A Note on a Session Unlike Any Other

Welcome to your 2026 Sine Die Legislative Brief, where we take a look at the full list of issues working families have been tracking throughout the regular legislative session and report on their final passage (or failure) as the legislature reaches its scheduled finish line of Sine Die.

The 2026 Legislative Session, as we have been navigating with our Working Family Lobby Corps and documenting throughout our Florida Labor Letters, has been uniquely unproductive. In the face of unwavering personal egos and internal divides within the super-majority, a significant number of bills and issues have fallen by the wayside, passing one chamber and not getting a hearing in the other, or never seeing the light of committee at all. Not even the nonpartisan issues have been spared. At the time of writing this piece, the legislature still has yet to even agree on the direction of the only bill they must pass, the General Appropriations Act, or Budget that funds the State of Florida. The result has been weeks of non-stop surprises, unknowns, and last ditch attempts by the interests and advocates both in (and out) of Tallahassee.

Laudably, your Working Family Lobby Corps has been active and responsive from the beginning, taking the reigns from Day 1 to steer a listless legislative leadership towards the policies that matter most to us, and away from the ones that should have never been filed in the first place. We are proud of all of the members of our 2026 Lobby Corps have done over the last 9 weeks, and want to thank all of you for your early mornings, late nights, meetings with your legislators, public comment in committee, and advocacy actions, whether here or back home, to stand in solidarity in pursuit of a better future.

The Brief

So how did it all shake out? Well, as the regular session winds down, The Florida Legislature leaves the Capitol today with explicit intent to return to finish their budgetary duties in Early April, followed by planned Special Sessions narrowly focused on Redistricting on April 20th, and Property Taxes at an unannounced date. Otherwise, all bills that have not passed after today are considered dead.

The following is a quick look at some of the bills that we have been tracking throughout the 2026 Florida Legislative Session and their final status. The list is neither exclusive nor exhaustive but represents some of our top priorities tracked week to week.

Property Tax

(OPPOSED) HJR 203 – Phased Elimination of Non-School Property Tax —-> FAILED
The only bill to materialize any momentum out of the year-long effort by lawmakers to wrestle with the question of Property Tax Relief (and ignore the question of rising homeowner’s insurance.) This bill, would’ve removed all non-school property taxes from local governments and offered no means to make up the lost revenue. The measure would’ve devastated local governments and their public services, and somehow made it out of the House, where it was then promptly declared dead on arrival by the Governor and Senate, who were eager to criticize the measure, but unsurprisingly presented no counter of their own. Instead, they pledged to take up the issue again in a future Special Session. When? Who knows!

Attacks on Collective Bargaining

(OPPOSED) SB 1236/HB 1387 – Weaponization of Government Funding —-> FAILED
This attack on our private sector siblings would have made it illegal for any entity receiving public funds to do business with a union (or contractor using union work) that was recognized by voluntary card check. This hypocritical attempt at government overreach in the “Free” state of Florida was killed in the Senate by the pointed, passionate testimony and hard work of working families, ensuring that even if the House version made it out of the limbo it’s been stuck in since February, it had no chance of survival.

(OPPOSED) SB 1296/HB 995 – Attacks on Public Sector Unions & Increased PERC Control —-> PASSED
This attack on our public sector builds on the work started by SB 256 and attempts to snuff out the unions that have persevered since then. The bill further expands registration and renewal requirements for unions, including more reporting, higher membership thresholds, and the possibility of decertification if membership in a bargaining unit falls below 60 percent. The blatantly unconstitutional bill was defeated early on in the Senate, but was revived by efforts of the Governor and Commissioner of Education, whose backdoor deals and public smear campaign against our teachers pressured it out of a hesitant Senate into the hands of the House, where it was voted up and sent to the Governor.

(OPPOSED) SB 1298/HB 998 – Public Record Exemption for Attacks On Our Public Sector —-> FAILED
These shadowy companion bills to SB 1296/HB 995 would have created new public records exemptions hiding the work of the Public Employee Relations Commission and decision makers who would institute the new restrictions. Thanks to the efforts of Working Families and significant public and political pressure on their companion bills, these bills began to be left by the wayside, where they died as the clock ran out.

