Florida Policy Institute (FPI) supports measures that help make the state a place where families can build a healthy future and where workers and businesses can thrive — a state where historical barriers to economic mobility have been removed so that everyone can share in widespread prosperity. FPI’s policy roadmap is a guide to achieving this vision through four central pillars:

• Fostering community well-being by investing in education and health
• Spurring sustainable growth by promoting equitable economic development, investing in smart infrastructure, and improving climate resilience
• Advancing shared prosperity by nurturing inclusive communities and building a strong safety net
• Cleaning up and modernizing the tax code for a stronger future        

These priorities are achievable through common-sense legislation. FPI’s legislative agenda for 2026, which is centered on the goals set forth in the roadmap, outlines the organization’s priorities for the upcoming session and indicates the policies that FPI supports or opposes.

Florida lawmakers can help grow an economy that generates broadly shared benefits across the state and in every community by undertaking the policy recommendations below.  

‍Healthy Communities

Fostering community well-being by investing in education and health.

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Key 2026 FPI Priority

SUPPORT: Expanding Medicaid to adults ages 19-64 with low income

Florida is one of only 10 states that have opted not to expand their Medicaid programs under the Affordable Care Act to adults ages 19-64 with income under 138 percent of the federal poverty level, providing health coverage for individuals making less than $21,597 and families of three making less than $37,777.

Medicaid expansion would help uninsured Floridians access coverage and help narrow existing disparities by race and ethnicity in access to health care.

Expanding Medicaid would also bring approximately $14.3 billion in new federal dollars to Florida over a five-year period. Researchers project state general revenue savings in the range of $198.9 million annually to $385 million over a five year period.  

FPI proudly serves on the executive committee of Florida Decides Healthcare, the ballot initiative for Medicaid expansion in Florida. FPI supports expanding the state’s Medicaid program.

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‍Key 2026 FPI Priority

SUPPORT: Implementation of Medicaid School-based Services Law from 2020

In 2020, the Florida Legislature passed CS/HB 81, a measure to help schools draw down at least $51 million annually in additional federal Medicaid dollars for school-based health services, including mental health screenings, diagnoses, and treatment.  Florida submitted a State Plan Amendment (SPA) to enact these changes; however, CMS determined that Florida’s school-based reimbursement methodology was not in compliance with federal financing rules. It remains out of compliance, and that has caused the state to miss out on over $2 billion ($200 million annually) that could have gone towards school-based Medicaid services since 2014.  While this plays out, Florida’s school districts will continue to face challenges providing care for students who need nurses and treatment on-site throughout the school day. The deadline for the implementation of these federal requirements is July 1, 2026.

FPI supports the immediate implementation of CS/HB 81, which would help more children receive adequate attention to their health in school. The state should implement Medicaid in Schools by submitting a State Plan Amendment by the July 1, 2026 deadline that includes all of the services covered by the (EPSDT) Benefit.

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Key 2026 FPI Priority

OPPOSE: Federal cuts and harmful policy changes to Medicaid

FPI will oppose policies that seek to undermine, cut, and restrict access to Medicaid, including:

Benefits and eligibility cuts. Medicaid is a frequent target for cuts. In past years there have been proposals to cut benefits (such as adult hearing and vision services), eligibility, and coverage for young adults.

Medicaid “work” requirements. FPI opposes adding overly onerous “work” requirements — also known as paperwork requirements — to Medicaid. Proposed in 2019, these policies create arbitrary barriers that are often impossible to overcome for many people on Medicaid. More than 80 percent of Florida Medicaid enrollees are children, seniors, and people with disabilities. The remainder are mostly very low-income parents/caretaker relatives of minor children and young adults, including those aging out of foster care. Sixty-eight percent of adult Florida Medicaid enrollees are already working. Those who don’t work are primarily people with illnesses or disabilities, students, or caretakers for a family member.

