Senate Bill 1566 (2026) — Local government spending
SB 1566
Florida Bills
Florida Senate - 2026 SB 1566 By Senator DiCeglie 18-00756B-26 20261566__ Page 1 of 11 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to local government spending; 2 providing a
short title; amending s. 129.03, F.S.; 3 revising the timeframe during which tentative budgets, 4 and the length of time for which final budgets, must 5 be posted on county websites; requiring the posting of 6 such budgets to allow members of the public to view, 7 review, and download certain information and data in 8 specified formats; requiring the county budget officer 9 to perform a certain exercise within a specified 10 timeframe before final adoption of a budget; requiring 11 the county budget officer to post such exercise on the 12 county’s website; amending s. 129.06, F.S.; revising 13 the timeframe during which a public hearing for an 14 amendment to a county budget must be advertised; 15 revising the timeframe during which an adopted 16 amendment must remain posted on the county’s website; 17 requiring that the posting of such adopted amendment 18 meet certain requirements; creating s. 163.212, F.S.; 19 prohibiting a local government from expending public 20 funds for the purpose of diversity, equity, and 21 inclusion; prohibiting a local government from 22 contracting with a private vendor for the provision of 23 services promoting, advocating for, or providing 24 training or education on diversity, equity, and 25 inclusion; providing that the inclusion of specified 26 language in certain contracts constitutes grounds for 27 termination of such contracts; requiring a local 28 government to provide written notice of termination of 29
Florida Senate - 2026 SB 1566 18-00756B-26 20261566__ Page 2 of 11 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. a contract under certain circumstances; requiring 30 local governments to annually make a specified 31 certification to the Chief Financial Officer, 32 beginning on a specified date; authorizing the Chief 33 Financial Officer to adopt rules; authorizing a person 34 to call the governmental efficiency hotline under 35 certain circumstances; requiring the Chief Financial 36 Officer to conduct a specified evaluation; authorizing 37 the Chief Financial Officer to impose administrative 38 fines under certain circumstances; requiring that such 39 fines be deposited in the Insurance Regulatory Trust 40 Fund; providing construction; defining the term 41 “diversity, equity, and inclusion”; amending s. 42 166.241, F.S.; revising the timeframe during which 43 tentative budgets, and the length of time for which 44 final budgets, must be posted on municipal or county 45 websites, as applicable; requiring the posting of such 46 budgets to allow members of the public to view, 47 review, and download certain information and data in 48 specified formats; requiring the municipal budget 49 officer to perform a certain exercise within a 50 specified timeframe before final adoption of a budget; 51 requiring that such exercise be posted on the 52 municipality’s or county’s website, as applicable; 53 revising the timeframe during which, and the length of 54 time for which, an adopted amendment must be posted on 55 such website; requiring that the posting of such 56 adopted amendment meet certain requirements; providing 57 an effective date. 58
Florida Senate - 2026 SB 1566 18-00756B-26 20261566__ Page 3 of 11 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. 59 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 60 61
Section 1. This act may be cited as the “Local Government 62 Financial Transparency and Accountability Act.” 63
Section 2. Paragraph (
c) of subsection (3) of
section 64 129.03, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 65 129.03 Preparation and adoption of budget.— 66
(3) The county budget officer, after tentatively 67 ascertaining the proposed fiscal policies of the board for the 68 next fiscal year, shall prepare and present to the board a 69 tentative budget for the next fiscal year for each of the funds 70 provided in this chapter, including all estimated receipts, 71 taxes to be levied, and balances expected to be brought forward 72 and all estimated expenditures, reserves, and balances to be 73 carried over at the end of the year. 74 (c)1. The board shall hold public hearings to adopt 75 tentative and final budgets pursuant to s. 200.065.
The hearings 76 shall be primarily for the purpose of hearing requests and 77 complaints from the public regarding the budgets and the 78 proposed tax levies and for explaining the budget and any 79 proposed or adopted amendments. The tentative budget must be 80 posted on the county’s official website at least 14 2 days 81 before the public hearing to consider such budget and must 82 remain on the website for at least 45 days. The final budget 83 must be posted on the website within 30 days after adoption and 84 must remain on the website for at least 5 2 years. 85 2.
Any tentative budget or final budget posted on the 86 county’s official website must allow members of the public to do 87
Florida Senate - 2026 SB 1566 18-00756B-26 20261566__ Page 4 of 11 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. all of the following: 88 a. View budget data in a searchable format. 89 b. Review historical spending trends and filter data 90 according to categories in the county’s chart of accounts, 91 including, but not limited to, fund, department, division, 92 program, or activity. 93 c. Download financial data and graphs. 94 d. View data in different graphical formats, including, but 95 not limited to, stacked line, trend line, bar graph, and pie 96 chart. 97 e.