Other Anti-Labor Efforts

(OPPOSED) SB 216/HB 191 – The Nail in the Coffin of Florida’s Unemployment Insurance —->FAILED
Already ranking 52nd in the nation, Florida’s unemployment insurance system required assistance, not further guardrails and heightened requirements as these bills sought to put in. Billed as combating (non-existent) fraud, the House version of this bill was sneakily passed in committee weeks last year. It was referred to the Senate, where Working Families spent weeks speaking against and pointing out the flaws in the bill and pressured the Senate bill to be left alone on the Senate Calendar, where it died. The House version, for its part, never made it out of Messages.

(OPPOSED) SB 1412/ HB 221 – Weakening Minimum Wage Rights —-> FAILED
These bills would have created a loophole in the state’s constitutional right to a living wage by allowing businesses to create a new class of “work study” positions billed as foot-in-the-door opportunities that would have required employees to waive their right to their state minimum wage and instead be paid at the federal minimum wage ($7.25/hr), a wage floor that has been untouched since 2009. The bill was quick to gain controversy and attention in the House early on, and it only took two committees for Working Families and the public at large to force this bill into being temporarily (and then permanently) postponed. The Senate version was never heard.

(OPPOSED) SB 1090/HB 1701 – Erosions to our Public Schools —->FAILED
This education omnibus bill would have, amongst a litany of other changes, further restricted collective bargaining for school personnel, mandated new ideological videos be shown on sex education, eliminated funding for DEI efforts, and allowed the Commissioner of Education more authority by having the ability to remove instructional material statewide. Though gaining momentum early on in session, this bill’s progress was stymied by its scope, breadth, and significant differences between the House and Senate versions, which alongside the opposition and advocacy of our teachers, led to loss of any appetite to take up the issue outside of the House. Regardless, we will be watching for some of this language in the upcoming budget.

Pro Labor Efforts

(SUPPORTED) SB 1112 / HB 1287 – Improving the Labor Pool Act —-> FAILED
This bill sought to amend the Florida Labor Pool Act (FLPA), which governs the temp agencies and labor pools that currently serve as a means for formerly incarcerated, seasonal, or other temporary workers to be able to find steady work. By requiring these labor pools to register with the Department of Commerce and removing their ability to charge exorbitant placement fees on businesses that sought to turn their temporary workers into permanent hires, this bill would make it easier for those employees to be able to find meaningful long term employment. The bill moved through and out of the entire Senate with unanimous support. Though the House did not take up the measure this session, its full passage by the upper chamber means this issue is far from dormant, and may return eagerly next session.

The Culture War and Other Issues

(OPPOSED) SB 430/ HB 147 – “Loyalty” Oaths for Teachers —-> FAILED
These attempts at intimidation and chilling free speech would have required school and higher education personnel to take oaths affirming support and loyalty to the federal and state constitutions and a commitment to professional ethics. It’s vague definitions of those terms though (alongside its Orwellian concept) led to both versions never getting heard in any of their committees.

(OPPOSED) SB 1632/HB 1471 – Ideologies Inconsistent With American Principles —-> PASSED
We didn’t come up with that title, that’s the actual bill’s name. An Orwellian measure that grants a politically appointed “Chief of Domestic Security” with the power to designate any organization they see fit as “Domestic Terrorists” was chillingly debuted in the shadow of national tragedy showing the ramifications that come with the misuse of that very term. With the criteria for such a designation being written in dangerously vague terms like “promote” or “support”, these measures have slowly marched forward in both chambers despite overwhelming public opposition and legal concern, with promise of legal challenges by civil rights groups should it get past the session finish line.

(OPPOSE) SB 1642/HB 641 – Don’t Say Gay or Trans at Work —->FAILED
These bills went far beyond the pronoun policing seen in previous culture war legislation, and instead sought to impose government control over free speech and activities in business and local governments all across Florida by dictating how those entities would be allowed to speak about, conduct events around, or train personnel on LGBTQ+ issues. Luckily, significant public exhaustion with (and opposition to) these issues, as well as their many free speech and federal law conflicts led the measure to lose momentum and die in House Messages and cease being heard in the Senate.

(OPPOSE) SB 1134/HB 1001 – Anti-DEI at the Local Level —-> PASSED
Instead of focusing on issues that help local government, the Legislature continued their attack on local autonomy with these bills that prohibit counties and municipalities from implementing, funding, or promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and end existing ones. The measures passed both chambers following extensive public opposition and lengthy chamber debate, where members criticized the bill’s vague terms and chilling effects on free speech and the ability of local governments to support historically marginalized voices in the community.

