Appropriations Committee reports a slate of bills favorably, including engineering penalties, cybersecurity grants and a stablecoin pilot

The Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment and General Government on Thursday reported favorably a slate of committee substitutes and bills ranging from professional licensure to digital payments.

Lawmakers approved a committee substitute for SB 800, a measure from Sen. Mayfield imposing stepped fines for repeat unlicensed engineering practice and establishing an engineering student loan assistance program to encourage licensed engineers to work in state agencies and water management districts. Sen. Mayfield outlined the escalating penalties: “The second violation is going to be $10,000. The third violation is $15,000. Fourth violation, $20,000. And fifth violation, $25,000,” and said the program would be funded by licensure fees and fines. Committee discussion clarified that fines are assessed against the licensee or company and do not create a state reimbursement fund for individual victims, who must file complaints with the board and pursue private legal claims to recover money.

The committee also reported favorably CS for SB 576, which Sen. Harrell said would create a local government cybersecurity protection program administered by the Florida Digital Service to contract for IT and cybersecurity services and to facilitate access to federal grants for fiscally constrained counties. “This is an important thing that we have this information that we can have a coordinated approach to cybersecurity,” Harrell said. Witnesses from FLGISA, the Florida League of Cities and other groups waived in support.

Other measures approved for favorable report included bills on gubernatorial transition procedures (CS for SB 1078), updates to lottery operations (CS for SB 530), changes to local funding eligibility and audit enforcement (CS for SB 1614, as amended), captive-insurance statutory updates (SB 990), recognition of gold and silver as legal tender (SB 1588), cybersecurity reporting and exemptions for certain financial actors (CS for SB 1440), and a set of bills addressing stablecoin and digital-payment regulation (CS for SB 314 and CS for SB 1568).

CS for CS for Senate Bill 1568, the Florida Stablecoin pilot within the Department of Financial Services, was amended on the floor to add additional guardrails, including fee caps and requirements that stablecoin issuers meet applicable federal or state qualifications before designation. Sen. DeSegli said the pilot would allow DFS to accept approved stablecoins for licensing and regulatory fees while requiring eligible stablecoins to be fully backed and redeemable for U.S. dollars and giving DFS authority to audit issuers’ reserves.

Most measures passed the committee by recorded roll calls or unanimous waivers of testimony; the clerk called the roll for each item and entered the committee’s favorable reports into the record. The committee left the budget open for more detailed probes later in the day and adjourned without taking additional public budget testimony.

What happens next: Each bill the committee reported favorably will proceed to the next stage in the legislative process where additional committee consideration or floor action may occur.