JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis held a midday press conference Monday at Cypress Village in Jacksonville, as Florida lawmakers wrapped up the 60th and final day of the regular legislative session in Tallahassee.
At the event, DeSantis touted what he called legislative wins and laid out priorities he wants addressed next — starting with the state budget, which lawmakers did not pass before ending the regular session.
“The bad news is that the legislature sine died without doing the only one thing that they’re required to do which is produce a budget,” DeSantis said.
He added that the work should move quickly, saying it’s “not something that should be drug out,” and that planning is underway for lawmakers to return in a special session to complete the budget.
Along with budget talks, DeSantis highlighted several issues he says will remain in focus. He said property tax reform drew heavy attention during session but did not result in significant changes, and he again predicted a property tax-related measure could appear on the November ballot for voters.
DeSantis also promoted other proposals he said were priorities, including a “medical freedom” measure focused on vaccine mandates and parental choice, and what he described as an “AI bill of rights” aimed at creating protections related to artificial intelligence — including chatbots.
One of the biggest accomplishments DeSantis emphasized was an election bill he described as Florida’s version of the SAVE America Act. The bill, CS/CS/HB 991, makes multiple changes to voter registration and election procedures, including new steps tied to verifying U.S. citizenship.
Under the measure, the online voter registration system must verify an applicant’s U.S. citizenship status through records from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. If the state cannot verify citizenship through those records, the applicant would be registered as an “unverified voter.” An unverified voter would be required to vote a provisional ballot, and that ballot would only be counted if the voter provides acceptable proof of citizenship to the supervisor of elections within the time allowed after the election.
The bill also changes voter identification rules at the polls. DeSantis singled out student IDs, arguing they should not be used as a form of voter identification.
“They’re making sure that you have valid ID and that does not include a student ID,” DeSantis said, adding, “That doesn’t tell you whether you are supposed to be voting there or not.”
DeSantis said he would have preferred some of the changes take effect sooner, but acknowledged concerns about implementing new procedures in an election year.
“Yes but I think they ran into the issue that we’re in the election year now. It would have thrown a wrench into how some of the procedures are,” he said. He added that, in his view, delaying implementation gives elections officials time to prepare.
The bill includes staggered effective dates. Some sections are set to begin July 1, 2026, while most of the measure is scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, 2027.
DeSantis also pointed to other legislation he described as session achievements, including a bill affecting public-sector unions that would raise participation requirements for union recertification. He also highlighted a ban on diversity, equity, and inclusion spending by local governments, crediting Sen. Clay Yarborough with advancing that proposal.
DeSantis closed by telling the crowd he looks forward to signing what he called “good bills” passed this session, while stressing that lawmakers will be called back to Tallahassee to complete the budget and address unresolved priorities.