Elections Law

(OPPOSE) SB 1334/HB 991 – The (Florida) SAVE Act —-> PASSED
Modeled after the voter suppression legislation being pushed this year at the federal level, this bill attempts to disenfranchise large numbers of Florida voters by heightening requirements to be considered eligible to vote, including mandating ALL Florida voters re-verify their citizenship status while also making that process more difficult by changing currently acceptable forms of voter ID/proof of citizenship documents and instituting new, prohibitive costs to out-of-state students, persons with disabilities, married individuals, adopted citizens, and any Floridian seeking to hold their elected official accountable.

Welcome to another edition of the Florida AFL-CIO’s weekly Florida Labor Letter for the week of 2/13!

Week 5 marks a significant moment as we pass the halfway point of the usual 60-day Florida legislative session. But as we’ve seen so far, it has been anything but “usual.” Before we get into the issues this week, it might be helpful at this stage to take a step back and get a broader look at the temperature in Tallahassee. Alongside revisiting our coverage of this session in previous Labor Letters (which you can find all on our website), Politico has put together an informative and insightful piece this week covering how the session is panning out at large and highlighting how little is actually getting done. We’ll let the expert reportage over there guide you through the continued relationship troubles between the three branches, but the quote worth noting is this:

“Nearly 1,800 bills and proposed constitutional amendments have been filed so far for the 2026 session. Only two bills have passed the Legislature so far.“

With that little to show in terms of general consensus, you may be asking yourself (understandably) “well then what the hell are those legislators doing up there?” If you ask them, they’ll either say they have no idea or that they all have it under control. Right.

If you ask us though, the answer is disappointingly clear: legislators are still arguing and special interests are throwing things at the wall. That said, there’s still 4 weeks left in this session, (plus a possible 2 special sessions to follow) meaning there is runway left for success and failure, though as you’ll see, it will get increasingly tighter from this point forward. What does this all means for our working families? Let’s discuss in this Special Labor Letter on crossing the Halfway Point of the 2026 Florida Legislative Session. (Readers can expect a return to the regular Labor Letter structure next week!)

🏛️The 2026 Legislative Halfway Point Report

The 2026 Session So Far (in Brief)

This year, from the beginning, we have seen a legislature that is much less lock-step and much more contentious than many sessions past. These are the three main features of session 2026 that have held true so far:

• Following a disastrous failed Presidential bid in 2024, this is Governor Ron DeSantis’ final legislative session before being termed limited out of office, meaning that his political influence is increasingly weaker as a result of both his lame-duck term and the fall out of his losing campaign bid (and the political allegiances forged and fractured during it.)
• The Florida House is continuing to exercise its legislative independence. Continuing the opposition hot streak that led last year into a twice extended session, The House Speaker has sought to remind the Governor and Senate that the lower house of the Florida Legislature is lower in name only, prioritizing and moving a bevy of member issues in committees, but continuing to disagree with the Governor and Senate over the direction to take the issues (like Property Tax) beyond the chamber.
• The Florida Senate is Sitting Back. Though plenty cordial, Senate Leadership so far has committed to address issues like Property Taxes, but has offered very little clarity. With mismatched budgets debuting out of sync as recently as today and a lack of cross-chamber movement of bills, the upper chamber has preferred to operate largely insular to its own committees and process as well, routinely refraining from committing to or commenting towards any strong positions on the larger issues (like property tax) until it feels it finds consensus among members (Whenever that is supposed to happen- no one knows!)

With these three conflicting positions, we have watched a session where personalities continue to take priority over policy movement, resulting in an unclear picture for everyone else, with the discord between the branches producing tons of drama, but startlingly little results for everyday working Floridians.

Instead, readers of the first four weeks of our Labor Letter will recall that deep pocketed special interests and think-tanks have so far seized the chaos to fuel a “try it all and see what works” approach to unpopular and unfriendly issues for working families. As a result, we have seen sudden appearances and (special interest co-ordinated) attacks on everything from collective bargaining for both private and public sector workers, unpopular culture war bills, and even the policing of views and freedom of expression.

Strategies Change in the Second Half (In Brief)

As mentioned, Week 5 marks just past the midpoint of session, which means a re-evaluation of priorities is beginning to take place on Florida’s Capitol Hill. Here is why:

Traditionally, as the legislature moves into the last 4 weeks of session, the constitutionally required state budget (General Appropriations Act) begins to take on an increasing role in legislative business. As the only bill the legislature must pass in the 60-day session, negotiations on the budget between the chambers and agencies will occupy increasing time and focus for lawmakers in the coming weeks, forcing committee and chamber leadership to take a hard look at how best to use their remaining session time elsewhere to finish up their priorities.