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Key 2026 FPI Priority

SUPPORT: State implementation of KidCare expansion

In 2023, the Florida Legislature passed an eligibility expansion for the state’s Child Health Insurance Program (CHIP), known as KidCare in Florida. The changes to KidCare will enable 42,000 children with household income between 200 and 300 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) to get coverage with lower premiums. This law was supposed to be implemented by January 1, 2024; however, it has been significantly delayed because of the DeSantis administration’s lawsuit regarding new federal protections implemented by the Biden administration in 2023. Even months into the Trump administration, however, the state has not dropped this lawsuit, leaving tens of thousands of children without care in Florida. FPI urges the DeSantis administration to drop the lawsuit and begin implementation, and the Florida Legislature to conduct oversight of the status of the implementation of the 2023 legislation.

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SUPPORT: Increased, recurring, transparent mental health funding in the state budget

Mental Health America recently ranked Florida 44th out of all the states on access to mental health care. It specifically noted that 526,000 Florida adults with mental illness are uninsured and 166,000 youth with major depression had unmet treatment needs. People of color, who have faced long-standing, systemic barriers to accessing affordable health and mental health care services, have been disproportionately impacted by Florida’s increasing rate of mental illness.

Florida is over-reliant on time-limited, uncertain funding to support core services, and an extraordinarily fragmented administrative structure for distribution of and accountability for these dollars.

FPI supports increased, recurring, and more transparent state funding for mental health services.

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SUPPORT: Significantly increasing eligibility for subsidized child care (School Readiness) and extending Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten to cover eight hours

Related Bills: SB 512, HB 345

Child care is one of the largest expenses that Florida families face — the average cost of child care for a 4-year-old in Florida is $9,548 annually, according to the Economic Policy Institute. The average annual cost of infant care is $13,021. Florida’s School Readiness program provides subsidies for child care for low-income families; however, historically, less than half of eligible families in the state receive subsidies. Additionally, a labor shortage for child care teachers threatens the viability of Florida’s child care operations.

FPI supports boosting funding and continuing to expand eligibility for School Readiness and increasing the number of hours per day funded to eight for the Voluntary Pre-K program in order to better serve more families.

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Key 2026 FPI Priority

SUPPORT: Repeal of 2025’s ‘School of Hope’ expansion

Related Bill: SB 424  

Schools of Hope are designated charter school operators originally created to improve academic outcomes for students in persistently low-performing schools. Legislation passed at the conclusion of the 2025 legislative session now affords these operators to co-locate in public schools at no cost to them and making the school district responsible for costs such as maintenance, transportation and safety.  The bill further expands the number of schools these operators have access to by changing the definition of ‘persistently low performing’ schools and increasing the geographic area in which co-location can occur.

FPI supports the repeal of the Schools of Hope expansion from 2025 because of the drain on traditional public resources.

SUPPORT: Instituting guardrails, transparency, and accountability to Florida’s private school voucher program, SB 318

In 2023, state lawmakers approved a “universal” voucher program; as a result, approximately $4 billion is being rerouted from education general revenue for public schools to private education in the 2025-26 school year. An additional $1.1 billion is approved for the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship.

FPI opposes further expansion of the program and supports reinstituting income limits so that the wealthiest Floridians are not receiving taxpayer-funded vouchers. Additionally, FPI supports adding significant accountability and transparency measures to the current program so that Floridians and lawmakers have a clear understanding of where voucher funding is going and how it's being spent.

FPI supports SB 318, which will increase accountability and transparency by assigning Florida Education Identification numbers to all voucher students, requiring annual audits,  requiring verification of students attendance prior to making award payments and changing the voucher application windows to better align with the Legislature’s budgeting process.

Key 2026 FPI Priority

SUPPORT: Fully investing in K-12 public education and increasing teacher pay

Florida recently received an “F” for per-pupil funding level — Florida’s is roughly $4,626 below the national average — in a national ranking of school funding fairness. Florida also received an “F” for its funding distribution, with high-poverty districts in the state getting an average of $2,665 less per pupil than low-poverty districts.

