Legislative Update: State budget, election season and legislative guests

On Tuesday, lawmakers formally kicked off a Special Session to continue their work on crafting the state budget for the upcoming fiscal year.  As a reminder, the Legislature was unable to come to an agreement on the state budget during the 60-day Regular Session, which ended March 13. Negotiations have been ongoing since and the Senate President and Speaker of the House called the Special Session, which will run from May 12-29, once an agreement on the budget framework was reached.  

The House and Senate spent their first few hours on the floor making the necessary procedural votes to get the budgets they each passed during Session into the “proper posture” to begin the Budget Conference between the Chambers. The Budget Conference process allows the Chambers to negotiate differences between the House and Senate budget proposals.  

Throughout the week, the various Budget Conference Committees met to review and advance the various budget silo proposals. During this process, each chamber typically makes an “offer” via detailed spreadsheets to the other chamber, compromising on remaining differences between their proposals. At the end of the week, the Budget Conference Subcommittees are expected to complete their work and “bump” their remaining unresolved issues up to the big Budget Conference Committee to continue work to finalize the Conference Report. As a reminder, once finalized, the budget must be placed “on the desk” of members for the constitutionally required, 72-hour, cooling-off period before final passage. The Legislature is expected to reconvene during the last week of May to formally vote on the 2026–27 state budget. 

Governor’s Actions on Bills 

As the Legislature got back to work on the state budget, Gov. Ron DeSantis continued his review of legislation passed during the 2026 Regular Session. As of Wednesday, May 13, the governor has approved 85 bills, with 18 bills still pending on his desk and 133 awaiting formal presentation.   
 
Of note to the profession, the governor signed SB 1296 - Public Employees Unions, which included language requiring a CPA to review various documents. As noted during Session, the FICPA does not have a position on union requirements; however, we do seek to ensure that any CPA language in statue is technically correct and aligns with professional standards. The signed legislation includes language provided by the FICPA that clarifies that CPAs will take these engagements via agreed upon procedures, thereby ensuring that CPAs who take on this work will have the appropriate standards to follow. Also, of note, the governor has not yet acted on HB 7031 - Internal Revenue Code, which would decouple Florida from several provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The FICPA is monitoring this issue as budget and tax discussions continue during the Special Session and will keep members updated on this important matter.  

FICPA Hosts Legislators at Office Managing Partner Roundtables 

Last week, the FICPA hosted an Office Managing Partner (OMP) Roundtable in Orlando, bringing together firm leaders from across Central Florida to discuss key issues impacting the CPA profession. Joining FICPA members for the discussion was Rep. Rachel Plakon and members of her staff. Rep. Plakon addressed several topics, including alternative pathways to CPA licensure. The FICPA values its strong relationship with Rep. Plakon and was honored to host her at our headquarters. 

This Monday, the FICPA hosted an additional OMP Roundtable in Jacksonville, with firm leaders from across North Florida in attendance. The FICPA was proud to welcome Rep. Sam Greco, who shared insights from the recent Legislative Session and discussed priorities heading into the term ahead. The FICPA remains committed to fostering strong relationships with legislators across the state as we continue advocating for and supporting the CPA profession. 

Governmental Affairs Team Attends Chamber of Commerce Candidate Interviews 

Each election cycle, the FICPA Governmental Affairs Team dedicates significant time to researching and meeting with candidates running for public office. As part of that effort, the FICPA participates in the Florida Chamber of Commerce Political Institute’s candidate interviews, providing the business community an opportunity to engage directly with candidates on issues important to Florida’s economy and professional community. 

Last week, the FICPA GA Team traveled to Orlando to meet with numerous candidates running for the Florida Legislature. Next week, the GA Team will continue this effort by participating in candidate interviews in Miami. Candidate interviews are an extremely important part of the FICPA’s political program. We appreciate our partnership with the Chamber on these events and look forward to continuing these interviews throughout the election season.

Looking Ahead 

The FICPA GA team will continue monitoring budget developments for any issues that could impact the CPA profession, while also remaining engaged across the state through conferences, chapter meetings and meetings with candidates.