Florida Banking October/November 2025

GOVERNMENT RELATIONS

FLORIDA’S 2026 LEGISLATIVE SESSION: ARRIVING SOONER THAN YOU THINK

BY ANTHONY DIMARCO FBA EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS

F lorida’s 2026 Legislative Session will start Jan. 13, and it will be fast and furious for the 60 days that follow. We’re expecting a flurry of activity as many members of the Florida House and Senate will be looking forward to their elections, and it is Gov. DeSantis’ last Regular Session before his term ends. Some of the Governor’s agenda is beginning to take shape around redistricting, vaccine mandates and the end of property taxes, among other issues. We are also formulating the FBA’s legislative agenda. Much of our agenda will be focused on ways to combat fraud that is plaguing our industry and our customers. We’re currently discussing legislation around cryptocurrency kiosks with various stakeholders. We’re also working with the Florida Attorney General on creating a statewide Financial Crimes Intelligence Center (FCIC) that coordinates law enforcement resources to investigate and prosecute financial crimes, especially fraud and scams targeting vulnerable Floridians. We will also work on legislation to keep the IOTA program sustainable. We expect to be involved with continued condominium legislation to especially fix a property insurance loophole that was created in last Session’s legislation. As always, unforeseen issues will emerge and we must be prepared to respond accordingly. We are seeking your input on our legislative agenda. Please send us any legislative proposals so we may examine and discuss them. We need to hear from you about what is most important and concerning. Answering the FBA’s Calls to Action is important as well. Calling your legislator’s office to ask them to support or oppose legislation is vital during Session. Tallahassee is a long way away from many of the home districts. Calling them shows their voters are paying attention and will hold them accountable, even from afar. Stay tuned to learn more about the FBA’s legislative proposals, and when to answer our Calls to Action as the year progresses.

Please join us Jan. 28 for Capitol Day + Capitol Night! The day is a great way to tell our industry’s story to members of the Florida House and Senate. Many thanks to our event sponsors — ICBA, FNBB and STS Group. Visit www.floridabankers.com and register today! BANKERS AT THE CAPITOL: BE PART OF THE STORY

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