Seminole County legislators: Rural boundary is safe ‘for now’

Florida lawmakers ended their 2026 legislative session, but local politicians are predicting they will be back in Tallahassee three more times to take up unfinished business. 

Florida lawmakers ended the 2026 session on March 13, but didn’t pass the one bill they are legally required to pass: A budget. The Florida House passed a $113.6 billion, while the Senate passed a $115 billion – a $1.4 billion difference. 

Speaking at a roundtable of Seminole County lawmakers last week hosted by the Seminole County Chamber, members said they fully expect to be back for multiple special sessions. 

“I think we’ll have three (special sessions): Budget, redistricting, property taxes,” said Florida Rep. David Smith, who represents the Winter Springs area. 

“I think three as well,” said Rep. Rachel Plakon, also from Seminole County. 

“Yeah, that’s my take,” added Rep. Doug Bankson. 

See below for a look back at what passed – and didn’t pass – in the 2026 Florida Legislative session. 

The rural boundary is safe – for now

The item making the biggest local headlines was a proposal to fundamentally alter the rural boundary for Seminole and Orange counties. 

Sen. Jason Brodeur, the second-highest ranking member of the Florida Senate, made a final push March 13, trying to convince senators to support the amendment. It would have granted near-automatic development rights inside a rural boundary. 

Brodeur, who voted for the amendment, was not at the recent event. Rep. Susan Plasencia was also not at the event. The proposal never made it to the Florida House, but local lawmakers were opposed to it. 

“We never had to deal with it in the house particularly, but we were prepared to,” Smith said. “But our rural boundary is safe, at least for another year.”

Smith called it a “small victory” for another year, saying lawmakers need to be vigilant. Smith specifically thanked Seminole County commissioners Andria Herr, Amy Lockhart, Lee Constantine, as well as Winter Springs Mayor Kevin McCann, for lobbying and coordinating efforts against the amendment. 

“It’s typical Tallahassee – if you’re not cheatin’, you’re not tryin’,” Smith said. “Folks are out there again attacking our rural boundary, and the one Orange County established.”

Another legislative issue that failed this year: Plakon’s bill to alter the Winter Springs charter to increase the mayor’s power, a move championed by Jesse Phillips, who is running for mayor in 2026. 

Budget talks center over a $1.5 billion difference

Florida lawmakers could come back to pass a budget as soon as April 13, Smith said. 

That week makes the most sense, he said, because lawmakers are already scheduled to be back the week of April 20 to talk about redistricting. 

“If the state budget was a dollar, we were fighting over less than a penny,” Smith said. “And we couldn’t get it done on time. That’s shame on us.”

There are differences in the budget. Funding for Florida Forever, the state’s fund for buying land for preservation, is wildly different between the House and Senate. 

“So we’re going to go back and we’ll hammer out a budget and at the end of it we’ll go, ‘What were we fighting about?’” Smith added.

Property Tax talks could ultimately come down to voters

Another big topic for 2026 was calls to end property taxes in Florida. 

The Florida House of Representatives passed House Joint Resolution 203 this session. If ultimately passed into law, it would eliminate property taxes starting in 2027, while requiring local governments to keep funding for police and fire services flat. 

But state senators never took up the proposal, which could end up in a special session. Bankson said the argument is that, philosophically, people argue they don’t ever own their home if they have to continually pay property taxes.

“It makes people very nervous at the local level, and that’s our pledge, is to make sure that we do it in a responsible manner,” Bankson said. “At the same time, I don’t want to drive on dirt roads and have no police and fire and the things that we need. So we’ve got to do that in a responsible manner. The conversation is being held, and we’ll wait to see what happens with the Senate.”

Plakon said she viewed it as a first move. 

“I do think we need to lower our property taxes, because not only is that the right thing to do, it’s something I ran on, but we also need to do it in a very careful and thought-out way,” Plakon said. “And I think we also need to focus on people who’ve been here a long time, people who’ve really invested in our state, 10 to 20 years or more.” 

Plakon said one of the biggest concerns were the state’s fiscally constrained counties. 

“It’s going to be a big drag on the state budget to be able to just keep them afloat,” Plakon said. “So I don’t think we’re going to see a total elimination. I think we’re going to see a big discount.”

Smith said he thinks lawmakers could pass a more targeted version: Something where people who are over 65, and have been paying property taxes for 20 years, could have them eliminated or reduced. If, for example, you’re over 65 and have had a homestead exemption for five years, you get a 25% reduction. Ten years, you would get a 50% reduction, and so on. 

“I don’t think you’re ever going to see any property tax changes in Florida,” Smith added. “I don’t think anything that we’ve worked on in Tallahassee would ever get 60% of the vote. Why would anybody who rents ever vote for this?”

Seminole County’s Legislative Delegation includes:

Sen. Jason Brodeur, Senate District 10

Rep. Rachel Plakon, House District 36

Rep. Susan Plasencia, House District 37

Rep. David Smith, House District 38

Rep. Doug Bankson, House District 39

Abe Aboraya is a Report for America corps member