| Welcome back to the Small Business Insider, the go-to resource for important information that empowers and connects Florida’s local businesses to make the best decisions and is made exclusively available to members of the Florida Chamber Small Business Council. |
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| Join Us for Our Next Small Business Council Meeting on March 24th |
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| On March 24, the Small Business Council will hold its quarterly webinar to hear a recap on the 2026 session and will introduce our new Small Business Council Chair, Ben Lee, Market President/SVP at Hancock Whitney. Our team will curate a meaningful conversation and deep dive into the 2026 session that concludes on March 13. We will be announcing our special guests in the coming weeks. Be sure to register now for the next meeting on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. ET below. |
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| Florida’s Legislative Session in Full Swing |
We’re now 43 days into Florida’s fast-paced 60-day regular legislative session, and key Florida Chamber priorities are making progress. However, some anti-business bills are also advancing in both chambers, threatening Florida’s economic competitiveness. You can read more about the legislation the Small Business Council is actively engaged in below in our 2026 Legislative Session Bill Tracker.
The Florida Chamber’s government affairs team is actively monitoring, analyzing, and advocating on behalf of local businesses to protect and strengthen Florida’s business climate. If your business has legislative concerns about bills moving through the process—or if you are not receiving our Weekly Legislative Update—please reach out to Jahvin Gordon at jgordon@flchamber.com. |
| Top Lines from Tallahassee |
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Toplines from Tallahassee is your monthly briefing on key developments from the state capitol that may impact your business.
- Legislation to Clarify Statute of Limitations under the Florida Civil Rights Act Moves in House and Senate: Both SB 1096 and HB 1407, related to remedies of violations of the Florida Civil Rights Act, moved through committees this month and HB 1407 passed the House Floor. SB 1096, by Senator Danny Burgess, and HB 1407, by Representative Wyman Duggan, help create clarity on the statute of limitations to file a complaint under the Florida Civil Rights Act to ensure the timely resolution of the complaint to the benefit of both the employer and employee. Under the bill, a complainant has one year to file suit if the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issues a Right to Sue notice within the statutory 180 days. This matches the current statute of limitations when the Commission on Human Relations issues a reasonable cause determination within the statutory timeframe. If a determination is not made within the 180-day period by the Commission or the EEOC, the complainant has 18 months to file a civil action under the bill.
- Florida Chamber-backed Litigation Financing Bill Ready for the Senate Floor: SB 1396, by Senator Colleen Burton, passed the Senate Judiciary Committee 8-2 and the Senate Rules Committee 13-10 and is waiting to be heard on the Senate Floor. The bill addresses third-party litigation financing (TPLF), a growing industry where hedge funds and investors fund civil litigation in exchange for a percentage of the settlement or judgment, including foreign entities. The existing lack of regulation in TPLF agreements enables both foreign and domestic entities to invest in Florida’s legal system and steer litigation without protective measures in place.
- House Passes its First Property Tax Bill on the Floor: On February 19, the House passed HJR 203, related to the phased-out elimination of non-school property tax for homesteads by Representative Monique Miller. The bill originally increased the homestead exemption of non-school property taxes by $100,000 each year for ten years, with a full elimination of non-school property taxes for homesteaded properties in year ten. On the Floor, Rep. Miller adopted an amendment that will now eliminate non-school homestead property taxes, costing local governments $18 billion in property taxes in 2027. The bill now heads to the Senate, who has indicated an interest in reducing property taxes but has not yet released a proposal.
- Elimination of Local Business Taxes Passes the House: HB 103, related to local business taxes by Representative Adam Botana, has moved through all of its three committees and passed the House. The Senate companion, SB 122 by Senator Keith Truenow, has moved through one. These bills eliminate the local business tax, which would alleviate a financial burden on small and local businesses across Florida, increasing the ability of job creators to be able to reinvest in their business, employees and communities and enhancing Florida’s economic competitiveness.
- For the Second Year, House Advances Bills to Unwind the 2023 Lawsuit Abuse Reforms: Late last month, the House Civil Justice and Claims Subcommittee advanced two bills that backtrack on key components of the 2023 historic lawsuit abuse reform package around “Transparency in Damages” and premises liability. The first bill, PCS for HB 1553 by Representative Robbie Brackett, shifts the burden of proof around “Transparency in Damages,” which allows juries to see the amount paid or generally accepted in certain cases for a medical procedure. The second bill, HB 1423 by Representative Michelle Salzman, undoes the component of the 2023 reforms around premises liability that addressed concerns from Florida’s affordable housing community around rising insurance costs due to litigation from claims largely outside their control. Both bills would further deteriorate Florida’s lawsuit abuse climate and could increase the cost of litigation on local businesses
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| 2026 Legislative Session Bill Tracker |
SB 528/ HB 483 (Sen. Keith Truenow, Rep. Nan Cobb) – Manufacturing: Enhances Florida’s competitiveness in manufacturing by creating the Statewide Office of Manufacturing within the Department of Commerce, led by a Chief Manufacturing Officer, as recommended by the Florida Trade & Logistics 2030 Study, who is responsible for state manufacturing activities and strategy.
SB 528 has been heard in two committees and is waiting to be heard in its last committee, Senate Appropriations. HB 483 has been heard in its first committee and has two committees remaining. |
SB 548/ HB 1139 (Sen. Stan McClain, Rep. Richard Gentry) - Growth Management: Lowers costs on new development by preventing local governments from abusing the calculation of impact fees through establishing specific criteria that must exist to demonstrate “extraordinary circumstances” and justify increases.