View information for multiple county departments, 98 divisions, funds, or financial categories simultaneously. 99 f. View and compare revenue and expense trends 100 simultaneously on the same graph for any level of financial 101 data. 102 g. View all county employee salaries in a searchable 103 format. 104 h. View all travel expenses for all county employees in a 105 searchable format. 106 3.
At least 14 days before final adoption of the budget by 107 the board of county commissioners, the county budget officer 108 must perform a budget-cutting exercise, identifying specific 109 reductions to the tentative budget for the ensuing fiscal year 110 which total 10 percent of the tentative budget, without 111 compromising essential public services, such as law enforcement 112 or fire services, or legal obligations. The county budget 113 officer must post such exercise on the county’s official website 114 in accordance with subparagraph 2. 115 4. The tentative budgets, adopted tentative budgets, and 116
Florida Senate - 2026 SB 1566 18-00756B-26 20261566__ Page 5 of 11 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. final budgets shall be filed in the office of the county auditor 117 as a public record. Sufficient reference in words and figures to 118 identify the particular transactions must be made in the minutes 119 of the board to record its actions with reference to the 120 budgets. 121
Section 3. Paragraph (
f) of subsection (2) of
section 122 129.06, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 123 129.06 Execution and amendment of budget.— 124
(2) The board at any time within a fiscal year may amend a 125 budget for that year, and may within the first 60 days of a 126 fiscal year amend the budget for the prior fiscal year, as 127 follows: 128 (
f) Unless otherwise prohibited by law, if an amendment to 129 a budget is required for a purpose not specifically authorized 130 in paragraphs (a)-(e), the amendment may be authorized by 131 resolution or ordinance of the board of county commissioners 132 adopted following a public hearing. 133 1. The public hearing must be advertised at least 7 2 days, 134 but not more than 5 days, before the date of the hearing.
The 135 advertisement must appear in a newspaper of paid general 136 circulation and must identify the name of the taxing authority, 137 the date, place, and time of the hearing, and the purpose of the 138 hearing. The advertisement must also identify each budgetary 139 fund to be amended, the source of the funds, the use of the 140 funds, and the total amount of each fund’s appropriations. 141 2.
If the board amends the budget pursuant to this 142 paragraph, the adopted amendment must be posted on the county’s 143 official website within 7 5 days before after adoption and must 144 remain on the website for at least 5 2 years. The adopted 145
Florida Senate - 2026 SB 1566 18-00756B-26 20261566__ Page 6 of 11 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. amendment must be posted in accordance with s. 129.03(3)(c)2. 146
Section
Section 163.212, Florida Statutes, is created to 147 read: 148 163.212 Prohibiting local government expenditure of public 149 funds for diversity, equity, and inclusion.— 150
(1) A local government may not expend public funds, or 151 otherwise expend any funds derived from bequests, charges, 152 deposits, donations, grants, gifts, income, receipts, or any 153 other source of funds, for the purpose of diversity, equity, and 154 inclusion. 155 (2)(
a) A local government may not contract with a private 156 vendor for the provision of services promoting, advocating for, 157 or providing training or education on diversity, equity, and 158 inclusion. 159 (
b) If a contract between a local government and a private 160 vendor includes language promoting, advocating for, or providing 161 training or education on diversity, equity, and inclusion, such 162 language constitutes grounds for immediate termination of the 163 contract, in which case the local government shall provide a 164 written notice of termination to the representative of the 165 private vendor. 166
(3) By September 1, 2026, and annually thereafter, each 167 local government must certify to the Chief Financial Officer 168 that it is in compliance with this section. The Chief Financial 169 Officer may adopt rules to implement this subsection. 170 (4)(
a) A person may call the governmental efficiency 171 hotline established pursuant to s. 17.325 if he or she believes 172 that a local government has violated this section. Upon receipt 173 of such information, the Chief Financial Officer shall conduct 174
Florida Senate - 2026 SB 1566 18-00756B-26 20261566__ Page 7 of 11 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. an evaluation pursuant to s. 17.325. 175 (b)1. If the Chief Financial Officer determines that a 176 local government has violated this section, the Chief Financial 177 Officer may impose the following administrative fines: 178 a. For a first violation, $1,000 per day. 179 b. For a second or subsequent violation, $5,000 per day. 180 2. The proceeds of the fines shall be deposited in the 181 Insurance Regulatory Trust Fund. 182
(5) This
section does not prohibit the expenditure of 183 public funds through local government contracting which is 184 reasonably necessary for the normal operation of government 185 functions. 186
(6) For purposes of this section, the term “diversity, 187 equity, and inclusion” means any effort by a local government 188 to: 189 (
a) Affect the composition of its employees as it relates 190 to race, sex, color, or ethnicity, other than to ensure 191 compliance with relevant state and federal antidiscrimination 192 laws; 193 (
b) Promote differential treatment of or provide special 194 benefits to a person based on his or her race, sex, color, or 195 ethnicity; 196 (
