TALLAHASSEE, Florida — More than 130 new laws approved during Florida’s 2026 legislative session took effect on July 1, addressing a broad range of issues from data center regulation and education to criminal penalties and public safety.
Nocatee, a master-planned community of roughly 25,000 residents in St. Johns County located about 20 miles southeast of Jacksonville, is near the PGA TOUR headquarters and has been one of the fastest-selling communities in Florida.
Signed by Governor Ron DeSantis, the legislation passed during a session that spanned the opening months of 2026. Among the most consequential new laws is SB 484, which requires the Florida Public Service Commission to ensure that large-scale data center customers bear the full cost of their electric service, rather than passing those costs to residential ratepayers. The law also reinforces the right of local governments to refuse the construction of data centers within their jurisdictions.
Several counties, including Clay and Nassau counties, have already approved one-year moratoriums on data center permitting, with some local leaders expressing support for outright bans citing concerns about impacts on local power grids and water supplies. The legislation does allow local governments to enter into limited non-disclosure agreements with companies, temporarily shielding data center proposals from public view for up to 12 months.
In education, SB 182 requires Florida students to learn cursive writing beginning in third grade and demonstrate proficiency by fifth grade, and mandates that school districts display portraits of Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln in a conspicuous place in each public school. Another education measure, HB 1279, allows districts to provide immediate pay incentives to high-performing teachers who choose to teach in lower-performing schools without being subject to collective bargaining.