Fully investing in state funding for education provides the foundation for students to compete in an ever-changing economy, and it helps to attract highly qualified teachers and maintain the equity and fairness of Florida’s education system. Although much-needed increases in teacher pay were included in the past two budgets, Florida again ranks 50th in the nation for its average teacher pay of $53,098.

FPI supports fully investing in K-12 education and boosting pay for new and veteran teachers.

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SUPPORT: Reinstatement of in-state tuition for Florida students without documented status (Dreamers)

In 2014, Florida’s then-Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill into law allowing students who are undocumented to pay in-state tuition rates if they graduated from a Florida high school and spent at least three consecutive years in Florida schools immediately before graduating. In February 2025, the Florida Legislature abruptly reversed course, and Gov. DeSantis signed a repeal of in-state tuition for Dreamer students in Florida. While these “waivers” only comprised a small amount of the state’s annual tuition and fee waiver distributions (6 percent, on average, over the 2017-2022 fiscal years), they made a tremendous difference to the 6,500+ immigrant students who received them. Many of these families cannot afford out-of-state tuition, which in Florida can be more than triple in-state tuition. Without the option to pay in-state tuition, these Floridians have few alternatives, and many might not attend college or university at all.

FPI supports reinstituting the 2014 law that allows Florida residents without documented immigration status (sometimes called Dreamers) to pay in-state tuition rates at Florida’s state colleges and universities.

A Thriving & Resilient Economy

Spurring sustainable growth by promoting equitable economic development, investing in smart infrastructure, and improving climate resilience.

Key 2026 FPI Priority

OPPOSE: Legislation rolling back child labor protections

Florida’s Department of Education and Department of Business and Professional Regulation both emphasize that the state’s current child labor laws are meant to protect children’s health, workplace welfare, and education. In recent years, however, there has been a concerning trend whereby several states, including Arkansas and Iowa, have enacted measures undoing crucial child labor law protections. In Florida, FPI found that child labor violations nearly tripled from 2019 to 2022 (from 95 to 281), a 195.8 percent increase.

Workers — including teen workers — need added protections, not fewer. FPI opposes measures that roll back child labor protections and put children’s health, workplace welfare, and education at risk.

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SUPPORT: Implementing “heat stress” protections for workers

People employed as farmworkers and construction workers are at particular risk for heat-related illness, despite being major drivers of the state economy. Heat stress is especially dangerous in Florida’s hot, subtropical climate and can be deadly. Florida should follow the lead of states like California and enact legislation mandating that employers in outdoor industries provide paid cooldown breaks/recovery periods, shade, and water for workers to help reduce incidents of heat stroke. Currently, there are no federal laws in place that mandate workers be granted these basic workplace protections.

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SUPPORT: Creating a domestic workers bill of rights

An FPI report found that immigrants are over-represented in domestic work, especially in Florida. Three in five domestic workers in the state (60 percent) are immigrants, while immigrants comprise just 26 percent of other workers in Florida. This is more pronounced than on the national level, where a little over a third (35 percent) of the nation’s domestic workers are immigrants.

FPI urges Florida lawmakers to enact a state domestic workers bill of rights, as other states and cities have done, to provide domestic workers with much-needed protections under state law.

Key 2026 FPI Priority

SUPPORT: Expanding the number of working Floridians with access to paid family and sick leave

Related Bill: SB 76

FPI supports the passage of a state law mandating paid family and medical leave for employees across Florida to ensure that all workers can take time off to care for themselves or their loved ones without risking financial hardship. Such policies promote economic stability for families and improve health outcomes. Paid parental leave, in particular, is critical for infant and maternal health, fostering early childhood development and allowing parents to bond with their newborns without financial strain. Florida lawmakers should take action to ensure that no parent has to choose between their job and their family’s well-being.

SUPPORT: Full funding of Florida Forever

Florida Forever is a critical program that allows the state to acquire and preserve ecologically important land and prevent future environmental problems. Florida Forever officially began in 2000 from a voter amendment to build on its predecessor program’s success (Preservation 2000). This authorized $300 million in bonds for 10 years to support land acquisition, ultimately leading to 1 million acres being preserved. The Florida Forever program was passed to appropriate another $300 million over 10 years; the Legislature appropriated it in full until 2008, when funding was then significantly reduced or eliminated.

