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Bill > S1566

FL S1566

FL S1566
Local Government Spending

summary

Introduced
01/09/2026
In Committee
01/16/2026
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead

Introduced Session

2026 Regular Session

Bill Summary

An act relating to local government spending; providing a short title; creating s. 125.483, F.S.; defining the term “utility”; providing legislative intent; requiring counties to reinvest utility service revenues back into a utility for specified purposes; requiring county utilities to develop budget forecasts and strategies within a specified timeframe which meet certain requirements; amending s. 129.03, F.S.; revising the timeframe during which tentative budgets, and the length of time for which final budgets, must be posted on county websites; requiring the posting of such budgets to allow members of the public to view, review, and download certain information and data in specified formats; deleting obsolete language; amending s. 129.06, F.S.; revising the timeframe during which a public hearing for an amendment to a county budget must be advertised; revising the timeframe during which, and the length of time for which, an adopted amendment must be posted on the county’s website; requiring that the adopted amendment be incorporated into budget data made available to the public in a certain manner; amending s. 166.241, F.S.; revising the timeframe during which tentative budgets, and the length of time for which final budgets, must be posted on municipal or county websites, as applicable; requiring the posting of such budgets to allow members of the public to view, review, and download certain information and data in specified formats; revising the timeframe during which, and the length of time for which, an adopted amendment must be posted on such website; requiring that the adopted amendment be incorporated into budget data made available to the public in a certain manner; creating s. 180.1901, F.S.; defining the term “utility”; providing legislative intent; requiring municipalities to reinvest utility service revenues back into a utility for specified purposes; requiring municipal utilities to develop budget forecasts and strategies that meet certain requirements; providing an effective date.

AI Summary

This bill, titled the "Local Government Financial Transparency and Accountability Act," aims to enhance how local governments manage and report their finances, particularly concerning utility services and budget transparency. It mandates that counties and municipalities (local government entities) must reinvest revenues generated from utility services, such as water, wastewater, stormwater, electric, and gas, back into those utilities to maintain and improve their infrastructure and operations. Furthermore, these utilities must develop comprehensive 5-year budget forecasts and strategies that account for future demands, technological advancements, and potential impacts from severe weather. The bill also significantly increases the public accessibility of budgets by extending the required posting times on government websites for both tentative and final budgets, as well as budget amendments, and requires that this information be presented in a searchable and downloadable format, allowing the public to view detailed financial data, including employee salaries and spending trends. Additionally, it revises the timelines for advertising public hearings on budget amendments and posting adopted amendments online.

Committee Categories

Budget and Finance

Sponsors (1)

Other Sponsors (1)

Community Affairs (Senate)

Last Action

Senate Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government Hearing (13:30:00 2/25/2026 412 Knott Building) (on 02/25/2026)
(2 Companion Bills)

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