TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida lawmakers wrapped up the 2026 legislative session Friday without completing two of their biggest responsibilities — passing a state budget and agreeing on a plan to cut property taxes — sending the Legislature into overtime for a second year in a row.
The unusual ending came as deep divisions between the House and Senate stalled negotiations on key priorities, forcing leaders to plan at least one special session next month to finish the job.
WATCH: Special session on property taxes is coming
House Republicans framed the outcome as a sign of independence. They say lawmakers were no longer simply advancing the governor’s agenda.
“What we went through as House members under previous speakerships, you know, under this current governor, was just unacceptable,” said Rep. Juan Porras, R-Miami.
Some lawmakers said the Legislature’s willingness to reject proposals was itself a success.
“Sometimes what we don't pass is a better measure of success than what we do pass,” said Rep. Adam Anderson, R-Tarpon Springs.
Still, others acknowledged the gridlock left little to show voters.
“There are the mistrust issues that I find to be extraordinarily difficult to understand, given the fact that we're all supposed to be Republicans,” said former Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Pensacola.
A number of major proposals failed to reach the governor’s desk, including efforts dealing with artificial intelligence privacy and parental controls, homeowners association reforms, loosened vaccine requirements and new guardrails for the state’s school voucher program.
Democrats blasted the outcome as a missed opportunity to address the rising cost of living.
“My takeaways are that this was too much talk and too little action, and that's a missed opportunity for the people of Florida,” said House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell, D-Tampa.
Minority Leader Lori Berman, D-Delray Beach, said lawmakers failed to tackle affordability issues like insurance costs, housing and Medicaid expansion.
“It's really a shame that we've had 60 days and we have almost nothing to show the state for affordability issues,” Berman said.
One of the session’s biggest unresolved issues was property tax relief. The House passed a proposal that would place a new non-school homestead exemption on the 2026 ballot, but the Senate declined to take it up, raising concerns about the impact on smaller local governments.
“We passed the most conservative and strongest property tax bill we've ever seen come out of the Florida Legislature.
Unfortunately, our friends across the hall did not take that up,” said Rep. Toby Overdorf, R-Stuart.
Former lawmakers say the debate over property taxes still lacks a clear roadmap.
“There is no written plan, there's nobody who's shown their work, there's nobody who's shown the research behind what they're doing,” said former state Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg. “This is like spaghetti politics. We're just throwing it against the wall and see what sticks.”
Elections Local
Property tax cut issue faces election winners in Florida
The other major unfinished task is the state budget, which lawmakers are constitutionally required to pass each year.
House Speaker Danny Perez said lawmakers will return to Tallahassee next month to complete the work.
“It is obviously not the end of our journey together,” Perez said. “We will be reconvening in April for a special session where we will address redistricting and also, hopefully, the state budget.”
The House and Senate remain more than $1 billion apart in spending plans, with the House pushing to hold spending lower while the Senate favors a larger budget.
Senate President Ben Albritton said missing the deadline does not mean negotiations have failed.
“If it doesn't happen in a 60-day window, that's not a loss,” Albritton said. “It's not an L. It is not, to be clear, it is not. There's still plenty of time.”
Lawmakers left Tallahassee without the traditional “hanky drop” ceremony marking the end of session — a symbolic reminder that the Legislature is not truly finished yet.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has already called a special session next month to address the budget, congressional redistricting.
The Senate President said a special session on property tax reform is coming too. Schedules for all of it are up in the air. But with no deal yet on any of those issues, the biggest question heading into April is how — or if — lawmakers will finally reach agreement.
