Florida HB 621: States of Emergency

Bill Text

HB 621 2026

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hb621-00
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to states of emergency; amending s. 2
252.36, F.S.; providing that a state of emergency 3
renewed by the Governor expires within a specified 4
timeframe; authorizing the Legislature to extend the 5
state of emergency under specified circumstances; 6
providing that such extension is valid for a specified 7
timeframe; prohibiting such timeframe from exceeding 8
the end of the next regular session; requiring the 9
Governor to immediately issue a certain executive 10
order or proclamation consistent with the 11
Legislature's concurrent resolution terminating a 12
state of emergency; prohibiting the Governor from 13
declaring a substantially similar state of emergency 14
under specified conditions; amending s. 252.3611, 15
F.S.; requiring the Auditor General to update 16
quarterly a specified audit, rather than annually; 17
providing an effective date. 18
19
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 20
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Section 1. Subsection (2) and paragraph (a) of subsection 22
(3) of section 252.36, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 23
252.36 Emergency management powers of the Governor.— 24
(2) A state of emergency must be declared by executive 25

HB 621 2026

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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

order or proclamation of the Governor if she or he finds an 26
emergency has occurred or that the occurrence or the threat 27
thereof is imminent. The state of emergency must continue until 28
the Governor finds that the threat or danger has been dealt with 29
to the extent that the emergency conditions no longer exist and 30
she or he terminates the state of emergency by executive order 31
or proclamation, but no state of emergency may continue for 32
longer than 60 days unless renewed by the Governor, subject to 33
the limitations of subsection (3). All executive orders or 34
proclamations issued under this section must indicate the nature 35
of the emergency, the area or areas threatened, and the 36
conditions which brought the emergency about or which make 37
possible its termination. An executive order or proclamation 38
must be promptly disseminated by means calculated to bring its 39
contents to the attention of the general public; and, unless the 40
circumstances attendant upon the emergency prevent or impede 41
such filing, the order or proclamation must be filed promptly 42
with the Department of State, the President of the Senate and 43
the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the offices of 44
the county commissioners in the counties to which the order or 45
proclamation applies. 46
(3)(a)1. A state of emergency renewed by the Governor 47
expires after 1 year, and any specific order, proclamation, or 48
rule thereunder is terminated, unless the Legislature, by a two-49
thirds vote of the membership of each house, expressly 50

HB 621 2026

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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

authorizes the extension of the state of emergency. 51
2. If the Legislature authorizes a continuance of the 52
state of emergency, the Legislature must set the date the state 53
of emergency terminates. Such date may not be later than the 54
scheduled end of the next regular session. 55
3. At any time, the Legislature, by concurrent resolution, 56
may terminate a state of emergency or any specific order, 57
proclamation, or rule thereunder. Upon such concurrent 58
resolution, the Governor shall immediately issue an executive 59
order or proclamation consistent with the concurrent resolution. 60
4. If the Legislature terminates or allows a state of 61
emergency to expire, the Governor may not declare a 62
substantially similar state of emergency. 63
Section 2. Subsection (3) of section 252.3611, Florida 64
Statutes, is amended to read: 65
252.3611 Transparency; audits.— 66
(3) Once an emergency exceeds 1 year, the Auditor General 67
shall conduct a financial audit of all associated expenditures 68
and a compliance audit of all associated contracts entered into 69
during the declared emergency. The Auditor General shall must 70
update the audit quarterly annually until the emergency is 71
declared to be ended. 72
Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026. 73