Florida Senate advances dozens of bills, including claims settlements, education changes and land-use measures
Loading...
Summary
The Senate moved a package of measures on March 5, passing multiple claims bills, changes to special-education training, and land-use proposals while setting high-profile, controversial measures for further action. Several bills passed unanimously; others drew extended floor debate.
The Florida Senate convened March 5 and cleared a broad slate of legislation, approving claims settlements and education measures and advancing land-use and public-records proposals.
Among the bills that passed were a claims settlement to establish a $3.8 million trust for a child injured in a family abuse case (House Bill 6507, substituted for S.B. 6), which passed by voice vote and was recorded as unanimous, 34-0. The chamber also approved relief for the estate of Mark Lagatta (Committee Substitute for House Bill 6509, substituted for S.B. 26), and a measure to ensure child-protective investigators consider certain medical diagnoses that can mimic abuse (Committee Substitute for House Bill 47, substituted for CS/CS S.B. 42); both cleared the floor without dissent.
On education policy, a proposal to expand autism training and credentialing for teacher-preparation programs and to create an autism education loan-forgiveness and salary-supplement package (Committee Substitute for House Bill 851, substituted for CS/CS S.B. 206) was approved unanimously after floor substitution and amendment.
On land use, the chamber passed a bill creating a framework for very large, master-planned “Blue Ribbon” projects that would require sizable reserve areas and extended planning horizons (CS/CS S.B. 354). Sponsors said the measure is intended to balance growth and conservation; critics on the floor urged more concrete safeguards about reserve recording, infrastructure placement, and local control.
Other notable votes: - CS for S.B. 688 (naturopathic licensure) passed, 33-3, establishing licensure and regulation for naturopathic doctors while excluding general prescriptive authority. - CS for S.B. 530 (lottery operations updates) passed, 36-0, revising operational, procurement and monitoring rules for the Department of Lottery. - Several bills addressing workforce, public-health screening and building-permit reforms were reported passed by the Senate during the same session.
The session also included intensive floor debate on two highly contested items — a new state-level process to designate domestic terrorist organizations, and accompanying public-records exemptions — and a major set of proposed reforms to public-employee relations and union recertification rules. Those measures drew sustained back-and-forth and will command follow-up reporting as they move through final steps.
Votes noted above and other roll-call outcomes were taken on the floor and recorded in the Senate minutes for March 5, 2026. The chamber recessed at the end of the day and set multiple items for further action in subsequent days.
