Florida Democrats Put Affordability Atop 2026 Legislative Agenda

Florida Democrats have housing affordability and government efficiency on their minds a month out from the start of the 2026 legislative session.

“What we have seen is that we have a lame duck governor and I think that the Legislature has taken back some of its co-equal power as a branch of government,” Senate Democratic Leader Lori Berman, of Boca Raton, said during a news conference in the Capitol Monday. “And I’m hopeful that as this session goes on, we in the House and the Senate in both parties are able to work together and do things that really do affect affordability and that affect peoples’ lives.”

Berman called affordability her caucus’ top priority this session. With a Republican super-majority, Democrats can’t pass legislation on their own.

“Prices are rising, period. And we are seeing Republican politicians pander to D.C. and squabble amongst themselves instead of fixing the problem, so Democrats are offering ideas,” House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell, of Tampa, said.

The leaders laid out three bills as their priorities this session.

HB 319/SB 366 would create a property insurance compact between at least 14 states, forming a risk pool for coverage. Rep. Kelly Skidmore, a Democrat from Boca Raton and the House bill’s sponsor, compared it to the National Flood Insurance Program.

“Families are struggling, some can’t afford the cost of home ownership anymore. If we don’t tackle the risk that is driving this crisis, we will threaten that home ownership, economic growth, and the stability of our entire insurance system,” Skidmore said.

The other housing-focused bill is HB 675/SB 756. the Housing Options Made For Everyone (HOME) Act would eliminate documentary stamp taxes for certain first-time homebuyers and build off the Live Local Act from 2023, a more-than-$700 million bipartisan measure building more workforce housing.

“By easing just one of the up-front costs, we’re giving people a fair shot at buying their first home and starting the next chapter of their lives,” Sen. Tracie Davis, a Democrat from Jacksonville and the Senate version’s sponsor, said.

SB 780 is the caucus’ third focus, which it says will “refocus Florida’s government” by identifying “wasteful spending.”

The bill specifically asks for investigations into high-profile items including the Everglades immigrant detention facility also known as “Alligator Alcatraz”; per student spending at New College of Florida; state spending on campaigns against proposed constitutional amendments legalizing recreational marijuana and expanding abortion access; and Hope Florida.

The bill calls for the Auditor General, Government Efficiency Task Force, and the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability to “prepare a report identifying fraud, waste, abuse of authority, malfeasance, mismanagement, and misconduct in state government.”

The bill calls for the attorney general to pursue legal remedies if the report finds wrongdoing. Attorney General James Uthmeier was appointed by DeSantis to that position and previously worked in the governor’s office.

Notably, Democrats do not include eliminating property taxes in their agenda. Republicans, including Gov. Ron DeSantis, are focusing heavily on crafting ballot language to eliminate or limit property taxes for homesteaded properties.

“What we feel is that people aren’t complaining about the property taxes, they’re complaining about the property insurance and about being able to afford things here in this state,” Berman said. “Property taxes are going to have a direct impact on the services people receive and we don’t want people to have less services here in this state.”

The session begins Jan. 13.

“Despite the president calling it a hoax, we all see with our own eyes that the affordability crisis is real, it’s hurting Floridians, and yes, it is getting worse,” Berman said.

–Jay Waagmeester, Florida Phoenix