The 2025 legislative session in Florida began on March 4th. This means that it’s now time for legislators to vote on all bills that have been filed in the Florida House and Senate. As members of the general public, we have access to almost everything discussed about these bills. This is a great way to stay informed about the politics happening all around you and that may affect you most directly, aside from voting. Here’s a simple breakdown of how to understand this political process and keep yourself informed, even from the comfort of your couch.
Tracking Bills
All bills filed for the session can be found on the Senate website. There, you can find all of the information on bills in both the House and Senate, see how they move, and whether or not they pass. If you sign up for a free Senate Tracker account, you can star bills you want to track and receive email updates about those bills.
How Bills Move
Bills will be assigned to committees, all of which they must pass through in order to potentially become law. Not all bills will be heard, and if a bill is not on the committee agenda by halfway through the legislative session, it’s unlikely to pass or be voted on at all. On the Senate and House websites, you can access live streams and presentations from the committee meetings and gain insight into the conversation surrounding the bills.
Understanding Bills
The exact bill language and any amendments are accessible on both the House and Senate websites but are often filled with legal jargon and can be hard to understand. For many bills, there may be an additional analysis posted on the website, which is often shorter and much easier to read. Another way to understand bills is by reading articles from trusted news sources about the bill and what its impact would be.
Advocating
What do you do if you see a bill you feel strongly for or against? There are several ways to get involved. The easiest may be contacting your representatives via email or phone and explaining why you, as a concerned citizen, believe they should vote one way or another. If you’re in Tallahassee, you can show up in person to many of the committee meetings that are open for public comment and speak directly to representatives.
Another great way to advocate is by supporting organizations that stand up for what you believe in. For example, I work with the Florida Springs Council, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting Florida’s springs. They place a huge emphasis on political action and do a great job at informing the public of which bills help and hurt our springs. Organizations like this make advocacy easier, because they provide updates on bills of concern, and create email templates that you can send out to representatives in less than a minute.
Staying aware of what happens in politics on a more local scale can make you feel more invested in your community. There are bills on an unbelievable amount of topics and political interests, and there’s always a way to involve yourself. If you feel like you “don’t care” about politics — you should! Politics exists in almost every facet of life and is more than the culture wars we see on the internet.
Hopefully, this article helped you gain more insight into Florida’s legislative process and encouraged you to research bills you may be interested in. It’s never too late to get involved!
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