The following is a list of events of the year 2026 in the U.S. state of Florida, as well as predicted and scheduled events that have not yet occurred.
This year marked Florida's 181st anniversary as a state in the Union on March 3, 1845, and 205 years since Spain ceded Florida to the United States on February 22, 1821. This year also marked the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence of the United States from the British Empire on July 4, 1776. Florida announced special events and exhibits, representing Florida as the 14th colony.
The Florida Legislature convened for its 2026 regular session between January 13 and March 13 amid a Republican trifecta, and passed around 235 bills. A special legislative session between April 28 and May 1 resulted in a redistricted congressional map ahead of the 2026 United States House of Representatives elections in Florida to give Republicans 4 more seats, leading to a 24-4 Republican-Democratic split. Another special legislative session between May 12 and 29 passed a $117.6 billion state budget for the 2026-2027 fiscal year. This was the second year in a row that the Florida Legislature had failed to pass the state budget within the regular session.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is term-limited. On August 18, U.S. Representative Bryon Donalds won the Republican primary after being the frontrunner in a field consisting of Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins, hedge fund investor James Fishback, and former Florida house speaker Paul Renner; and former U.S. Representative David Jolly won the Democratic primary after being the presumptive nominee following the withdrawal of Orange County mayor Jerry Demings.
Incumbents
State Government Executive Branch Governor: Ron DeSantis (R) Lieutenant Governor: Jay Collins (R) Attorney General: James Uthmeier (R) Chief Financial Officer: Blaise Ingoglia (R) Commissioner of Agriculture: Wilton Simpson (R) Legislative Branch Senate President: Ben Albritton (R) House Speaker: Sam Garrison (R) (designate) (begins November 2026) House Speaker: Wyman Duggan (R) (interim) (from August 21, 2026) House Speaker: Daniel Perez (R) (until August 21, 2026) Judicial Branch Chief Justice: John Couriel (since July 1, 2026) Chief Justice: Carlos Muñiz (until July 1, 2026)
Chairs of Major Political Parties Republican Party of Florida: Evan Power Florida Democratic Party: Nikki Fried
Events
January January 13 – Republican U.S. Representative Neal Dunn (FL-2) announces that he will not seek re-election. Trump later reveals that Dunn has a terminal illness. January 14 – DeSantis appoints Adam Tanenbaum to the Supreme Court of Florida, succeeding Charles Canady. January 15 – The Florida Supreme Court removes the American Bar Association as the sole law school accreditor for Florida Bar admission. January 17 – Multiple far-right and manosphere influencers attend a Miami Beach nightclub, including Nick Fuentes, Andrew Tate, Clavicular, Sneako, and Myron Gaines. Videos surface of the influencers dancing to "Heil Hitler" and making Nazi salutes. January 19 The 2026 College Football Playoff National Championship is played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, where the Indiana Hoosiers defeat the Miami Hurricanes to claim their first title. Uthmeier issues an attorney general opinion that race-based laws, including affirmative action, are unconstitutional and that his office will not enforce them. January 27 – Republican U.S. Representative Vern Buchanan (FL-16) announces that he will not seek re-election. January 28 – A Boca Raton nurse's license is suspended as a result of a TikTok video wishing harm on White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt during her pregnancy. January 29 – A Miami nurse relinquishes his nursing license following Facebook posts saying he would refuse anesthesia to MAGA patients.
