Legislative Update - August 22, 2025

Here are the top political and legal developments shaping Florida this week. From a federal court order halting the expansion of Alligator Alcatraz, to the latest moves in immigration and public safety, to leadership shifts in Tallahassee and Washington, the news cycle has been both fast-moving and consequential.

On Thursday, a federal judge ruled that Florida must stop expanding Alligator Alcatraz and shut the facility down within 60 days — a decision that could spark significant policy and legal battles in the weeks ahead.

Meanwhile, Lt. Gov. Jay Collins traveled to California to ensure Harjinder Singh is delivered to authorities. Singh, an illegal immigrant accused of killing three Floridians with an 18-wheeler on the Florida Turnpike, is being returned to the state to face justice.

Back in Tallahassee, it’s official: Senate Republicans will gather Oct. 14 to designate Sen. Jim Boyd as the next Senate President. A memo from current Senate President Ben Albritton set the caucus vote, confirming Boyd as the chamber’s choice to lead in the 2026–28 term.

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday appointed state Rep. Mike Caruso, R-Delray Beach, to serve as Palm Beach County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller, effective Aug. 19. There will be a special election to replace him in the Florida House.

And on the national stage, incoming Republican National Committee Chair Joe Gruters is seeking to smooth the waters, insisting that any feud between himself and Gov. Ron DeSantis is a thing of the past.

Governor …

“Text exchange shows Jay Collins agreeing Ron DeSantis has Asperger’s syndrome” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics — Lt. Gov. Collins said he believes Gov. DeSantis likely is on the autism spectrum. Florida Politics obtained a screenshot of messages between Collins and Rep. Alex Andrade that included the assessment by the former Senator, who was appointed Lt. Governor last week.

Florida must stop expanding Alligator Alcatraz, shut down in 60 days, judge rules – Orlando Sentinel

DeSantis Ramps Up Call for New Redistricting - Gov. Ron DeSantis and Attorney General James Uthmeier called Wednesday for a mid-decade redrawing of Florida's congressional districts that would likely boost Republican representation in Congress, with Uthmeier saying the move was needed to counter a "deep state" conspiracy to manipulate the Census to "shift electoral power to blue states, to sanctuary states." The governor said that Florida has seen growth in population since the 2020 Census that should be reflected in a new map, and that after speaking with some legislators, he believed "there's broad acknowledgement that this is something — you know — that is going to have to happen." DeSantis' plan to hold an unusual new redistricting just five years after the last one comes as legislators in other states move to redraw districts ahead of next year's midterms to try to influence the makeup of Congress. President Donald Trump has demanded that Texas and possibly some other Republican-majority states redraw the political boundaries in an effort to shore up the GOP majority in Congress by the midterm election, and Texas has moved to do so. California then moved to counter or negate the Texas effort with a redistricting plan that would boost Democratic seats. DeSantis and Uthmeier's proposal would target Democrat-held districts in South Florida. DeSantis said at a news conference Wednesday in Palm Beach County that Florida was cheated after the last Census, specifically citing the Broward-Palm Beach congressional district held by Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick as having been unfairly drawn. South Florida Sun-Sentinel / Florida Phoenix / Politico Pro

Caruso Named Palm Beach Co Clerk of Court - Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday appointed state Rep. Mike Caruso, R-Delray Beach, to serve as Palm Beach County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller, effective Aug. 19. Caruso, a Republican representing District 87 since 2022 and previously District 89, is a CPA and former owner of Caruso & Caruso, Inc., specializing in forensic accounting. The vacancy arose after Clerk Joe Abruzzo, a former Democratic state lawmaker, was tapped to become county administrator. Caruso is term-limited in the state House but can run next year for the county-wide post to complete the remainder of Abruzzo's term. DeSantis Press Release / Florida Phoenix

Gov Posthumously Recognizes Fla Icons: Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday awarded the Governor's Medal of Freedom to five Florida figures, including former House speaker and Florida State University President John Thrasher, who died in May and whose life was honored this week at FSU. DeSantis also awarded the medal posthumously to iconic Florida singer-songwriter and entrepreneur Jimmy Buffett, who died in 2023; South Florida Congressman Lincoln Díaz-Balart, a Cuban immigrant who served in Congress for 18 years and died earlier this year; and two Democratic Florida governors, Bob Graham, who was governor from 1979-1987 and a U.S. senator from 1987-2005, and Buddy MacKay, a longtime Florida politician who served in the state House and Senate and in Congress before serving as lieutenant governor to Lawton Chiles. MacKay served as governor for about a month in 1998 and 1999 after Chiles died in office. DeSantis Press Release / Florida Phoenix

Gov. Ron DeSantis has directed flags to be flown at half-staff on Wednesday in honor of Rep. Joe Casello, who died July 18 at the age of 73.

