Your life could change with new Florida laws. Track them in the Legislature

Tuesday is opening day for the Florida Legislature. Ready to keep up with all the lawmaking?

Expect a flurry of bills making their way through the state House of Representatives and the Senate. Many, if adopted and signed into law, could change the way Florida’s 23 million people live.

Among the expected discussion points as the Legislature reconvenes on Jan. 13: a bill that would alter how Floridians register their cars. It’s backed by Miami Lakes Rep. Tom Fabricio and Doral Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez, and championed by Miami-Dade Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez and Gov. Ron DeSantis. Senate Bill 982 would keep yearly registration fees but eliminate physical stickers, moving Florida to an electronic system July 1.

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There’s also a revamped bill from Florida state Sen. Nick DiCeglie of St. Petersburg that could restore some local control over development.

The decisions made in Tallahassee, are argued about in South Florida, at your neighborhood diner, at work when the bosses aren’t listening, and with family over the dinner table. For instance, during last year’s lesgilative session, lawmakers voted to ban local governments from adding fluoride to water supplies.

Every year, the state Legislature meets for its 60-day session. During even-numbered years, like 2026, the session starts in January and in odd-numbersd years in March.

Here is a guide to help you keep up with all the action:

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Who are the players?

State senators and representatives are elected to represent Florida in designated districts. Senators serve four-year terms and representatives two-year terms.

There are 40 senators and 120 state reps in Florida.

How a bill becomes a law

Bills are filed in either chamber, House or Senate, meaning representatives and senators can put their ideas forth for consideration during the 60-day session.

When a bill is filed, it gets reviewed by several smaller committees of legislators. The public and those the bill will affect can also comment and hope to fine-tune it to better serve their needs.

Bills can be tracked by signing up on Florida’s legislative sites at either www.myfloridahouse.gov or https://www.flsenate.gov/Tracker.

Committees can approve, defeat or amend a bill. If the bill is defeated in the committee process, that’s it, the bill is dead for the rest of session. If the text of the bill is revived as an amendment to another bill, it has to be substantially different than the language that was struck down or the amendment can be challenged as violating the rules.

Otherwise, the bill is brought before the full chamber of the House and Senate for voting. The bill can bounce back and forth between the two houses like a pinball to reach a consensus and a final version.

READ MORE: New Florida consumer laws went into effect on Jan. 1 — how they may affect you

What must happen for a bill to become law

• When the majority of the votes in each chamber, House and Senate, say yes: The bill can advance to the governor. But it has to pass before both chambers before it can become a law.
• The bill is in the governor’s hands? The governor can sign it and it becomes law. The governor can also allow it to become a law without a signature. Or, the governor can veto.
• If vetoed, the Legislature can vote to overturn the governor’s decision, but it would take a two-thirds vote of both the House and Senate. Last year, for example, 1,959 bills were filed and 269 bills passed during Florida’s 2025 legislative session, according to the Florida Chamber of Commerce.
• The bill has to go through all of the processes before the end of the 60-day session. If it does not, the bill dies and would have to undergo all the steps from scratch at another year’s session or in an overtime session.

One bill they better pass? The state’s budget. That bill has to pass annually by the time the session ends — this year on March 13.

How to track a bill

Head over to Flsenate.gov and its Tracker Help page. You can sign up there for a free Senate Tracker account by filling in a few questions such as your name and email. You will be asked to create a password.

It’s relatively easy to track a bill as it makes its way through the legislative process. Every filed bill has a web page link with current information about the bill and links to official documents associated with that bill.

Once you have an account, you can then track bills throughout the website, view updates on the Tracker tab and receive email notifications — if you opt to receive them.

A Senate Tracker account also lets you track committees, senators, publications, press releases and other associated items.

The Florida House of Representatives also has a tracker page at myfloridahouse.gov that functions similarly and lets you track bills, representatives, committees and schedules.

How to watch the legislative process

Can’t make it to Tallahassee to watch the Florida Legislature conduct its business? The Florida Channel livestreams coverage at thefloridachannel.org.

How to follow Miami Herald coverage

Miami Herald reporters and our Tallahassee team cover the session’s start to finish and beyond. Because once these bills are passed into state law — or fail to pass — you’re affected.

Follow Florida Politics on the Herald’s home page at www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/state-politics.