When leadership priorities are aligned, sessions can move with brutal efficiency. This happened in 2023, when horrible bills like SB 256 were greased by shared political ambitions, moving in unison through all three branches as the result of the lock step relationship between the chambers and the governor.

When leadership priorities are not aligned as clearly (which is usual) or are oppositional and unclear (which is not usual and is the case this year), legislators use the second half of session to negotiate and re-prioritize the issues to be taken up in the remaining time, because unlike viewers of a good football game, legislators hate to be in overtime with an extended session, particularly in election years when they could be campaigning and fundraising.

This annual priority shift regularly leads to the death of all non-priority bills in session as decided by chamber and committee leadership, starting with those that have seen little momentum in the first half of session (meaning they have either stalled in between committees or have yet to even be debuted at their first committee of reference.) As bills get weeded out, the negotiations among legislators to keep certain issues alive crystalizes what actually has a chance of reaching the finish line before Sine Die.

For Working Families in Week 5

What does this environment mean for our working families? Well in terms of outcomes it could still mean anything. As put so eloquently by the House Speaker preceding the State of the State: “Honestly, I don’t know what is going to happen this session.” But in terms of strategy, the halfway point and beyond present a great deal of opportunity for our unions to help clarify to this directionless legislature where working families really need it to steer, and which issues ought to be left by the wayside and on the increasingly large cutting floor.

Corporate interests have taken a similar approach so far, as evidenced by last week’s sudden awakening of once thought dormant culture war and union busting bills found themselves suddenly with hearings and cross-chamber activity. Thankfully, your WFLC Family in Week 4 kept their cool, responding quickly and ensuring that nothing that sprung up got passed without a say from working families.

In Week 5 though, the Working Family Lobby Corps came prepared and eager to go on the offensive against these bad bills, re-setting the agenda and narratives on worker’s issues and more for the coming weeks. Por ejemplo:

• Public Sector Union Busting (SB 1296/8 & HB 995/8)
  • Readers from the previous weeks know we’ve been tracking these unfriendly and anti-labor public sector bills since they first appeared in the House in Week 3. Despite their initially slim odds following the Temporary Postponement (TP) of the Senate bill out of the gate, Working Families in Week 5 walked into the revelation of a Proposed Committee Substitute set to revive the bill in its first Senate stop this past Wednesday to give it greater chance to cross the finish line.
  • Thankfully, the billionaire backed think-tanks that got this bill on the move again were simply not prepared for the show of solidarity and smarts displayed by working families in committee this week. After spending minutes studying false talking points on our Teacher’s Unions, the bill sponsor, Senator Martin, flummoxed the bill’s opening debut, struggling to provide answers to basic questions such as who the bill impacted, staff analysis that questioned the bill’s unconstitutionality and justifications for its unreasonable guardrails against unions. With the WFLC bringing in testimony from others impacted like transit and postal workers to join our teachers, this committee was a rare and powerful demonstration of what smart, passionate, and consistent advocacy can do to change the narrative surrounding policy in real time. Make no mistake, though this bad bill was pre-arranged to be voted up on, it’s future is in jeopardy. You can watch this entertaining and powerful committee on The Florida Channel (Starting at 34:30)
• Private Sector Union Busting (SB 1236 & HB 1387)
  • Though the Senate version of this bill was clearly damaged thanks to education provided by the WFLC members in committee last week, the House version of this unfriendly anti-union bill pushed through into it’s second committee this week. Though the bill sponsor has been holding an open door policy to conversation, this bill continues to be a dangerous presence for our private sector siblings. WFLC members were quick to illuminate the hypocrisy of passing legislation that polices how small businesses operate while also claiming to be the business friendly “Free State of Florida.” With the Senate companion stagnating, continued advocacy like ours in the House Chamber is influential in communicating to the legislature that this bill should not move to the governor’s desk. We are continuing to aggressively track this issue moving forward.
• Ideologies Inconsistent with American Principles (SB 1632 & HB 1471)
  • The Florida House has shown plenty of appetite this year for Orwellian policy and the re-ignition of the Culture War, with HB 1471 finding increasing passage and co-sponsorship through its second committee stop this past Tuesday.
  • A reminder: This unfriendly and ominous bill creates the new and un-elected position of “Chief of Domestic Security” who would have the ability to designate any organization a “domestic terrorism organization” that seeks to “coerce a civilian population” or “influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion.” With a long and important tradition of public activism aimed at influencing and intimidating unfair big business or anti-civil rights practices across history, American Labor is just one of the areas significantly under risk of being identified as participating “in Domestic Terrorism” under this vague and dangerous bill. We are continuing to monitor this bill as it approaches the House Floor and could slow down in the Senate.
• Progress on Amending the Labor Pool Act (SB 1112 & HB 1287)
  • This Wednesday, this good and friendly bill flew through it’s second Senate committee stop with once again universal positive reception by committee members. As a piece of legislation that simply helps open the door for those workers who are formerly incarcerated, seasonal, or just trying to get a foot in the door, this bill reminds us that working class issues are not ones that divide by a party line or by anything else and instead reflect a shared common goal to live a better and more meaningful life.
  • In the same way that our continued opposition on bad bills communicates its lack of strength to get through both chambers, our continued support for good bills does just the opposite, and with this important continued Senate enthusiasm, we hope to emphasize the bill’s strength in the House to guarantee its final passage.

