summary
Introduced
11/04/2025
11/04/2025
In Committee
11/17/2025
11/17/2025
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead
Introduced Session
2026 Regular Session
Bill Summary
An act relating to legal notices; amending s. 50.0311, F.S.; revising the definition of the term “governmental agency”; revising the definition of the term “publicly accessible website”; requiring that certain legal notices be continuously published for a specified timeframe when the notices are for a specified purpose and provided under a certain circumstance; authorizing certain counties or specified municipalities, school boards, clerks of the circuit court, and tax collectors to use a publicly accessible website to publish certain advertisements and legal notices under specified conditions; revising the definition of the term “special district”; reenacting ss. 11.02, 45.031(2), 50.011(2), 90.902(12), 120.81(1)(d), 121.055(1)(b) and (h), 162.12(2)(a), 190.005(1)(d), 200.065(2)(f), 849.38(5), 1001.372(2)(c), and 1011.03(1), F.S., relating to notice of special or local legislation or certain relief acts, publication of certain notice for a certain judicial sales procedure, publication of legal notices, self-authentication of certain legal notices, exceptions and special requirements of rules regarding educational units, notice regarding positions to be included in the Senior Management Service Class, notices issued by local government code enforcement boards, establishment of certain community development districts, notices regarding district school board budgets, citations regarding proceedings for forfeiture of property, due public notice for district school board meetings, and notice for public budget hearings of the district school board, respectively, to incorporate the amendment made to s. 50.0311, F.S., in references thereto; providing an effective date.
AI Summary
This bill updates Florida law regarding legal notices, primarily by expanding the ability of various governmental entities, including counties, municipalities, school boards, clerks of court, and tax collectors, to publish legally required advertisements and public notices on a "publicly accessible website," which is defined as an official government website or a designated private website accessible via the internet. It also specifies that certain legal notices must be continuously published for at least two weeks or from the date of initial publication until the proposed event or activity. The bill clarifies the definition of "governmental agency" and "publicly accessible website" to include more entities and scenarios, and it allows for the use of websites for publication if it's less costly than newspaper publication, with specific conditions for counties with populations under 160,000. Additionally, it requires governmental agencies using websites for notices to provide an annual newspaper notice informing residents of their option to receive mail or email notifications and mandates that links to these online notices be prominently displayed on the website's homepage. The bill also revises the definition of "special district" to exclude water management districts and reenacts several other statutes to reflect these changes in how legal notices can be published.
Committee Categories
Health and Social Services
Sponsors (1)
Other Sponsors (2)
Community Affairs (Senate), Judiciary (Senate)
Last Action
CS/CS by Community Affairs read 1st time (on 02/04/2026)
Official Document
bill text
bill summary
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bill summary
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bill summary
| Document Type | Source Location |
|---|---|
| State Bill Page | https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/380 |
| BillText | https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/380/BillText/c2/HTML |
| Analysis - Community Affairs (Post-Meeting) | https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/380/Analyses/2026s00380.ca.PDF |
| Analysis - Community Affairs (Pre-Meeting) | https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/380/Analyses/2026s00380.pre.ca.PDF |
| BillText | https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/380/BillText/c1/HTML |
| Analysis - Judiciary (Post-Meeting) | https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/380/Analyses/2026s00380.ju.PDF |
| https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/380/Amendment/968116/HTML | |
| Analysis - Judiciary (Pre-Meeting) | https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/380/Analyses/2026s00380.pre.ju.PDF |
| BillText | https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/380/BillText/Filed/HTML |
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