2025 Mid-Session Florida Ethics Legislative Report
The 2025 Regular Legislative Session Commenced on March 4th and is Scheduled to End on May 2
2025 Florida Commission on Ethics’ Legislative Recommendations
Each year, the Commission makes recommendations for legislation in an effort to improve Florida’s Code of Ethics and its enforcement. In 2025 the Commission has recommended three initiatives to strengthen the Ethics Code and which focus upon protections for ethics complaint filers against retaliation, salary withholding for ethics complaint penalties, and the inclusion of “current and former foster parents and foster children” in the definition of “relative.” Click HERE for the full text of the Commission on Ethics’ 2025 Legislative Recommendations regarding proposed legislative changes to the Code of Ethics.
Legislative Tracking—Summaries of all the bills impacting Florida ethics regulations are listed below:
The following is a list of bills the Florida Ethics Institute (FEI) is tracking during the 2025 Regular Legislative Session. The selected bills have ethics law implications in Florida. The bills identified are divided into those proposed in the Florida House of Representatives and the Florida Senate.
Florida House of Representatives
HB 155 – Pub. Rec./Judicial Qualifications Commission Employees
General bill sponsored by Rep. Patt Maney
The bill seeks to create an exemption to Florida’s Public Records Law, s. 119.071(1), F.S., to exempt from disclosure public records containing the personal identifying and location information of current or former employees of the Judicial Qualifications Commission (the agency that regulates Florida judges).
- Related bill: SB 302 – Public Records/Judicial Qualifications Commission
➢ Mid-Session Status: Voted favorably out of the Civil Justice & Claims Subcommittee; Referred to the Government Operations Subcommittee and Judiciary Committee
CS/HB 179 – Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, Inc.
General bill sponsored by Rep. Alex Andrade
The bill pertains to the administration of the Florida Institute for Human & Machine Cognition, Inc., and provides, in relevant part that the officers, directors, and employees of the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, Inc., or any authorized and approved not-for-profit subsidiary shall be governed by the Florida Code of Ethics.
- Related bill: CS/SB 312—Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, Inc.
➢ Mid-Session Status: Voted favorably out of the House Education Administration Subcommittee on 3/27/25 with Committee Substitute; Referred to the Education & Employment Committee
HB 201 – Candidate Qualification
General bill sponsored by Rep. Allison Tant
The bill seeks to amend Florida’s elections laws by creating s. 99.013, F.S., designed to provide eligibility requirements for persons seeking to qualify for nomination as candidates of a political party or as candidates with no party affiliation; providing that certain entities may bring an action for declaratory and injunctive relief based on a certain claim; prohibiting a person from qualifying as a candidate for election and prohibiting his or her name from appearing on the ballot under certain circumstances, etc.
- Related bill: SB 280 – Candidate Qualification
➢ Mid-Session Status: Bill has been referred to the House Government Operations Subcommittee and the State Affairs Committee but has not been heard by any
HB 231 – Pub. Rec./Medical Examiners
General bill sponsored by Rep. Kim Kendall
The bill seeks to create an exemption to Florida’s Public Records Law, s. 119.071(1), F.S., to exempt from disclosure the personal identifying and location information of current and former medical examiners and the spouses and children of such medical examiners.
- Related bill: SB 746 – Public Records/Medical Examiners
➢ Mid-Session Status: Bill was voted favorably out of the Criminal Justice Subcommittee on 3/12/25; has been referred to Government Operations Subcommittee and the Judiciary Committee
HB 305 – Administrative Procedure
General bill sponsored by Rep. Tiffany Esposito
The bill seeks to, in part, amend portions of the Administrative Procedure Act, Ch. 120, F.S., to expressly provide that that issuance of a guidance document or other statement interpreting a statute without express statutory authority to issue such guidance would constitute an invalid exercise of delegated legislative authority. If passed, this legislation would severely hinder the ability of agencies to provide guidance to agency officials and employees concerning compliance with Florida law including the Florida Code of Ethics.
- Related bill: CS/SB 448—Administrative Procedure
➢Mid-Session Status: Bill has been referred to the Government Operations; Budget; and State Affairs Committees but has not yet been heard by any
HB 317 – Complaints Against Law Enforcement and Correctional Officers
General bill sponsored by Rep. Fabricio
The bill requires that a copy of complaint, signed by complainant under oath, must be provided to law enforcement officers and correctional officers who are under investigation; prohibits certain personnel action from being taken against law enforcement officer or correctional officer unless such officer receives copy of complaint signed under oath by complainant; prohibits investigative file of certain investigations of law enforcement officers or correctional officers from being included in such officer’s personnel file; prohibits existence of certain investigations from affecting officer’s ability to receive promotion, raise, or other commendation; requires complaint against law enforcement officer or correctional officer to be in writing & signed under oath by person filing complaint; provides penalties for making false complaint.