The Road Ahead (Week 6+)

As mentioned, we really can’t predict the direction this session will go, as so many factors are still up in the air. But in all the fog lies a number of opportunities for clarity and the potential for progress on the issues most important to Florida’s Working Families. As the budget forces its way into the spotlight, your FL AFL-CIO and Working Family Lobby Corps are very hard at work looking to make sure that the things most important to you are kept in the conversation, and to find a way to put a nail in the coffin to the opportunist interests that oppose good unions. We are encouraged each morning by the signatures that surround our Working Family Lobby Corps room- a legacy of members and workers who have and continue to blaze this trail for us each year, and who show that there is power in the voice of the people, and momentum in a movement like ours.

In the wise and immortal words of Basketball legend Kobe Bryant, “job’s not finished” and so the work continues.

🗓️On the Horizon (Session Edition)

• March 13th – Sine Die for the Regular Legislative Session
  • As we approach this date, the pressure will be put to the legislature to end on time after last year’s multiple extended regular session. This will be doubly important given that it is an election year, and so long as legislators are in the building, they are unable to spend their time on or participate in Fundraising for their re-election campaigns.
• April 20th – April 24th – Congressional Redistricting Special Session
  • As announced earlier this year, the Governor seeks to convene the legislature back in April for an attempt at redistricting and gerrymandering the state’s congressional districts, despite it not being a census year. Despite a lack of hard enthusiasm by legislators, we will see if the appetite for this issue grows beyond his office closer to April, as relationships continue to evolve during regular session and the U.S Supreme Court waits to make the final the decision on Louisiana v. Callais, an important case on the influence of race and party on congressional redistricting.

Bonus Bulletin – In Memoriam

As we mentioned, our FL AFL-CIO family is one with a great deal of support and history behind it. As such, we wanted to take a moment in memoriam this week as well. Our longtime former Executive Assistant, convention planner, storm relief organizer, singer of karaoke, friend and FL AFL-CIO family member, Helen Parker, lost her mother this week in Tallahassee. 

Virgie Merle Bruce Parker, age 84, passed away peacefully on February 7, 2026, at her daughter’s home in Tallahassee, Florida. A devoted wife and mother with a strong will, Virgie showed her love through caring for others. She enjoyed canning and freezing fresh local vegetables and was an enthusiastic sports fan, especially of Florida State University athletics. She had a special talent for working with flowers and made wreaths as a labor of love, donating more than 100 wreaths to residents at CenterPoint Nursing Home to brighten their days. Many of these wreaths also found homes with members of the Florida AFL-CIO family, with whom she made friends with frequently. Virgie’s love, strength, and generosity will be deeply missed and forever remembered and we extend our condolences to her family.

The Parker family is working to raise critical funds for VITAS hospice in Virgie’s name, to care for other patients and their families. If you are able, you can help contribute by making a donation at https://vitascommunityconnection.org/

That concludes this special write up for your Florida Labor Letter. Until next week, in Solidarity.

Got any tips, actions, or messages you’d like to see in this email?

Please email Daniel Diaz at ddiaz@flaflcio.org