SB 548 has passed one committee and is waiting to be heard in Senate Finance and Tax. HB 1139 is waiting to be heard on the House floor. |
SB 526/ HB 405 (Sen. Erin Grall, Rep. Griff Griffitts) - Commercial Construction Projects: Enhances predictability in the permitting process by establishing a statewide uniform permit application and reduces costs through a uniform fee reduction when private provider services are used.
SB 526 has passed two committees and is waiting to be heard in Senate Rules. HB 405 has passed both its committees of reference and is ready for the floor. |
SB 122/ HB 103 (Sen. Keith Truenow, Rep. Adam Botana) - Local Business Taxes: Reduces taxes on local businesses and allows for the reinvestment of that capital into employees, communities or the business itself by eliminating the local business tax.
SB 122 has passed one committee and is waiting to be heard in the Senate Finance and Tax and Senate Appropriations Committees. HB 103 has passed the House and has been sent to the Senate. |
SB 358/ HB 987 (Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, Rep. Angela Nixon) - Division of Labor Standards: Opposed by the Florida Chamber, this bill negatively impacts Florida’s business-friendly climate by creating the Division of Labor standards, which establishes new layers of government bureaucracy that interfere in the employer-employee relationship.
SB 358 has been referred to three committees and HB 987 has been referred to four committees. Neither bill has been heard. |
SB 1096/ HB 1407 (Sen. Danny Burgess, Wyman Duggan) - Remedies for Violations of the Florida Civil Rights Act: Creates clarity on the statute of limitations for alleged violations of the Florida Civil Rights Act, benefiting both the employer and employee and ensuring claims are resolved in a timely manner.
SB 1096 has passed two of its committee stops and is waiting to be heard in Senate Rules. HB 1407 has passed the House and has been sent to the Senate. |
SB 894/ HB 261 (Sen. Jonathan Martin, Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman) - Restrictions on Employer-owned Life Insurance Policies: Creates a new private cause of action and adds state regulations around employer-owned life insurance policies that are already regulated at the federal level.
SB 894 has been referred to three committees and HB 261 has been referred to three committees. Neither bill has been heard. |
SB 552 & SB 550/ HB 1277 & HB 1275 (Sen. Mack Bernard, Rep. Chip LaMarca) -Prohibition on Levying Ad Valorem Taxes on Tangible Personal Property: Prohibits local governments from levying ad valorem taxes on tangible personal property, providing annual savings on the taxation of office equipment, machinery, vehicles, livestock, and personal items for local businesses, money that they can invest back in their business, their employees, or in their local communities.
SB 552 & SB 550 have been referred to three committees. HB 1225 & 1227 have been referred to three committees. These bills have not been heard. |
SB 766/ HB 629 (Sen. Jonathan Martin: Rep. Tiffany Esposito) - Regulation of Auxiliary Containers: Improves Florida's regulatory climate by strengthening a Florida Chamber-backed preemption preventing a patchwork of local ordinances on packaging materials used by food service or retail establishments.
SB 766 has been referred to three committees and HB 629 has been referred to three committees. Neither of these bills have been heard. |
SB 250 (Sen. Corey Simon) - Rural Communities: While this omnibus bill provides economic development and funding opportunities for rural communities, regarding small businesses, the Florida Small Business Development Center Network is provided additional funding for certain events, providing consulting services, and leveraging partner organizations to assist small businesses.
SB 250 is now in House messages after passing the full Senate 39-0. |
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The Federal Corner is intended to provide details of what is happening in Washington, D.C., that may impact your business. It’s important that if these federal provisions apply or potentially apply that you are aware so you can take advantage or take the proper steps accordingly.
On Friday, February 20th, the United States Supreme Court struck down major chucks of the Trump administration's tariff agenda. The 6-3 vote comes after a long-awaited decision on if Trump could use his executive authority to institute tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). The court stated that Trump did not have the authority under the IEEPA and this authority falls to Congress, which has exclusive power over taxation and spending. President Trump in response signed a 10% global tariff under the Trade Act of 1974, which is not associated with the law the Supreme Court just struck down. The Florida Chamber will continue to follow this issue closely. |
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For more information on what is happening at the federal level on labor and other regulatory issues, click the link above. If you would like to engage in our federal legislative or regulatory advocacy efforts, please contact Florida Chamber Vice President of Government Affairs, Carolyn Johnson, at cjohnson@flchamber.com. |
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Latest Analysis Shows Over 3,000 Fewer Children in Florida are Living in Poverty
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| This edition brought to you in collaboration with: |
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The February 2026 edition of Florida By The Numbers is now available, with a special focus on Florida's latest poverty numbers. Florida Chamber Foundation Senior Research Economist Sheridan Morby is joined by Kristina Donohue, Director of Mission Advancement & Board Development for the Florida Chamber Foundation's Florida Prosperity Initiative, to analyze where our state currently stands on creating a path to self-sufficiency for all Floridians, while tackling the Florida 2030 Blueprint goal of cutting Florida childhood poverty in half.
Some of the metrics covered in this update include:
- Currently, there are 711,576 children in Florida (16.5%) living in poverty. This is a 0.4% decline from the year prior.
- Half of all Florida children in poverty live in just 15% of our 983 zip codes.
- Children under 5 face the highest poverty rate (~18%).
- Housing costs put pressure on household budgets, as the average median rent in Florida is nearly 40% of the median income.
- Latest data shows that Gadsden County has the highest poverty rate (41.4%), while St. Johns County has the lowest (6.5%).
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| Upcoming Events and Announcements |
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If your company has an update to feature in the Small Business Insider, please share with Jahvin Gordon, Director of Business Climate & Governance Policy, at jgordon@flchamber.com. |
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