Florida Senate - 2026 SB 1266 By Senator Calatayud 38-01408A-26 20261266__ Page 1 of 5 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. A bill to be entitled 1

An act relating to cybersecurity internships; creating 2 s. 1004.0983, F.S.; providing legislative findings; 3 providing legislative intent; creating the 4 Cybersecurity Experiential Internship and Clearance 5 Readiness Program within the Department of Commerce; 6 requiring the department to enter into an agreement 7 with the Florida Center for Cybersecurity (Cyber 8 Florida) to implement the program in collaboration 9 with specified universities and institutions; 10 requiring that the program include specified 11 components; requiring that the program be available at 12 specified universities and institutions beginning in a 13 specified academic year; requiring the department, 14 using data and analyses provided by Cyber Florida, to 15 submit a report by a specified date and annually 16 thereafter to the Governor and the Legislature; 17 providing requirements for the report; providing for 18 expiration of the program; providing an appropriation; 19 providing an effective date. 20 21 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 22 23

Section

Section 1004.0983, Florida Statutes, is created 24 to read: 25 1004.0983 Cybersecurity Experiential Internship and 26 Clearance Readiness Program.— 27 (1)(

a) The Legislature finds that this state’s 28 cybersecurity workforce is essential to state and national 29

Florida Senate - 2026 SB 1266 38-01408A-26 20261266__ Page 2 of 5 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. security, multi-sector state economic resilience, and the 30 protection of critical infrastructure. The Legislature also 31 finds that this state has a persistent shortfall in its supply 32 of qualified cybersecurity professionals relative to the 33 workforce demand and that the growing integration of digital 34 technologies in all economic sectors will exacerbate this 35 workforce gap in the future. 36 (

b) The Legislature further finds that the elements of the 37 program described in this

section were successfully tested and 38 refined in two pilot programs: an experiential cyber internship 39 program with the University of South Florida and a combined 40 security clearance readiness and cyber certification program 41 with the University of West Florida. Both schools are designated 42 as National Security Agency National Centers of Academic 43 Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C). The successful pilot 44 programs demonstrated the feasibility and effectiveness of 45 combining cybersecurity experiential internships, federal 46 security clearance readiness preparation, and CompTIA Security+ 47 certification for students as critical elements of workforce 48 development. 49 (

c) The Legislature further finds that expansion of this 50 program statewide to all NCAE-C-designated state universities 51 and Florida College System institutions will accelerate the 52 development of a highly qualified, clearance-ready cybersecurity 53 workforce. This expanded capacity to develop a more qualified 54 cybersecurity workforce is necessary to both close existing gaps 55 and keep pace with the growth in demand for cybersecurity talent 56 within this state. 57 (2)(

a) The Legislature intends to establish the 58

Florida Senate - 2026 SB 1266 38-01408A-26 20261266__ Page 3 of 5 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. Cybersecurity Experiential Internship and Clearance Readiness 59 Program across all NCAE-C-designated state universities and 60 Florida College System institutions, beginning with the 2026-61 2027 academic year. 62 (

b) The Legislature further intends to sustain the program 63 through the 2030-2031 academic year and establish clear metrics 64 and reporting requirements to measure the impact on this state’s 65 workforce and national security posture. 66

(3) The Cybersecurity Experiential Internship and Clearance 67 Readiness Program is created within the Department of Commerce. 68 The department shall enter into an agreement with the Florida 69 Center for Cybersecurity (Cyber Florida) at the University of 70 South Florida, to implement the program in collaboration with 71 all NCAE-C-designated state universities and Florida College 72 System institutions. 73

(4) The program shall include all of the following 74 components: 75 (

a) Increasing the number of experiential cyber risk 76 analyst internships statewide by using an instrumented platform 77 of automated assessments with employers based in this state in 78 the defense, finance, health care, transportation, utility, and 79 critical infrastructure sectors. 80 (

b) Providing intern-supporting organizations with 81 actionable, prioritized analytics, reporting, and risk 82 mitigation action plans to enhance cyber resilience across this 83 state. 84 (

c) Delivering a federal security clearance readiness 85 curriculum, including comprehensive background checks 86 preparation, national security information and protection 87

Florida Senate - 2026 SB 1266 38-01408A-26 20261266__ Page 4 of 5 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. training, clearance application preparation and vetting, and 88 mentoring for selected participants. 89 (

d) Providing CompTIA Security+ certification training and 90 examination for selected participants. 91 (

e) Coordinating with state, federal, and private sector 92 partners to facilitate placement of graduates in high-demand 93 cybersecurity roles. 94 (

f) Providing access to datasets for statewide cyber 95 assessments, research, and development. 96

(5) Beginning in the 2026-2027 academic year, the program 97 must be available at all currently NCAE-C-designated state 98 universities and Florida College System institutions. 99 (6)(

a) Beginning January 1, 2027, and annually thereafter 100 through January 1, 2032, the department, using data and analyses 101 provided by Cyber Florida as required by the agreement under 102 subsection (3), shall submit a report to the Governor, the 103 President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of 104 Representatives. 105 (

b) The report must include all of the following: 106 1. The number of students participating in internships, 107 clearance readiness preparation, and CompTIA Security+ 108 certification programs at each institution. 109 2. The number of students who have earned CompTIA Security+ 110 certification and the number of students who have completed 111 internship and clearance readiness milestones. 112 3. The number of students who subsequently reported 113 entering federal, state, or private sector cybersecurity 114 positions requiring a federal public trust or national security 115 clearance, and any available data on those positions. 116

Florida Senate - 2026 SB 1266 38-01408A-26 20261266__ Page 5 of 5 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. 4. Recommendations for program improvements, including 117 potential integration with other state workforce initiatives. 118

(7) This

section expires October 1, 2031. 119

Section 2. Beginning in the 2026-2027 fiscal year, the sum 120 of $11.9 million in recurring funds is appropriated from the 121 General Revenue Fund to the Department of Commerce to establish 122 the Cybersecurity Experiential Internship and Clearance 123 Readiness Program. 124

Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026. 125