Florida’s legislative session ended March 13 with under 250 bills passing both chambers, a historic low. Several bills affecting Gainesville still have a chance to be signed at the governor’s desk, including a measure aiming to eliminate property taxes.
A measure keeping control over Gainesville’s utilities in the hands of the state rather than city leadership passed the legislative session, as well.
Why so low?
During last year’s session, about 270 bills passed. About 325 bills passed both chambers the year before. In the mid-2000s, as many as 500 bills passed both chambers in Florida each session.
Craig Volden, co-director of the Center for Effective Lawmaking at the University of Virginia, said this year’s decline reflects a broader, decadeslong trend across the U.S. Volden attributed part of the drop to the rise of omnibus legislation, in which multiple measures are bundled into a single bill.
For this reason, he said, less bills being passed doesn’t necessarily mean the legislature is becoming less effective.
“I don’t want to say outright that fewer laws means a less effective Legislature,” Volden said.
Still, other factors may be contributing to the decline.
The biggest trend in Florida is decreased legislative effectiveness by the minority party, according to Volden. Democrats make up just 28% of the House and 30% of the Senate.
“They’re not incorporated as much into the lawmaking process,” he said. “We’ve seen that as a big trend over the past 20 years or so.”
Local impacts: city utilities, property taxes
Despite the overall decline in legislation, several bills that could have major impacts on Gainesville and greater Alachua County advanced, many of which Mayor Harvey Ward said will harm the Gainesville community.
“We at the city of Gainesville have not really benefited a lot from the Florida Legislature,” Ward said about the 2026 legislative session. “The people of Gainesville have not benefited a lot from the actions of the Florida Legislature for a while.”
Ward pointed to a measure that would keep control of Gainesville Regional Utilities under a state-appointed board, rather than returning authority to the city. If signed, the move would override two local referendums — each approved by more than 70% of voters — supporting city control.
The bill has passed both chambers and awaits Gov. Ron DeSantis’ approval before becoming law.
“It’s disappointing to me that something that the people of Gainesville obviously feel very strongly about, having voted more than 70% two years in a row, to act differently than the legislature acted,” Ward said about the law. “The people affected by a law should be able to be heard prior to a vote.”
Voters will, however, get the chance to decide if Floridians will continue to pay certain property taxes if a bill to put the issue to a vote as a ballot referendum moves forward, a measure opposed by many municipal governments around the state.
“Every city in Florida, every county in Florida, every school district of Florida runs primarily on property taxes,” Ward said about the bill. “It will be devastating for there to be major changes. Devastating to all 411 Florida cities, to all 67 counties, to all 67 school districts.”
House Joint Resolution 203 proposed asking voters to approve or deny a state constitutional amendment eliminating nonschool ad valorem taxes on homestead properties.
The original proposal phased out the taxes over 10 years beginning in 2027, but an amendment called for immediate elimination.
The measure cleared the House Feb. 19 in a vote 80-30, but it died in the Senate by the end of the legislative session.
However, state leaders are discussing a potential special session to revisit the proposal and negotiate a compromise, giving it another chance to pass.
Details of the proposal and any special session remain unclear.
If approved, the measure would appear on the November ballot requiring at least 60% voter approval to take effect.
“I’m never surprised by the Legislature,” Ward said. “I’m often disappointed, but never surprised.”
Property taxes are Gainesville’s largest revenue source, representing 47.8% of the projected General Fund Revenue for fiscal year 2026, according to the city’s adopted budget.
Utility and communication service taxes are the second-largest source, making up just under 14%.
Fire rescue and police services are the largest expenditures, accounting for about 18% and 27.7% of spending, respectively.
“Property taxes equal public safety,” said Charles Chapman, a Florida League of Cities legislative advocate. “Property taxes put a huge contribution into covering those expenses that provide the services most people don’t think about on a daily basis.”
If homestead property taxes are eliminated, local governments would need to find other ways to fund essential services like police and fire departments.
Chapman said citizens who don’t qualify under the homestead exemption, like business owners and renters, may end up footing the bill for these services.
“One person’s tax exemption is another person’s tax cost,” he said.
Services such as parks and road maintenance could face cuts or new user fees if funding gaps emerge.
“You may be saving what used to be your property tax bill, but you’re going to end up paying for those services in another way, or potentially lose them,” Chapman said.
Contact Alexa Ryan at aryan@alligator.org. Follow her on X @AlexaRyan_.
Alexa is a second-year journalism and international studies student and The Alligator's Spring 2026 Enterprise Politics Reporter. She previously served as the Fall 2025 Criminal Justice Reporter. In her free time, she enjoys running, traveling and going on random side quests.
