Legislature sends 234 potential new laws to Gov. Ron DeSantis

Changes would affect public records law, mediator trust accounts, court-appointed counsel and other issues.


  • By Max Marbut
  • | 5:05 a.m. March 23, 2026
  • | 2 Free Articles Remaining!
The pending bills will take effect if signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The pending bills will take effect if signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
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The state Legislature’s 2026 regular session adjourned March 13 with 1,896 bills filed and 234, 12%, sent to Gov. Ron DeSantis for his signature to make them law.

Here are some of the pending bills of interest to the legal community:

  • House Bill 655 establishes a public meeting exemption for when government boards meet privately with their lawyers about certain property rights complaints before a lawsuit is filed.

Boards remain required to notify the public when a meeting will happen and keep a full record, but the records are exempt from the public until the case is settled or the deadline to sue expires.

If approved, the law takes effect July 1.

  • HB 199 allows eligible defendants to be placed into a veterans treatment court with the approval of the court instead of approval by the state attorney in the jurisdiction.

If approved, it becomes effective July 1.

  • HB 177 allows a court to appoint the Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Council from a different region, rather than a private attorney, to represent an indigent defendant in a capital case.

If approved, the law takes effect July 1.

  • HB 277 increases penalties for domestic violence if the suspect has previously been convicted of that crime.

The bill increases the funding amount for relocation assistance claims for victims of domestic violence from $1,500 to $2,500 for a single claim.

The bill also adds threatening to kill or injure a family pet and the existence of a military protective order to the list of factors that judges can consider when determining whether to grant a domestic violence injunction.

If approved, it takes effect July 1.

  • HB 5401 terminates the Mediation and Arbitration Trust Fund within the state courts system.

The bill provides that current balances and revenue be transferred to the State Courts Revenue Trust Fund.

If approved, the change is effective July 1.

  • HB 1337 amends provisions of Florida estate law to reduce the necessity for court involvement or formal proceedings in the distribution of a decedent.

The bill gives a personal representative more authority with respect to a decedent’s safe deposit box and allows a personal representative to institute a proceeding to enforce their authority as personal representative.

If approved, it takes effect July 1.

  • HB 1113 expands a public records exemption for victims of crime to include the name, personal identification number and any other information that could be used to harass victims.

The bill also sets up a public records exemption for a victim’s lawful representative, family member or next of kin.

It takes effect July 1 if signed by DeSantis.

 

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