use the Find Your Legislators tool to find them, see their voting records, and contact them.
- US Congress
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- District of Columbia
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Puerto Rico
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Most tracked bills in Florida, 2025 Regular Session
Weather Modification Activities; Repeals multiple provisions of weather modification law; prohibits certain acts intended to affect temperature, weather, or intensity of sunlight within atmosphere of this state; increases civil penalties for violations of weather modification law.
Last Action
Reported out of Natural Resources & Disasters Subcommittee
House • Apr 01, 2025Latest Version
Recreational Customary use of Beaches; Repealing a provision relating to the establishment of recreational customary use of beaches, etc.
Last Action
Now in Rules
Senate • Apr 01, 2025Latest Version
Geoengineering and Weather Modification Activities; Repealing provisions relating to the definitions, purpose, licensing requirements, applications, proof of financial responsibility requirements, license issuance and discipline provisions, publication of notice of intention to operate requirements, required contents of the notice of intention, publication of the notice of intention requirements, proof of publication requirements, record and reports of operations requirements, provision of emergency licenses, and suspension or revocation of licenses, respectively, of the weather modification law; prohibiting certain acts intended to affect the temperature, the weather, or the intensity of sunlight within the atmosphere of this state; requiring an operator of public infrastructure to report...
Last Action
Placed on Calendar, on 2nd reading
Senate • Mar 28, 2025Latest Version
Property Owner Liability; Citing this act as the "Fallen Tree Act"; providing that a property owner is liable for damages caused by trees or shrubs located on his or her property when they fall on another’s property; providing that trees and shrubs located on two or more parcels may be removed by any of the property owners after serving proper notice and posting on the other parcels; providing an exception, etc.
Last Action
On Committee agenda-- Judiciary, 04/01/25, 4:00 pm, 110 Senate Building
Senate • Mar 27, 2025Latest Version
Amendments to the State Constitution; Revises provisions relating to amendments to State Constitution including initiative petitions; handling petitions; sponsor & petition circulator registration; signature verification procedures; signature revocation; record retention; duties & responsibilities of supervisors of elections, Division of Elections, & DOS; Financial Impact Estimating Conference; certification of elections involving constitutional amendments; public funding; & criminal penalties.
Last Action
1st Reading (Committee Substitute 1)
House • Mar 27, 2025Latest Version
Gambling; Prohibiting certain employment for a specified timeframe before or during a person’s service with the commission; prohibiting betting on athletic contests with knowledge that the results are prearranged or predetermined; revising criminal penalties for offenses involving keeping a gambling house; revising criminal penalties for offenses involving renting a house for gambling purposes; prohibiting Internet gambling and Internet sports wagering and related offenses; prohibiting specified actions relating to manipulation of card games, etc.
Last Action
Now in Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government
Senate • Mar 27, 2025Latest Version
Display of Flags by Governmental Entities; Defining the term “governmental entity”; prohibiting governmental entities from erecting or displaying certain flags; requiring governmental entities to remain neutral in certain circumstances; authorizing a current or retired member of the United States Armed Forces or the National Guard to use reasonable force to prevent the desecration, destruction, or removal of the United States flag or to replace such flag to a position of prominence, etc.
Last Action
Now in Rules
Senate • Mar 26, 2025Latest Version
Attorney Fees and Costs for Motor Vehicle Personal Injury Protection Benefits; Provides that prevailing parties in suits by health care providers for overdue medical benefits under motor vehicle personal injury protection policies are entitled to reasonable attorney fees & costs.
Last Action
Now in Insurance & Banking Subcommittee
House • Mar 20, 2025Latest Version
Land Use and Development Regulations; Prohibiting a county from requiring an applicant to take certain actions as a condition of processing a development permit or development order; deleting language authorizing the owner of an agricultural enclave to apply for a comprehensive plan amendment; revising the expedited state review process for the adoption of comprehensive plan amendments; requiring an approving agency to administer plat submittals and take specified actions within a certain timeframe; providing requirements for certain recreational covenants recorded on or after a certain date, etc.
Last Action
CS by Community Affairs read 1st time
Senate • Mar 19, 2025Latest Version
Elections; Revising the criteria that the Attorney General uses when petitioning the Supreme Court for an advisory opinion related to a proposed revision or amendment to the State Constitution; revising the authority and responsibilities of the Office of Election Crimes and Security; requiring supervisors of elections to update a voter’s record if provided specified information by the applicant after registration; authorizing qualified candidates and political parties with such candidates to challenge another candidate’s compliance with a specified oath in a certain circuit court, etc.