A Democrat from Boynton Beach, Casello represented House District 90 in Palm Beach County from 2018 until his death last month following a massive heart attack from which there was little hope he would recover. He was 73.

“Property tax debate heats up as DeSantis eyes big cuts” via Gray Rohrer of Florida Politics — DeSantis, in recent months, has zeroed in on local governments throughout the state, criticizing some for approving large increases in property taxes in recent years as home values have risen. “What happens is your property gets assessed higher and higher. It’s an unrealized gain. You haven’t sold it for that much; they’re just telling you it’s worth that much,” DeSantis said Aug. 12 at an event in Tampa. “And guess what happens when the market corrects – which it inevitably does? Do they rush in to assess your property at a lower level? Not that I’m aware of. So, it’s a one-way ratchet, and you basically get stuck paying higher taxes.”

“Florida hits tourism record in 2Q, Ron DeSantis says” via Gabrielle Russon of Florida Politics — Florida hit a record with the number of visitors — 34.4 million — traveling to the Sunshine State in the second quarter of 2025. From April to June, about 31.5 million tourists were Americans traveling domestically, while about 2.3 million came from abroad and another 640,000 from Canada. The previous second quarter record dated back to 202,4 when 34.2 million visited Florida. “Florida continues to lead the way as the nation’s top travel destination,” DeSantis said in a statement to celebrate the achievement and get some of his political messaging in, too. “People from all over the world come to the Free State of Florida to take advantage of our top-tier attractions, great weather, and our commitment to public safety. Today’s record numbers are a testament to the work we’ve done to make Florida the most appealing state to visit in the nation.”

“DeSantis says Donald Trump isn’t trying to ban mail voting in Florida” via Lawrence Mower of the Tampa Bay Times — DeSantis said Tuesday that he doesn’t think Trump’s desire to ban voting by mail applies to Florida. Asked about Trump’s vow on Monday to “lead a movement” to end the use of mail-in ballots, DeSantis said he thought it only applied to states that send mail ballots to all voters. “What he means by vote my mail, I think, just in my conversations, is the states like California and Nevada and others, where they just send all these ballots out into the ether,” DeSantis said. He defended Florida’s system, in which voters have to request a vote-by-mail ballot. “I think what Florida has is absentee voting,” he said. He noted that county Elections Supervisors don’t mail ballots to anyone who hasn’t requested one.

Lt. Governor …

Jay Collins will head to California to extradite Harjinder Singh, charged with triple vehicular homicide” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics

"Jay Collins says California extradition mission isn’t ‘business as usual’” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics

Florida Lt. Gov. blasts Calif. over truck driver’s fatal crash | Miami Herald

“Lt. Gov. Jay Collins picks Jared Williams and Brian Wright to spearhead his office” via Javier Manjarres of Floridian Press — Newly-appointed Lt. Governor Collins has tapped two of the DeSantis administration's top aides to spearhead his office, and possibly help him navigate through Florida's statewide political landscape in the near future. To run his day-to-day operations, Lt. Gov. Collins is bringing on Williams as his Chief of Staff. As for helping him to communicate both his and DeSantis' message, Collins has named the Governor's deputy Press Secretary, Brian Wright, to head up his press shop. Wright and Williams, coming over from DeSantis' team, could be the first of several pivots within the executive office.

Attorney General …

Uthmeier Urges SCOTUS to Strike Down Fla Gun Age Limit Law - Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier on Wednesday took the rare step of opposing a state law his office would usually defend, urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Florida's 2018 ban on rifle and long-gun sales to people under 21. In a 17-page brief, Uthmeier's office backed the National Rifle Association's appeal, arguing the restriction violates the Second Amendment. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the law in March, ruling that it does not violate the Constitution while citing a "historical tradition of firearm regulation," particularly among young people. "From the Founding to the late-nineteenth century, our law limited the purchase of firearms by minors in different ways," wrote the majority in the 8-4 decision. "The Florida law also limits the purchase of firearms by minors. And it does so for the same reason: to stop immature and impulsive individuals, like (Parkland shooter) Nikolas Cruz, from harming themselves and others with deadly weapons. Those similarities are sufficient to confirm the constitutionality of the Florida law." The law (SB 7026) was enacted in 2018 under Gov. Rick Scott following the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, which killed 17 people. Federal law already bars people under 21 from buying handguns. Uthmeier previously said in a post on social media that he would not continue defending the law if the NRA appealed the ruling, echoing the position of Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has opposed the law since his first gubernatorial campaign in 2018. The case is National Rifle Association v. Mark Glass. News Service Florida