c) Promote or adopt policies or procedures designed or 197 implemented with reference to race, sex, color, or ethnicity, 198 other than policies or procedures approved in writing by the 199 Attorney General for the sole purpose of ensuring compliance 200 with any applicable court order or state or federal law; 201 (
d) Promote or adopt training, programming, or activities 202 designed or implemented with reference to race, color, 203
Florida Senate - 2026 SB 1566 18-00756B-26 20261566__ Page 8 of 11 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation, other than 204 training, programming, or activities developed by an attorney 205 licensed in this state and approved in writing by the Attorney 206 General for the sole purpose of ensuring compliance with any 207 applicable court order or state or federal law; 208 (
e) Promote, as the official position of a local government 209 agency, a particular opinion referencing unconscious or implicit 210 bias, cultural appropriation, allyship, transgender ideology, 211 microaggressions, group marginalization, antiracism, systemic 212 oppression, social justice, intersectionality, neopronouns, 213 heteronormativity, disparate impact, gender theory, racial or 214 sexual privilege, or any related formulation of such concepts; 215 or 216 (
f) Advance, promote, entertain, or support fundamental 217 considerations of social justice, including, but not limited to, 218 critical race theory, or otherwise defend the concept that 219 mankind is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether 220 consciously or unconsciously, solely by virtue of his or her 221 race or sex. This also includes the concept that mankind is 222 responsible for the past actions of other members of the same 223 race or sex. 224 225 The term does not include equal opportunity or equal employment 226 opportunity materials designed to inform the public about the 227 prohibition on discrimination based on protected status under 228 state or federal law. 229
Section 5. Subsections (3) and (9) of
section 166.241, 230 Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 231 166.241 Fiscal years, budgets, appeal of municipal law 232
Florida Senate - 2026 SB 1566 18-00756B-26 20261566__ Page 9 of 11 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. enforcement agency budget, and budget amendments.— 233 (3)(
a) The tentative budget must be posted on the 234 municipality’s official website at least 14 2 days before the 235 budget hearing, held pursuant to s. 200.065 or other law, to 236 consider such budget and must remain on the website for at least 237 45 days. The final adopted budget must be posted on the 238 municipality’s official website within 30 days after adoption 239 and must remain on the website for at least 5 2 years.
If the 240 municipality does not operate an official website, the 241 municipality must, within a reasonable period of time as 242 established by the county or counties in which the municipality 243 is located, transmit the tentative budget and final budget to 244 the manager or administrator of such county or counties who 245 shall post the budgets on the county’s website. 246 (
b) Any tentative budget or final budget posted on the 247 municipality’s official website or the county’s official 248 website, as applicable, must allow members of the public to do 249 all of the following: 250 1. View budget data in a searchable format. 251 2. Review historical spending trends and filter data 252 according to categories in the municipality’s chart of accounts, 253 including, but not limited to, fund, department, division, 254 program, or activity. 255 3. Download financial data and graphs. 256 4.
View data in different graphical formats, including, but 257 not limited to, stacked line, trend line, bar graph, and pie 258 chart. 259 5. View information for multiple municipal departments, 260 divisions, funds, or financial categories simultaneously. 261
Florida Senate - 2026 SB 1566 18-00756B-26 20261566__ Page 10 of 11 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. 6. View and compare revenue and expense trends 262 simultaneously on the same graph for any level of financial 263 data. 264 7. View all municipal employee salaries in a searchable 265 format. 266 8. View all travel expenses for all municipal employees in 267 a searchable format. 268 (
c) At least 14 days before final adoption of the budget by 269 the governing body of a municipality, the municipal budget 270 officer must perform a budget-cutting exercise, identifying 271 specific reductions to the tentative budget for the ensuing 272 fiscal year which total 10 percent of the tentative budget, 273 without compromising essential public services, such as law 274 enforcement or fire services, or legal obligations. The 275 municipal budget officer must post this exercise on the 276 municipality’s official website or the county’s official 277 website, as applicable, in accordance with paragraph (b). 278
(9) If the governing body of a municipality amends the 279 budget pursuant to paragraph (8)(c), the adopted amendment must 280 be posted on the official website of the municipality within 7 5 281 days before after adoption and must remain on the website for at 282 least 5 2 years.
If the municipality does not operate an 283 official website, the municipality must, within a reasonable 284 period of time as established by the county or counties in which 285 the municipality is located, transmit the adopted amendment to 286 the manager or administrator of such county or counties who 287 shall post the adopted amendment on the county’s website. The 288 adopted amendment must be posted in accordance with paragraph 289 (3)(b). 290
Florida Senate - 2026 SB 1566 18-00756B-26 20261566__ Page 11 of 11 CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.