In response, Florida voters approved a 2014 constitutional amendment designating new funding from the documentary stamp tax and expanding the duration of Florida Forever’s bonds through 2040. So far, these efforts have allowed Florida Forever to manage 870,000 acres of conservation land. However, the Florida Legislature continues to underfund Florida Forever, diverting funds intended for the program to pay for other state operating expenses. In recent years, appropriations have risen to over $100 million, which is a step in the right direction, but a far cry from the $300 million in annual funding originally intended for the program.

FPI supports full funding of this crucial conservation fund at $300 million per year through at least 2040, as voters intended.

Shared Prosperity

Advancing shared prosperity by nurturing inclusive communities and building a strong safety net.

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SUPPORT: Eliminating juvenile fines and fees 

 Fines and fees in the juvenile justice system trap children and their families in a cycle of debt. Youth who are justice-involved are more likely to re-offend and stay longer on probation. Furthermore, the assessed fees adversely impact the quality of life and future for youth, such as by presenting barriers to getting a driver’s license and participating in job corps programs.   

FPI supports ending court costs and fees on youth and providing additional support to young adults who remain in the care of the child welfare system. 

SUPPORT: Ending direct file of juveniles into the adult court system

Florida’s prosecutors transfer juveniles into adult courts at a higher rate than any other state. There is momentum to end what is called “direct file,” a statutory provision that allows prosecutors to decide whether a case will be tried in juvenile or adult court. The decision cannot be appealed or reviewed by a judge. In 2019, Florida lawmakers passed a moderate reform of the direct filing system; however, there is still work to be done.

FPI supports completely ending direct file so that judges have influence over whether a juvenile is tried in adult court.

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‍SUPPORT: Lifting the ban against certain justice-involved individuals receiving SNAP and TANF‍

People who are reentering their communities after being incarcerated face enormous barriers to fiscal stability. Yet, despite an overwhelming need for basic support to assist with rehabilitation, Floridians who have been convicted of drug trafficking are prohibited by state law from ever participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). This short-sighted lifetime ban impacts their ability to meet critical needs, such as food and housing, and increases their likelihood to re-offend and return to prison. FPI supports legislation to repeal this policy.

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SUPPORT: State participation in the federal Summer EBT/SUN Bucks Program

In 2023, Congress established Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer, or Summer EBT/SUN Bucks, a food assistance program for children in families with low income. The program provides each eligible child a total of $120 (or $40 per month) in grocery assistance during the summer, when school is out, to supplement summer meal programs. In 2025, all but 12 states participated in Summer EBT, including Arkansas, Indiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Florida is not among the states administering a Summer EBT/SUN Bucks program for 2025. Summer EBT/SUN Bucks would likely provide over 2 million hungry children in Florida with roughly $259 million in federal food assistance. FPI urges Florida lawmakers to participate in this critical anti-hunger program for children.

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Key 2026 FPI Priority

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OPPOSE: Policies that undermine or cut funding to TANF and SNAP

Related Bills:  HB 693

FPI will oppose any policy — state or federal — that undermines the impact, effectiveness, and/or intent of the SNAP and TANF programs.

In 2018, the Florida Legislature conducted a study of TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) Employment & Training (E&T) requirements and found that TANF recipients subject to work requirements face many barriers to compliance that result in sanctions. Those barriers include lack of transportation, no child care, and health problems. FPI opposes legislation that would lengthen the sanction period for people unable to comply with work requirements in the TANF E&T program.

FPI also opposes efforts to gut SNAP Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility, which would reduce the SNAP eligibility income limit from 200 percent to 130 percent of the federal poverty level, ending food assistance for 325,000 Floridians.

FPI opposes USDA’s efforts to repeal guardrails on what basic needs program will affect a public charge determination for immigration status.

