Legislative Update: Florida Lawmakers attend MEGA 2026

By FICPA Governmental Affairs

Last week, the FICPA welcomed more than 400 attendees, speakers, exhibitors and honored guests from across Florida for MEGA in Orlando. This year's event featured a strong lineup of legislative and regulatory leaders who joined us to celebrate the profession and engage with members throughout the week. 

We kicked off the conference on Monday with our MEGA Celebration and Newly Certified Ceremony, recognizing a collection of Florida's newest CPAs. We were honored to welcome Department of Business and Professional Regulation Secretary Melanie Griffin and Board of Accountancy Chair Jason Lasfer, who joined us in celebrating 45 of our newest entrants to the profession. 

During the celebration, the FICPA proudly presented Rep. Omar Blanco with our 2026 Legislator of the Year Award. Throughout the past year, Rep. Blanco has been a steadfast champion for the CPA profession, sponsoring FICPA priority legislation and standing with the profession during our most important fights. We are grateful for his leadership and proud to call him a friend of the profession. 

The evening concluded with a performance by House of Rock, led by Rep. Taylor Yarkosky. The performance was the highlight of the night and a hit with members in attendance. Beyond his musical talents, Rep. Yarkosky has been a thoughtful voice in the legislative process and worked closely with the FICPA to ensure the profession had a seat at the table during deregulation discussions in each of the last two Legislative Sessions.   

With advocacy as our No. 1 member benefit at the FICPA, Monday night and MEGA as a whole were a testament to the hard work we’ve done to forge meaningful relationships with influential voices in Tallahassee.  

Congressman Byron Donalds Delivers Keynote Address 

On Tuesday, the FICPA was pleased to welcome Congressman Byron Donalds as a keynote speaker. Congressman Donalds highlighted the critical role CPAs play in Florida's business community and provided attendees with his perspective on emerging technologies, economic trends and the evolving policy landscape. His remarks included discussion of artificial intelligence and its potential impact on businesses and the accounting profession in the years ahead.

The keynote provided an exclusive opportunity for FICPA members and attendees to hear directly from a sitting member of Congress and key decisionmaker in the state. The FICPA was proud to host Congressman Donalds and thank him for his support of the profession and taking time to speak to our members. 

CPA/PAC Hosts Legislative Happy Hour 

The CPA/PAC closed out Tuesday with a special Legislative Happy Hour attended by several lawmakers who have been strong supporters of the CPA profession, including Reps. Omar Blanco, Erika Booth, Nan Cobb and Samantha Scott. 

The event provided FICPA members with the opportunity to engage directly with legislators and share firsthand insights about the diverse work CPAs perform across Florida's economy. We appreciate these legislators taking the time to join us and learn more about the issues impacting the profession. The FICPA will continue to make sure that the profession has strong representation in the Capitol and in the political process.

Governor Continues Bill Review Process 

Gov. Ron DeSantis continues his review of legislation passed during the 2026 Legislative Session. Last week, he signed HB 7031, the annual Internal Revenue Code conformity bill. 

Each year, the Legislature updates Florida's tax code to conform with changes made to the federal Internal Revenue Code. This year's legislation incorporates federal tax law updates while decoupling Florida from several provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to avoid significant impacts on state revenues. The changes take effect July 1 and apply retroactively to Jan. 1, 2026. Read the full bill analysis here. 

All bills passed during Session have now been delivered to the governor. Under Florida law, the governor may sign a bill into law, veto it or allow it to become law without his signature. The only exception to this is the state budget, over which the governor has line-item veto authority that allows him to veto individual appropriations before approving the final budget. 

The governor has received the budget and is expected to take action on it soon. Final action on all remaining legislation must occur by June 30.