Florida's chaotic 2026 session leaves AI, budget, and gun laws in limbo
Florida's 2026 legislative session ended with hundreds of bills unresolved, despite lawmakers introducing nearly 2,000 proposals. Governor Ron DeSantis continued pushing for his "AI Bill of Rights" after the Senate passed it overwhelmingly, but the measure stalled in the House. Key disagreements over the budget, gun laws, and education policies left major decisions undecided.
The session began with high ambitions, as legislators filed around 2,000 bills and resolutions. By the close, only about 235 measures gained approval from both chambers, now awaiting the governor's signature.
One of DeSantis' top priorities, the "AI Bill of Rights" (SB 482), cleared the Senate 35-2 on March 4. The bill aims to ensure AI enhances rather than replaces human roles, with rules on consumer protections, parental controls for children's AI use, and restrictions on unauthorised data collection. However, the House failed to advance it before the session ended. Budget negotiations collapsed after the House and Senate clashed over funding for healthcare, education, transportation, and environmental programmes. The impasse left the state without a finalised spending plan for the next fiscal year. Gun laws also sparked division. The House tried but failed to persuade the Senate to repeal a 2023 law banning rifle sales to people under 21. Meanwhile, a Senate-backed rollback of a 2025 growth-management law—temporarily blocking cities from imposing strict development rules—never reached a House vote. Education saw mixed results. A Senate-approved plan to reform school-voucher programmes died in the House. On the other hand, lawmakers expanded the armed 'guardian' programme, allowing trained staff at state colleges and universities to carry firearms. A proposal to ban vaccine mandates for K-12 public school students also failed to pass both chambers. Healthcare debates included a House-passed bill to repeal a 1990 law limiting non-economic damages in medical-malpractice cases. The Senate, however, never took up the measure for discussion.
With the 60-day session over, around 235 bills now head to Governor DeSantis for final approval. The unresolved budget and stalled high-profile measures mean key decisions on spending, AI regulations, and public safety will likely extend into special sessions or future debates. Lawmakers left Tallahassee with many issues still pending.
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