- Related bill: SB 516—Complaints Against Law Enforcement and Correctional Officers
➢Mid-Session Status: Voted favorably out of the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee (on 3/26/25); referred to the Government Operations Subcommittee and Judiciary Committee
HB 373 – Pub. Rec/Appellate Court Clerks
General bill sponsored by Rep. Michael Gottlieb
The bill seeks to create an exemption to Florida’s Public Records Law, s. 119.071(1), F.S., to exempt from disclosure the personal identifying and location information of current appellate court clerks and the spouses and children.
- Related bill: SB 300 – Public Records/Appellate Court Clerks and their Spouses and Children
➢Mid-Session Status: Voted favorably out of the House Civil Justice & Claims Subcommittee (on 3/20/25); referred to the Government Operations Subcommittee and Judiciary Committee
CS/HB 399 – Ethics
General bill sponsored by Rules & Ethics Committee and Rep. Patt Maney
The bill seeks to amend the Florida Code of Ethics via the adoption of s. 112.3131, F.S., to prevent instances of “stolen valor” by prohibiting candidates, public officers, and public employees from knowingly misrepresenting their Armed Forces service records, awards, or qualifications; and adds the ability to engage in salary withholding for unpaid ethics penalties.
- Related bill: SB 348 – Ethics
➢Mid-Session Status: Voted favorably out of the House Rules & Ethics Committee (on 3/20/25) with Committee Substitute; voted favorably out of Judiciary Committee (on 4/02/25); and on the agenda for State Affairs Committee
CS/HB 443 – Charter Schools
General bill by Rep. John Snyder
The bill seeks to revise provisions relating to charter schools and would prohibit charter school board members and their spouses, and certain others, from being landlords of charter schools unless the school is established under certain circumstances. Portions of the bill would make charter school board members subject to provisions of the Florida Code of Ethics prohibiting the acceptance of bribes, conflicts of interest involving conflicting employment and contractual relationships, and voting conflicts—only when “such statutes concern employment and contractual relationships with for-profit businesses or transactions between the charter school and for-profit businesses.”
- Related bill: CS/SB 822—Education
➢Mid-Session Status: Voted favorably out of the House Education Administration Subcommittee (on 03/27/25) with Committee Substitute; will be heard by the Education & Employment Committee (on 04/08/25)
HB 495 – Adverse Personnel Actions Against Employees
General bill sponsored by Rep. Yevette Benarroch
The bill seeks to provide Whistleblower protections for filers of ethics complaints submitted to the Florida Commission on Ethics and for persons who provide information to an investigator during an investigation of an ethics complaint.
- Related bill: SB 352-Employee Protections
➢Mid-Session Status: The bill has been referred to Government Operations Subcommittee, Rules & Ethics Committee, State Affairs Committee—but has not yet been heard by any
HB 727 – Use of State Resources to Influence Statewide Ballot Initiatives
General bill by Rep. Michele Rayner
The bill primarily seeks to prohibit certain entities from producing, disseminating, or funding specified public service announcements during certain timeframes and provides the Florida Commission on Ethics with the authority to investigate violations.
- Related bill: SB 926—Public Service Announcements by State Agencies
➢Mid-Session Status: The bill has been referred to the House Government Operations Subcommittee and the State Affairs Committee but has not yet been heard by any
Florida Senate
SB 192 – Revenue Administration
General bill sponsored by Sen. Joe Gruters
The bill which amends an act relating to revenue administration would also impact the portion of the Florida Code of Ethics, providing the “intangible personal property” definition outlined in s. 112.312(12)(c), F.S., from s. 192.001(11)(b) to s. 192.001(18)(b), F.S.
- Related bill: HB 1303—Revenue Administration
➢Mid-Session Status: Bill has been referred to the Senate Community Affairs, Finance and Tax, and Appropriations Committees but has not been heard by any
SB 216 – Campaign Finance
General bill sponsored by Sen. Trina Polsky
The bill seeks to amend Florida’s campaign finance laws to adopt s. 106.1438, F.S., regulating political advertisements by the state by prohibiting state agencies from using state funds to advocate for or against any matter that is the subject of a constitutional amendment or revision.