Last Action
Introduced
Senate • Mar 10, 2025Latest Version
Land Use and Development Regulations; Removes language authorizing owner of agricultural enclave to apply for comprehensive plan amendment; authorizes such owner to instead apply for administrative approval of development regardless of future land use designations or comprehensive plan conflicts; removes certain presumption of urban sprawl; requires that authorized development be treated as conforming use; requires supermajority vote for adoption of certain comprehensive plans & plan amendments; authorizes owners of property subject to comprehensive plan amendment & persons applying for comprehensive plan amendments to file civil actions for relief; requires that local land development regulations establish by specified date minimum lot sizes within certain zoning districts to accommodate ...
Last Action
Now in Housing, Agriculture & Tourism Subcommittee
House • Mar 05, 2025Latest Version
Display of Flags by Governmental Entities; Prohibits governmental entities from erecting or displaying certain flags; requires governmental entities to remain neutral in certain circumstances; requires that United States flag displayed by governmental entities be in certain position relative to other flags; authorizes current or retired member of United States Armed Forces or National Guard to use reasonable force to prevent desecration, destruction, or removal of United States flag or to replace such flag to position of prominence.
Last Action
1st Reading (Original Filed Version)
House • Mar 04, 2025Latest Version
Criminal Rehabilitation; Specifies to rehabilitate offender to transition back to community successfully is one of primary purposes of sentencing; reduces minimum sentence that must be served by defendant from 85 percent of sentence to 72 percent; revises provisions concerning gain-time to provide for outstanding deed gain-time, good behavior time, & rehabilitation credits; revises limits on awards.
Last Action
1st Reading (Original Filed Version)
House • Mar 04, 2025Latest Version
Exceptions to the Limitation on Termination of Pregnancies; Revising the definition of the term “fatal fetal abnormality”; providing that one physician, rather than two physicians, must make specified medical determinations for purposes of specified medical exceptions to the limitation on termination of pregnancies; revising the criteria of a specified medical exception, etc.
Last Action
Introduced
Senate • Mar 04, 2025Latest Version
Condominium Structural Integrity Reserve Studies; Defining the term “structural integrity reserve study”; requiring condominium associations that govern a building of a specified height to conduct a structural integrity reserve study for a specified purpose; providing that condominium associations that govern a building that does not meet such specified height requirement are not required to conduct a structural integrity reserve study, etc.
Last Action
Introduced
Senate • Mar 04, 2025Latest Version
Property Owner Liability; Provides that property owner is liable for damages caused by trees or shrubs located on his or her property when they fall on another's property; provides applicability; provides that trees & shrubs located on two or more parcels may be removed by any of property owners after serving proper notice & posting on other parcels; provides exception.
Last Action
1st Reading (Original Filed Version)
House • Mar 04, 2025Latest Version
Autonomous Practice by Certain Psychiatric Nurses; Authorizing certain advanced practice registered nurses who are psychiatric nurses to engage in the autonomous practice of specified acts and in mental health practice, as defined by rule of the Board of Nursing, etc.
Last Action
Introduced
Senate • Mar 04, 2025Latest Version
Gambling; Revises policy & reporting requirements for slot machine gaming licensure; prohibits betting on athletic contests with knowledge that results are prearranged or predetermined; prohibits false personation of personnel of Florida Gaming Control Commission; revises criminal penalties for numerous offenses; prohibits trafficking in slot machines or parts; prohibits transportation of specified numbers of persons or persons of certain ages for purpose of facilitating illegal gambling; prohibits certain offenses related to Internet gambling; prohibits specified gambling or gaming advertisements; provides construction; preempts to state regulation of gaming, gambling, lotteries, or any activities described in specified provisions.
Last Action
1st Reading (Original Filed Version)
House • Mar 04, 2025Latest Version
Marijuana Products; Authorizing certain qualified patients to apply to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for a certificate to cultivate up to two cannabis plants for personal consumption; requiring an applicant to provide certain documentation if he or she is leasing a residence; providing that no more than two cannabis plants may be cultivated at a single residence regardless of the number of eligible qualified patients who reside there; providing conditions for the manufacture, delivery, holding, offering for sale, distribution, and sale of hemp extract; prohibiting businesses and food establishments from possessing hemp extract products that are attractive to children or from being located within a specified distance of certain properties, etc. APPROPRIATION: $2,000,00...
Last Action
Withdrawn prior to introduction
Senate • Jan 27, 2025Latest Version
Carrying and Possession of Weapons and Firearms; Prohibits carrying of concealed handgun or unconcealed firearm without license & possession of such handgun or firearm without valid identification; repeals provisions relating to arrests without warrant & exemption from licensing requirements for law enforcement officers; allows open carrying of any otherwise legal firearm or electric weapon or device; revises list of places into which person may not carry handgun or concealed weapon or concealed firearm; provides exceptions; deletes provisions relating to open carry, collection of fees for licenses to carry concealed weapons or concealed firearms, allowing school districts to restrict possession of firearm in vehicle, exceptions to statutory protections of right to keep & bear arms in moto...
Last Action
Withdrawn prior to introduction
House • Jan 02, 2025Latest Version
All Legislators in Florida (Senator and Representative)