Guest commentary: SCCF provides Week 6 legislative update
The House and Senate approved their respective budget proposals last week and will move to the budget conference process next. To set the budgets in proper posture for the budget conference process, the Senate adopted the House budget but added 182 amendments to better align some of the projects and address conflicting priorities.
Although both chambers seem far apart on some elements of the budget, Senate President Ben Albritton pointed out, while discussing the budget with the press on Feb. 19, that “When you look at the budget as whole, we’re much closer than we were at this point than we were last year.” Albritton went on to say he was encouraged to see the side-by-side comparisons of the House’s budget and the Senate budget, implying that they are closer in alignment than some perceive.
The $113.6 billion House spending plan is close to $1 billion below last year’s final state budget of $114.8 billion. The Senate’s budget proposal is $115 billion, while Gov. Ron DeSantis’ current proposed budget is $117.4 billion.
The fiscal year 2026-27 House budget proposal includes:
– $350 million for Everglades Restoration (multi-partner land acquisition, invasive species control)
– $155 million for Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) reservoir and water treatment infrastructure projects
– $0 for Florida Forever Land Acquisition
– $200 million for Rural and Family Lands (conservation easements on privately owned farmland)
– $250 million for Captiva Invasive Plant Replacement and Dune Biodiversification
The fiscal year 2026-27 Senate budget proposal includes:
– $738.6 million for Everglades Restoration
– $450.4 million for CERP
– $35 million for Florida Forever, plus $15 million for specific land projects
– $300 million for Rural and Family Lands
– $650,000 for Sanibel Tradewinds Drainage Project (hurricane recovery)
BILL UPDATES
– SB 354/HB 299 — Blue Ribbon Projects: Allows administrative approval of developments on 10,000 or more acres as long as it meets certain parameters. Both bills had one committee to go as of Feb. 20.
– SB 686/HB 691 — Agricultural Enclaves: Local government preemption bill that encourages sprawl in rural areas. SB 686 is on the agenda for its final committee hearing this week. HB 691 passed its final committee last week with an amendment that made the bill worse by allowing maximum density (industrial/commercial) if land is adjacent to an interstate highway. The premise of the bill will allow lands adjacent to those newly zoned commercial lands to also be considered for increased density, a domino effect, hastening sprawl.
– SB 840/HB 1465 — Land Use Regulations for Local Governments Affected by Natural Disasters: The Senate version of the bill was filed to “fix” the harmful preemptions of last year’s SB 180. The full Senate has passed the bill and the hope is that the House will take up this version since the House companion bill was never heard in committee.
– SB 302/HB1035 — Nature-based Coastal Resiliency: Develops guidelines and promotes nature-based solutions for coastal resiliency. It passed the full Senate, while the House bill is scheduled for a vote of the full House this week.
– SB 290/HB 433 — FL Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (Florida Farm bill): The worst element of the Senate version, the disparagement (AKA “muzzle”) clause, has been stripped from the bill, passed by the full Senate and sent to the House for its consideration. HB 433 still contains the damaging section and still has be heard in one more committee as of Feb. 20. Another bad element of both bills, the language to surplus “suitable” state conservation lands for agricultural uses, was amended on the Senate floor to exempt state parks/forests, wildlife management areas and lands approved for Everglades restoration. There is a strong effort to encourage the House to take up the Senate version or risk getting stalled with only a few weeks left in the 2026 legislative session.
– SB 546/HB 441 — Conservation Lands: Adds transparency to any proposed sale of conservation lands. HB 441 passed unanimously in the House and was sent to the Senate on Feb. 18. The Senate is scheduled to take up SB 546 but may adopt the identical House bill.
Check out our 2026 Legislative Tracker at https://sccf.org/what-we-do/2026-legislative-session/ to see a table of the bills that the SCCF is following, updated daily during session.
Holly Schwartz is policy associate for the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF). Founded in 1967, the SCCF’s mission is to protect and care for Southwest Florida’s coastal ecosystems. For more information, visit sccf.org.