Legislature …

Senate Set to Formally Make Boyd Next President: State Senate Republicans will meet Oct. 14 when they are expected to formally name Senate Majority Leader Jim Boyd, R-Bradenton, as the next Senate president, succeeding President Ben Albritton. Boyd, 68, will lead the body starting with the lead-up to the 2027 session next fall and through the 2028 session. Boyd has been in the Senate since 2020 representing parts of Hillsborough and Manatee counties in the Senate, after serving in the House from 2010 to 2018. During his tenure in the House Boyd worked to pass legislation putting prescription limits on painkillers and putting other safeguards in place meant to curb the opioid epidemic. "Jim always works to build consensus and has spent countless hours with senators on both sides of the aisle exploring and talking through ideas to make legislation stronger and bring tough and complex issues across the finish line," Albritton said in a memo calling the Oct. 14 caucus to elect Boyd. Albritton Memo Calling Republican Caucus / News Service Florida / The Floridian / Florida Phoenix

Little Change in GR Forecast - State economic forecasters' estimate for how much money state lawmakers will have to work with as they craft the next fiscal year budget came in largely unchanged, but came with a warning that "a less certain economic environment" has emerged in general. The Revenue Estimating Conference on Friday increased its overall total recurring revenue collection forecast for the current fiscal year by a barely notable $246.8 million and added $252 million to the estimate for Fiscal Year 2026-27 for a two-year combined increase of just under $500 million. "Neither adjustment is a material change to the overall forecast," state economic forecasters noted in their summary of the conference. After the adjustments, the net recurring general revenue forecast for the current year is about $50.4 billion, and about $52 billion for the 2026-27 fiscal year. When non-recurring revenue is added in, expected total funds available for the current fiscal year are about $61 billion, and about $60.5 billion for next year. The small upward adjustments in forecasted recurring revenue were largely related to higher expected investment earnings, the Office of Economic and Demographic Research said. EDR Executive Summary / Politico Pro / News Service Florida

Lobbyist File: Big Spenders - Lobbying firms faced a deadline last week for filing reports showing compensation from April 1 through June 30. Firms received an estimated $56 million for legislative lobbying, according to a state compilation. Here are some of the businesses, groups and government agencies that spent the most on lobbying during the quarter:

— United States Sugar: $263,000

— Holistic Alternative Recovery Trust: $210,000

— Miami-Dade County: $208,000

— HCA: $206,000

— Florida Power & Light: $200,000

— Walt Disney companies: $195,000

— Advocating for Seniors: $173,000

— Performance Title Services: $165,000

— Dosal Tobacco: $155,000

— TECO Energy/Tampa Electric: $150,000

— Trulieve: $150,000

Note: The totals are estimates because lobbyists generally report compensation in ranges.

Source: Florida lobbyist registration database, compensation report

Business …

Florida Gas Prices Swing but Stay Within Familiar Range: Florida drivers experienced fluctuating gas prices last week, though overall costs remained steady. The state average dipped to $3.01 per gallon early in the week, jumped 12 cents by Thursday, and fell back six cents over the weekend. Meanwhile, U.S. crude oil prices held relatively stable, closing Friday at $62.80 per barrel — down 2% from the prior week. AAA Press Release / News Service Florida

“Unemployment figure holds steady at 3.7% for fourth straight month” via Drew Dixon of Florida Politics — Florida’s unemployment rate has now held steady for four months straight. FloridaCommerce, the state’s business development bureau, released the jobless figures for July, showing the unemployment rate remains unchanged at 3.7%. That number has been the same since April. But the July figure is up in the year-over-year comparison. July 2024 saw an unemployment rate of 3.4%, 0.3 percentage points lower than the current rate. Indeed, every month this year has had a higher rate than last year. The July figure accounts for about 417,000 Floridians who are out of a job. That’s out of an entire estimated workforce in the state of about 11.19 million people. July also saw an expansion of nonagricultural employment by about 7,300 workers compared to June. That was a gain of about 134,000 people in the annual comparison.

