Senate passes package of bills ranging from trust settlements to data‑center rules; unanimous and near‑unanimous votes recorded

Tallahassee — The Florida Senate advanced a wide legislative package during its Feb. 26 floor session, approving bills on trust administration, military affairs, veterans courts, bail bonds and more. Many measures passed unanimously; several required brief debate or technical amendments before final passage.

Senators approved a process intended to simplify trustee settlement and discharge (CS for SB 786, substituted with House Bill 895), a measure Senator Laurie Berman described as creating a “simple, efficient, and low‑cost process” that allows trustees to obtain a discharge without court involvement absent a beneficiary objection. The motion to substitute and the final passage were approved by voice and recorded as 37‑0.

Other bills the Senate passed included SB 474 (Department of Military Affairs changes; amendment adopted) and SB 1074, which sets cash‑transaction rounding rules in anticipation of a future without pennies. The body approved a suite of health and professional regulation measures (including SB 1092 on podiatric medicine) and measures affecting local assessments for RV parks (SB 118).

Criminal‑justice and public‑safety bills that passed included revisions to bail bond practices (CS/CS/CS SB 600), changes to pretrial violation penalties for violent crimes (CS for SB 760), and worker‑benefit expansions for public‑safety telecommunicators (CS for SB 774). Not all measures were unanimous: SB 600 passed 36‑1 after one recorded nay.

The Senate also passed a set of land‑use and local‑government bills, including temporary and permanent changes to agricultural enclave rules (CS for CS SB 686) and an expansion of a linking industry‑to‑nursing education fund (CS for SB 1246). A number of public‑records, conservation land and children’s initiatives measures were also enacted on third reading.

A notable floor item with extended debate and an adopted amendment was the data‑center bill (CS/CS for SB 484). Sponsor Sen. Javier Avila said the bill preserves local land‑use authority while requiring that agencies not sign nondisclosure agreements that conceal the fact a project involves a data center. An amendment adopted on the floor tightened disclosure language and removed an additional 12‑month non‑disclosure extension. The bill passed with a recorded 37‑0 vote.

Votes at a glance (selected bills with recorded tallies and outcomes): - HB 895 (substitute for CS/SB 786, trustee settlement and discharge): passed, 37 yays, 0 nays (SEG 132–191). - SB 474 (military affairs, amendment barcode 514888 adopted): passed, 37 yays, 0 nays (SEG 193–317). - SB 1074 (rounding rules for cash transactions): passed, 36 yays, 0 nays (SEG 319–368). - SB 1092 (podiatric medicine): passed, 35 yays, 0 nays (SEG 370–419). - HB 199 (substitute for CSSB 50, Veterans Affairs): passed, 37 yays, 0 nays (SEG 421–515). - SB 118 (assessments on RV parks): passed, 36 yays, 0 nays (SEG 517–570). - HB 1137 (substitute for CS/SB 678, alcoholic beverage deductions): passed, 37 yays, 0 nays (SEG 661–720). - CS/CS/CS SB 600 (bail bonds): passed, 36 yays, 1 nay (SEG 723–862). - CS for CS SB 686 (agricultural enclaves): passed, 34 yays, 2 nays (SEG 2620–2959). - CS/CS for SB 484 (data centers / large‑load utility customers) with floor amendment: passed, 37 yays, 0 nays (SEG 3661–4144).

Next steps: Bills that passed on third reading are to be certified to the House (rules motion adopted on the floor). Several temporarily postponed items were retained on the special‑order calendar for future action.

Source: Florida Senate floor transcript Feb. 26, 2026 (floor readings, third readings, recorded vote tallies and floor amendments).