- Related bill: HB 727—Use of State Resources to Influence Statewide Ballot Initiatives
➢Mid-Session Status: Bill has been referred to Senate Ethics and Elections, Governmental Oversight and Accountability, and Fiscal Policy Committees but has not yet been heard by any
CS/CS/SB 268 – Public Records/Public Officers
General bill sponsored by Sen. Shevrin “Shev” Jones
The bill seeks to create an exemption to Florida’s Public Records Law, s. 119.07(1), F.S., to exempt from disclosure the “partial home addresses” (defined as a street address except for city and zip code) and telephone numbers of “current public officers” (defined as a person elected to state or local office) and their spouses, and their adult children, and the names, home addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth of, and the names and locations of schools and day care facilities attended by, the minor children of such current public officers.
- Related bill: HB 789—Pub. Rec./Public Officers
➢Mid-Session Status: Bill was voted favorably out of the Senate Governmental Oversight and Accountability with Committee Substitute (on 2/18/25); voted favorably out of the Community Affairs Committee with Committee Substitute (on 3/25/25); voted favorably out of the Rules Committee (on 4/01/25)
CS/SB 280 – Candidate Qualification
General bill co-sponsored by Sen. Arrington, Colins, Hooper, and Davis
The bill seeks to amend Florida’s elections laws by creating s. 99.013, F.S., designed to provide eligibility requirements for persons seeking to qualify for nomination as candidates of a political party or as candidates with no party affiliation; providing that certain entities may bring an action for declaratory and injunctive relief based on a certain claim; prohibiting a person from qualifying as a candidate for election and prohibiting his or her name from appearing on the ballot under certain circumstances, etc.
- Related bill HB 201 – Candidate Qualification
➢Mid-Session Status: Voted favorably out of Senate Ethics and Elections with a Committee Substitute (on 3/03/25); voted favorably out of the Judiciary Committee (on 3/12/25); voted favorably out of the Rules Committee (on 3/19/25); placed on Special Order Calendar
CS/SB 300 – Public Records/Appellate Court Clerks and their Spouses and Children
General bill sponsored by Darryl Rouson
The bill seeks to create an exemption to Florida’s Public Records Law, s. 119.071(1), F.S., to exempt from disclosure the personal identifying and location information of current appellate court clerks and the spouses and children.
- Related bill HB 373—Pub. Rec/Appellate Court Clerks
➢Mid-Session Status: Voted favorably out of the Judiciary Committee (on 2/18/25); voted favorably out of Governmental Oversight and Accountability with Committee Substitute (on 04/01/25); scheduled to be heard in Rules Committee (on 04/08/25)
SB 302 – Public Records/Judicial Qualifications Commission
General bill sponsored by Sen. Darryl Rouson
The bill seeks to create an exemption to Florida’s Public Records Law, s. 119.071(1), F.S., to exempt from disclosure the personal identifying and location information of current or former employees of the Judicial Qualifications Commission (the agency that regulates Florida judges).
- Related bill: HB 155-Pub. Rec./Judicial Qualifications Commission Employees
➢Mid-Session Status: Voted favorably out of the Judiciary Committee (on 2/18/25); voted favorably out of Governmental Oversight and Accountability (on 04/01/25); scheduled to be heard in Rules Committee (on 04/08/25)
CS/CS/SB 312—Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, Inc.
General bill sponsored by Sen. Don Gaetz
The bill pertains to the administration of the Florida Institute for Human & Machine Cognition, Inc., and provides, in relevant part that the officers, directors, and employees of the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, Inc., or any authorized and approved not-for-profit subsidiary shall be governed by the Florida Code of Ethics.
- Related bill: HB 179—Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, Inc.
➢Mid-Session Status: Voted favorably out of the Education Postsecondary with Committee Substitute (on 3/10/25); voted favorably out of Governmental Oversight and Accountability with Committee Substitute (on 3/25/25); voted favorably out of Rules Committee (on 04/01/25) and placed on Special Order Calendar
CS/SB 342 – Public Records/Agency for Health Care Administration
General bill sponsored by Sen. Gayle Harrell
The bill seeks to create an exemption to Florida’s Public Records Law, s. 119.071(1), F.S., to exempt from disclosure the personal identifying and location information of certain current or former personnel of the Agency for Health Care Administration and the names and personal identifying and location information of the spouses and children of such personnel.