“Florida’s Hometown Heroes Housing Program expected to reopen today with $50M in funding” via Florida Politics — Starting today, first-time homebuyers across Florida can begin the process of accessing assistance through the Hometown Heroes Housing Program, a state-funded initiative offering zero-interest loans to help cover down payments and closing costs. Backed by $50 million in state funding through the Live Local Act, the program is designed to help essential workers and other eligible Floridians achieve homeownership in the communities they serve. “The typical homeowner has a net worth nearly 40 times that of someone who rents. That’s the opportunity this program helps Floridians unlock,” said Tim Weisheyer, 2025 president of Florida Realtors.

Immigration …

Judge Orders Shutdown of Everglades Detention Center - A federal judge on Thursday barred new immigration detainees from being sent to the state detention camp in the Everglades called "Alligator Alcatraz" by the DeSantis administration and ordered Florida officials to stop any new construction at the site and start shutting down the facility. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams said in her ruling ordering a preliminary injunction that government officials failed to follow rules around considerations of potential environmental harm when they hastily set up the site earlier this year. Williams gave the state and federal governments 60 days to move detainees out of the tent prison facility in the Everglades on the Miami-Dade County-Collier County line, and to begin removing improvements at the site, such as fencing, generators and lighting, except for things needed to keep inmates and workers safe in the interim. The facility currently holds several hundred detainees. The state of Florida filed a notice of appeal Thursday night, shortly after the ruling was issued. Williams said state officials haven't sufficiently explained why the facility had to be constructed in the middle of the Everglades and that they didn't consider alternative locations. The plaintiffs in the legal challenge that led to Thursday's decision, environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe, had argued construction and operations at the prison camp should be stopped until federal and state officials complied with federal environmental laws. The ruling "sends a clear message that environmental laws must be respected by leaders at the highest levels of our government — and there are consequences for ignoring them," said Eve Samples, executive director of Friends of the Everglades. Williams' ruling was expected, and state officials announced earlier this month that they were planning to spend up to $6 million to prepare a shuttered part of an existing North Florida prison near Lake City to be used as a detention center for immigration detainees. Florida has moved aggressively under Gov. Ron DeSantis to pursue people believed to be in the country illegally and to detain them until the federal government can deport them. Miami Herald / Politico / The Hill / New York Times / Fox News / Reuters / Associated Press

Judge dismisses part of lawsuit over Alligator Alcatraz immigration detention center" via David Fischer, Mike Schneider and Freida Frisaro of The Associated Press — A federal judge in Miami has partially dismissed and transferred a lawsuit over the constitutional rights of detainees at the Alligator Alcatraz immigration facility in the Everglades. In a ruling Monday, U.S. District Judge Rodolfo Ruiz determined that key claims were rendered moot and that the case itself was filed in the wrong jurisdiction. The remaining claims will now proceed in Florida's Middle District.

Ruiz wrote that the detainees’ Fifth Amendment claims, which argued they lacked access to immigration court hearings, were nullified when the Trump administration designated the Krome facility near Miami as the site for their cases last weekend. However, the judge allowed First Amendment claims to proceed, including allegations that detainees lack confidential access when meeting with their attorneys via videoconference.

Fla Has High Undocumented Percentage, But Nation's Immigrants Declining - Undocumented immigrants made up just under 7% of Florida's population in 2023, the highest percentage of all the states, according to new estimates from the Pew Research Center. Texas, Nevada and New Jersey were the only other states estimated to have an undocumented population higher than 6%, according to the think tank's research. Florida had the third highest overall number of immigrants at about 1.6 million, behind California with 2.3 million and Texas with 2.1 million, the report says. While the study found a record high 53.3 million immigrants were living in the United States in 2023, by June of this year the number had dropped to 51.8 million, amid more aggressive efforts to reduce the number of people entering and remaining in the country. Six states, including Florida, along with California, Texas, New York, New Jersey and Illinois, were home to more than half of all unauthorized immigrants in the country in 2023 and made up just over 4% of the nation's population that year, the organization found. The list of states attracting the most immigrants hasn't changed – Pew noted the same states have consistently had the most unauthorized immigrants since at least 1980. Pew's broad attempt to count the number of undocumented or unauthorized immigrants in the country using a variety of sources found the unauthorized population jumped by 19% in 2023 over the previous year to reach about 14 million nationwide. The increase was partly driven by immigrants who might not be considered as having been unauthorized at the time because they were granted protection from deportation under the Biden administration. That included asylum seekers, as well as those who entered without having secured permission to remain, but were released at the border with orders to appear in immigration court, according to Pew. People who had deportation protections accounted for more than 40% of the total "unauthorized" population in 2023, the think tank said, but many of those people are now subject to detention and deportation under the policies of the Trump administration. Pew Research Release / CNN / Axios / Tampa Bay Times / The Center Square