FPI supports efforts to reverse restrictions on food choice for SNAP participants. SNAP participants understand nutrition and want to serve healthy meals. However, many are hindered by inadequate benefit allotments, a lack of fresh produce in their neighborhoods, and family members who have food allergies or are picky eaters. To ensure that households are able to maintain a healthy diet, better strategies include allowing participants to buy hot and prepared foods, increasing how much money people can use in SNAP for healthy foods and beverages, and increasing benefit allotments for food and beverages, regardless of the nutritional value.

FPI supports efforts to eliminate federal barriers that limit the ability of students to access SNAP if they are enrolled more than half time in institutions of higher learning (i.e., college). Research suggests that hunger, which hinders long-term success, is prevalent among college students, particularly students of color, parents who are in school, and students with low income.

Although FPI supports legislative efforts to minimize SNAP  cost sharing in H.R. 1, FPI opposes Florida’s efforts to implement SNAP policies that limit access through overly expansive policies, including restrictive work and immigrant requirements that unnecessarily broaden the groups of people subject to such policies.

SUPPORT: Repealing the “family cap” for TANF

Florida is one of a dwindling number of states that have not yet repealed the “family cap,” an antiquated law that cuts assistance for newborns in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. TANF is the only statewide program in Florida that provides temporary cash assistance to meet basic needs of children living with parents in financial crisis. Currently in Florida, if a family receives TANF for one child, Florida cuts by 50 percent the amount of assistance the household would otherwise receive for a second child. Further, the family cap law denies all financial assistance to any subsequent children. Unless the parent is incarcerated or institutionalized — or the family can prove that the baby is the result of rape, incest, or sexual exploitation — the state will never provide cash assistance to help support that child. Repealing the state’s family cap law would provide families struggling to make ends meet with critical resources to help give their babies a better life.

FPI supports repealing Florida’s antiquated “family cap” law, as other states — like Tennessee and Georgia —have recently done.

SUPPORT: Increasing the maximum monthly TANF benefit

The TANF program provides temporary cash assistance to families with very low income to help parents take care of their children during an upheaval in their lives. In Florida, almost 95 percent of all TANF recipients are children.

Florida’s maximum TANF benefit for a three-person family is $303 a month, which is only about 13.6 percent of the poverty level.  Although one-third of states have increased TANF benefits in recent years, Florida has not provided any increase to cash assistance since 1992.

SUPPORT: Reforming Florida’s broken unemployment insurance system

Related Bills:  HB 0191, SB 216,

Florida’s unemployment insurance system, the Reemployment Assistance (RA) program, has been broken for years, as evidenced by the significant delays and errors experienced by hundreds of thousands of Floridians during the COVID-19 pandemic.

FPI supports reforms including (but not limited to): increasing the maximum weekly benefit rate, which is only $275/week, and reforming the formula used to restrict the amount of assistance that a worker can receive; increasing the minimum duration of benefits from 12 to 26 weeks; increasing program reach and impact; and fully funding the RA system.

An Equitable Tax Code

Cleaning Up and Modernizing the Tax Code for a Stronger Future

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Key 2026 FPI Priority

OPPOSE: A legislatively-referred ballot question to end, or significantly cut, property taxes.

FPI opposes adding a legislatively referred ballot question to eliminate property taxes, as such a measure would severely undermine local governments’ ability to fund essential services. Property taxes are a primary revenue source for local entities, supporting critical functions like public education, emergency services, and infrastructure maintenance. In a February 2025 report, FPI found that eliminating this tax would create a revenue shortfall of approximately $43 billion, necessitating substantial cuts to vital services or the implementation of additional sales taxes. FPI found that implementing additional sales taxes to make up the difference would necessitate increasing the state sales tax from 6 percent to 12 percent – a 100 percent increase. This would disproportionately impact low- and middle-income residents and dampen consumer spending. Property taxes provide a stable and predictable revenue stream, essential for effective budget planning and maintaining local autonomy. FPI considers the elimination of property taxes a risky proposition that would weaken the foundation of local governance and public service provision.

