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Gov. DeSantis calls for special legislative session to redistrict Florida’s congressional map

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a proclamation on Wednesday to convene a special session of the Florida Legislature to redistrict Florida’s congressional map.

During a news conference in Steinhatchee, DeSantis said he wants the special session to take place in the “later part of April.”

Even though Florida’s 2026 legislative session starts next week, DeSantis said he wanted to wait for a possible ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court on a key provision of the Voting Rights Act. The ruling in Louisiana v. Callais could determine whether Section 2, a part of the Voting Rights Act that bars discrimination in voting systems is constitutional.

“We look forward to being able to work with the Legislature to get that across the finish line. I know there’s a lot of people who are excited in both the House and the Senate to be able to do it, so they’re going to get their chance to do it, but realistically, you can’t do it now,” DeSantis said.

DeSantis said officials also need to do a deep dive into the current population because “so much has changed” in the last years.

Nick DiCeglie bills would address growth, hurricane reconstruction and public safety pressures

Republican Sen. Nick DiCeglie has filed a slate of bills that would speed up hurricane recovery, change how Florida handles self-defense claims by survivors of domestic violence, loosen regulatory requirements for certain professions, and update traffic safety and transportation rules.

Several of the bills, filed ahead of the Session’s start next week, target pressure points that have drawn legislative attention in recent years.

SB 1234 would make sweeping changes to Florida’s building permitting and inspection framework, significantly curbing the discretion of local governments while expanding the role of private providers.

The bill directs the Florida Building Commission to exempt certain residential hurricane and flood protection walls from permit requirements. It would also tighten when local governments may require permits at all, providing an exemption for most residential work valued under $7,500 from the permitting process — although the proposal does make limited exceptions for structural, electrical and plumbing work.

Reef restoration plans transfer of 9,000 baby corals

Part of Florida’s Coral Reef Restoration and Recovery initiative is distributing young corals to restore 25% of the state’s reef by 2050.

A variety of juvenile corals that started as microscopic larvae and were raised by biologists at The Florida Aquarium Coral Conservation and Research Center have been prepared for transfer to partner facilities Reef Renewal USA and The Reef Institute.

Once the coral reaches a size suitable for transfer into the ocean, teams will install the coral into areas around the Florida Keys.

10 Legislative Issues to Watch

Florida lawmakers next week will start the 2026 legislative session. With hundreds of bills filed for consideration during the session, here are 10 issues to watch:

— ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: Gov. Ron DeSantis has made a priority of creating what he has dubbed an “Artificial Intelligence Bill of Rights.” Such a proposal was filed last month in the Senate, addressing a variety of regulatory issues related to the technology. House panels have looked at AI issues, but House leaders have not moved forward on the bill-of-rights idea.

— BUDGET: Disputes between the House and Senate about spending and tax cuts led to a messy, delayed end of the 2025 legislative session. Lawmakers will try to agree during the upcoming session on a budget for the 2026-2027 fiscal year. DeSantis last month proposed a $117.36 billion spending plan that includes such things as increased money for teacher salaries.

— EDUCATION: Florida has dramatically expanded school-voucher programs in recent years, but lawmakers are grappling with growing pains in the programs. That has included questions about money properly following students as they shift between public schools and private schools and homeschooling. Meanwhile, school districts are worried about enrollment drops.