Elections …

“DeSantis says Collins has ‘decisions’ to make about 2026” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics — Gov. DeSantis stopped short of a formal endorsement Wednesday. Still, he strongly suggested Collins could succeed him, calling him a “fantastic Governor” in the making. While touting the “Chuck Norris of Florida Politics,” DeSantis said a “groundswell” of support is building and that Collins will be “making decisions” about his future. The looming question, of course, is the potential candidacy of First Lady Casey DeSantis, who is still weighing a run against GOP front-runner Byron Donalds. Both the Governor and First Lady have signaled that there is plenty of time for a decision. For his part, Collins appears eager to run if given the green light, saying it’s “something you look at” when conditions align.

"With exactly one year before gubernatorial Primary, Byron Donalds is clear front-runner" via Peter Schorsch of Florida Politics — One year before the Primary, the 2026 Republican race for Florida Governor appears all but decided, with U.S. Rep. Donalds establishing a commanding lead fueled by a key endorsement from Trump, a massive fundraising haul and dominant polling numbers.

Court Upholds State Senate Redistricting Plan - A panel of federal judges on Monday upheld the way lawmakers drew a Tampa Bay-area Senate district's boundaries, rejecting a legal challenge that contended the seat was drawn based on illegal race-based gerrymandering. Three Black residents of Pinellas and Hillsborough counties had sued over the district — most recently represented by Black Democrat Sen. Darryl Rouson — alleging Senate District 16 was racially gerrymandered to pack Black voters into it, reducing the influence of Black voters in Pinellas County's neighboring Senate District 18, currently occupied by white Republican Sen. Nick DiCeglie. The three judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals found that the challengers didn't provide direct evidence that "racial considerations affected the redistricting process." The Senate "never set racial targets or quotas," in drawing the districts, said the opinion by 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Andrew Brasher and joined by Judges Thomas Barber and Charlene Edwards Honeywell. 11th Circuit Ruling on Fla Redistricting Case / News Service Florida / Politico Pro / Florida Politics

Early Redistricting Plan Likely to Focus on SoFla Congressional Seats - If Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Legislature move to redraw congressional districts in the middle of the decade rather than waiting for the next Census to reapportion voters, a major focus of the effort is likely to be in South Florida, where five of the state's eight Democrat-held congressional districts are. DeSantis has said the state needs to do a mid-decade redistricting to redistribute votes based on migration patterns since 2020. He also has noted that a state Supreme Court ruling last month found that a north Florida district drawn to try to guarantee representation of Black voters violated the U.S. Constitution's equal protection clause because it amounted to racial gerrymandering. DeSantis says other congressional districts in the state could be found to be similarly gerrymandered in favor of protecting minority voting interests. The governor has also acknowledged that Republicans would pick up seats if the districts were redrawn as he and other GOP leaders envision. Opponents of the idea allege that the move is simply aimed at adding seats guaranteed to be won by Republicans as the party tries to maintain its slim majority in Congress in the 2026 election. South Florida Sun Sentinel

“Trump pledges effort to eliminate mail-in voting” via Nicole Markus of POLITICO — Trump railed against mail-in voting and vowed to “lead a movement” to eliminate the practice ahead of the 2026 Midterms. “ELECTIONS CAN NEVER BE HONEST WITH MAIL-IN BALLOTS/VOTING, and everybody, IN PARTICULAR THE DEMOCRATS, KNOWS THIS,” he wrote on Truth Social. “I, AND THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, WILL FIGHT LIKE HELL TO BRING HONESTY AND INTEGRITY BACK TO OUR ELECTIONS.” Trump has for years opposed mail-in ballots, insisting that they played a role in voter fraud he baselessly claims cost him the 2020 Presidential Election. The President indicated he would sign an executive order to assist with the effort to roll back mail-in voting. He also said he would target voting machines, favoring watermark paper for ballots instead.