FPI opposes adding a legislatively referred ballot question to completely eliminate property taxes or eliminate non-school property taxes for primary residences (homesteads), as such measures would severely undermine local governments’ ability to fund essential services. Property taxes are a primary revenue source for localities, supporting home rule authority and critical functions like emergency preparedness and response, public safety, infrastructure maintenance, sanitation, and education. Eliminating property taxes, whether entirely or partially, would create a multi-billion dollar revenue shortfall, necessitating substantial cuts to vital services or the implementation of additional taxes or fees. FPI estimates that to pay for the elimination of all property taxes, sales taxes would have to increase from 6 percent to 12 percent. Relatedly, the Florida Chamber of Commerce estimates that eliminating non-school property taxes for homesteads would require sales taxes to increase from 6 percent to 8.85 percent. Whether localities cut services, increase fees, or the state increases sales taxes, eliminating property taxes would lead to a cost shift that would disproportionately impact low- and middle-income residents and dampen consumer spending. Property taxes provide a stable and predictable revenue stream, essential for effective budget planning and maintaining local autonomy. FPI considers the elimination or partial elimination of property taxes a risky proposition that would weaken the foundation of local governance, local public service provision, and shift costs onto Floridians already struggling to afford the basics.

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SUPPORT: Targeted Property Tax Relief

‍FPI supports targeted property tax relief that considers a household’s ability to pay and tenure in Florida. Completely eliminating property taxes or eliminating non-school property taxes for primary residences (homesteads) without income and tenure restrictions would benefit all consumers, including wealthy residents, while leading to massive budget shortfalls and shifting costs onto Floridians making low to moderate incomes, and doing nothing for renters. If lawmakers want to offer tax relief, they should also consider options that are targeted to those who need it the most alongside plans to equitably raise revenue.

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Key 2026 FPI Priority

SUPPORT: Implementing a Working Floridians Tax Rebate (state EITC)

Related Bills: HB 687, SB 780

The federal Earned Income Tax Credit is already one of the nation’s most effective tools for reducing poverty and countering income inequality. In 2021, more than 2.6 million Floridians received $5.5 billion through the federal EITC, with the average credit amount totaling $2,088. The federal EITC is a common-sense tax break that helps people with low income make ends meet, which benefits their families, communities, and local economies.

In 2023, 31 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and localities such as New York City and Montgomery County, Maryland, had their own versions of the EITC to further build on the success of the federal EITC.

FPI supports legislation that would provide a Working Floridians Tax Rebate (a state-level EITC) set at 20 percent of the federal credit.

Key 2026 FPI Priority

SUPPORT: Implementing combined reporting

Currently, corporations can avoid paying Florida’s Corporate Income Tax (CIT) by shifting profits off to other entities in tax havens such as Delaware, Ireland, or the Cayman Islands (e.g., via the trademark income-shifting loophole). Florida should require these corporations to add together profits of all subsidiaries, regardless of their location into one combined report. This measure, known as worldwide combined reporting, would generate nearly $2.4 billion annually.

From 2021 through 2024, combined reporting has been introduced, either as a bill or an amendment, every regular session. So far, it has not yet passed.

FPI supports legislation to enact combined reporting without conditions to offset other tax cuts.

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SUPPORT: Implementing greater oversight of tax expenditures

Total tax expenditures will cost Floridians an estimated $31 billion in FY 2025-26. Unlike spending through the budget, which is subject to annual review, debate, and reauthorization, spending through the tax code is not routinely evaluated to ensure it is delivering on objectives that support the state’s families, communities, and economy. Once enacted, these expenditures tend to remain in law without an expiration date or regular review.

FPI supports requiring policymakers to: (1) include in every future tax expenditure legislation a clear outline of the public policy goal and who it is meant to benefit; and (2) specify an expiration and re-evaluation date. Tax expenditure reform should also require the Office of Economic and Demographic Research (EDR) and the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) to regularly evaluate tax expenditures to determine how successful they have been in achieving their objectives and include recommendations to be consider upon re-evaluation. These recommendations should be included in the annual budget presentation for the governor, House, and Senate.