- Related bill: HB 527—Pub. Rec./Agency for Health Care Administration Personnel
➢Mid-Session Status: Voted favorably out of the Health Policy (on 2/18/25); voted favorably out of Governmental Oversight and Accountability with Committee Substitute (on 04/01/25); scheduled to be hear in Rules Committee (on 04/08/25)
CS/SB 348 – Ethics
General Bill sponsored by Ethics and Elections, Sen. Don Gaetz, Jay Collins, and Bryan Avila
The bill seeks to amend the Florida Code of Ethics via the adoption of s. 112.3131, F.S., to prevent instances of “stolen valor” by prohibiting candidates, public officers, and public employees from knowingly misrepresenting their Armed Forces service records, awards, or qualifications; and adds the ability to engage in salary withholding for unpaid ethics penalties.
- Related bill: HB 399 – Ethics
➢Mid-Session Status: Voted favorably out of the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee with Committee Substitute; Military and Veterans Affairs, Space, and Domestic Security; and Rules Committees; Approved by a 39 to 0 vote in the Senate on 03/19/25–and is now in Messages
SB 352 – Employee Protections
General bill sponsored by Sen. Don Gaetz
The bill seeks to provide Whistleblower protections for filers of ethics complaints submitted to the Florida Commission on Ethics and for persons who provide information to an investigator during an investigation of an ethics complaint.
- Related bill: HB 495 – Adverse Personnel Actions Against Employees
➢Mid-Session Status: The bill has been referred to Governmental Oversight and Accountability, Ethics and Elections, and Rules Committees—but has not yet been heard by any
CS/SB 354 – Public Service Commission
General bill sponsored by Don Gaetz
The bill seeks to revise the makeup and authority of the Florida Public Service Commission the members of which are subject to the Florida Code of Ethics as well as additional ethics restrictions contained in Ch. 350, F.S., which are under the jurisdiction of the Florida Commission on Ethics.
- Related bill: HB 1319—Jurisdiction of the Public Service Commission Relating to Water and Wastewater Systems
➢Mid-Session Status: Voted favorably out of the Regulated Industries with Committee Substitute (on 3/12/25); referred to Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government, and Fiscal Policy Committee
CS/SB 364 – Council on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys
General bill sponsored by Sen. Rosalind Osgood
The bill seeks to establish the Council on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys and provides, in part, that each member of the Council must file financial disclosure with the Florida Commission on Ethics.
- Related bill: HB 1051—Council on Social Status of Black Men and Boys
➢Mid-Session Status: Voted favorably out of Education Pre-K – 12 with Committee Substitute (on 3/17/25); scheduled to be heard by Appropriations Committee on Pre-K – 12 Education (on 04/10/25), and referred to Fiscal Policy Committee
CS/SB 448—Administrative Procedure
General bill sponsored by Sen. Danny Burgess
The bill seeks to, in part, amend portions of the Administrative Procedure Act, Ch. 120, F.S., to expressly provide that that issuance of a guidance document or other statement interpreting a statute without express statutory authority to issue such guidance would constitute an invalid exercise of delegated legislative authority. If passed, this legislation would severely hinder the ability of administrative agencies to provide guidance to agency officials and employees concerning compliance with Florida law including the Florida Code of Ethics.
- Related bill HB 305 – Administrative Procedure
➢Mid-Session Status: Voted favorably out of the Governmental Oversight and Accountability with Committee Substitute (on 3/11/25); referred to Judiciary, and Rules Committee
CS/SB 822—Education
General bill by Sen. Anna Maria Rodriguez
The bill seeks to provide requirements for specified deadlines for charter schools and would prohibit charter school board members and their spouses, and certain others, from being landlords of charter schools unless the school is established under certain circumstances. Portions of the bill would make charter school board members subject to provisions of the Florida Code of Ethics prohibiting the acceptance of bribes, conflicts of interest involving conflicting employment and contractual relationships, and voting conflicts—only when “such statutes concern employment and contractual relationships with for-profit businesses or transactions between the charter school and for-profit businesses.”
- Related bill: HB 443—Charter Schools
➢Mid-Session Status: Voted favorably out of the Senate Education Pre-K -12 Committee (on 03/31/25) with Committee Substitute; referred to Appropriations Committee on Pre-K – 12 Education, and Rules Committees
SB 926 – Public Service Announcements by State Agencies
General bill by Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith
The bill primarily seeks to prohibit public agencies from producing, disseminating, or funding specified public service announcements during certain timeframes and provides the Florida Commission on Ethics with the authority to investigate violations.
- Related bill: HB 727 Use of State Resources to Influence Statewide Ballot Initiatives
➢Mid-Session Status: The bill has been referred to the Senate Ethics and Elections, Governmental Oversight and Accountability, and Rules Committees but has not yet been heard by any