February February 1 – The Florida Department of State announces that all 22 citizen initiatives for constitutional amendments are disqualified for the 2026 Florida general election ballot. February 3 – Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas warns students that they will face discipline if they participate in protests during the school day, particularly protests against ICE. February 4 Ryan Wesley Routh, the man who attempted to assassinate Trump in 2024 while he was golfing at his club in West Palm Beach, is sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Fishback meets with students at the University of Central Florida, making antisemitic statements. Fishback's comments receive condemnation. February 6 – The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles begins administering all driver's license knowledge and skills exams in English only. February 9 – DeSantis declares a state of emergency due to severe weather conditions: a historic cold snap at the beginning of the month, wildfires, and a drought that affects 99% of the state. February 10 The Republican Party of Florida passes a rule limiting the chairman's ability to fundraise in congressional campaigns. Ronald Palmer Heath, a man convicted for murder of a traveling salesman during a Gainesville robbery in 1990, is executed via lethal injection at Florida State Prison; he is Florida's first execution of the year. 51-year old Russel Kot kills his ex-girlfriend, his ex-girlfriend's family, and himself, in a spree killing between Fort Lauderdale and Bee Ridge. February 12–13 – For the 2026-2027 state budget, the House appropriates $113.6 billion and the Senate appropriates $115 billion. Neither meet the $117.4 billion proposed by DeSantis. February 14 – The University of Florida hires Uthmeier as adjunct faculty at the Levin College of Law teaching constitutional law, receiving a second six-figure salary from the government. February 15 – Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing wins the 2026 Daytona 500, Reddick's first victory in this race. February 17 The U.S. Department of Justice files a denaturalization case against former North Miami Mayor Philippe Bien-Aime. The DOJ claims that he fraudulently entered the U.S. from Haiti under a false name and remained despite a 2000 removal order. Palantir announces they are moving their headquarters from Denver to Miami. February 20 – Fishback attempts to confront Donalds at Florida Gulf Coast University, and is removed by security. Fishback has made racist statements towards Donalds, an African-American, throughout the gubernatorial campaign. February 22 – Secret Service agents fatally shoot 21-year old Austin Tucker Martin of North Carolina, who attempted to enter Mar-a-Lago while holding a shotgun and gas canister. Trump is not present at Mar-a-Lago when the incident occurs. February 24 Melvin Trotter, a man convicted for murder of a Manatee County grocery-store owner in 1986, is executed via lethal injection at Florida State Prison; he is Florida's second execution of the year. The Florida Department of Health changes eligibility requirements for the state's AIDS Drug Assistance Program in an effort to cut $120 million in state expenses. February 25 – The Cuban coast guard exchange gunfire with ten passengers, all Cubans and Cuban Americans, on a stolen motor boat which departed from the Florida Keys. 5 passengers died and 5 are injured.
March March 3 – Billy Leon Kearse, a man convicted of killing a Fort Pierce police officer during a traffic stop in 1991, is executed via lethal injection at Florida State Prison; he is Florida's third execution of the year. March 4 – The Miami-Dade County Republican Party secretary is revealed to have started a group chat with Florida International University student conservative leaders which contained multiple instances of antisemitism and anti-Black racism. FIU students sue the university over their disciplinary investigation on free speech grounds. March 7 – Trump hosts the inaugural Shield of the Americas summit at Trump National in Doral. March 10 Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo scores 83 points in the Heat's victory over the Washington Wizards at the Kaseya Center. This is the second most points scored by a single player in an NBA game, second only to Wilt Chamberlain's 100 points scored in a 1962 game. An explosive device is left outside MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa. Days later, two siblings are charged in connection to the device, though one suspect is reported to have flown to China and is not in custody. March 13 – Boca Raton council member Andy Thomson wins the 2026 Boca Raton mayoral election by five votes (7,572 votes), defeating his Republican opponents, energy executive Mike Liebelson (7,567 votes) and Boca Raton Vice Mayor Fran Nachlas (3,967 votes). Thomson is the first Democrat elected as Boca Raton mayor in over 30 years. March 14 – The University of Florida deactivate their chapter of College Republicans following a screenshot showing two students performing a Nazi salute. The UF College Republicans sue the university on free speech grounds. March 16 – A 19-year-old Mexican man dies while in ICE custody at the Glades County Detention Center in Moore Haven. ICE reports his death as a suicide. March 17 The 2026 World Baseball Classic championship is played at LoanDepot Park in Miami, where Venezuela defeat the United States 3-2 to claim their first title. Michael Lee King, a man convicted of killing a 21-year-old woman in North Port in 2008, is executed via lethal injection at Florida State Prison; he is Florida's fourth execution of the year. This murder led Florida to enact laws in 2008 and 2010 requiring all 911 dispatchers to take mandatory training. March 18 – Crews demolish the Pulse nightclub in Orlando to make way for a memorial to the victims of the 2016 shooting. March 19 – DeSantis signs his first laws in 2026, two environmental bills: SB 302, streamlining the permit process for nature-based methods aimed at improving coastal resiliency, and HB 1417, abolishing the Environmental Regulation Commission within the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The laws take effect on July 1, 2026. March 23 DeSantis signs SB 290 (Florida's Farm Bill) into law as sweeping agricultural reform: preventing local restrictions on gas-powered equipment, restricting high-density development on agricultural land, limiting emergency recovery loans to citizens, making permanent a statewide food bank program for farmers, and establishing loan repayment for veterinarians who specialize in livestock and equine care. The law takes effect on July 1, 2026. ICE agents are deployed to 14 airports nationwide, including Southwest Florida International Airport, amid a partial federal shutdown affecting funding for TSA. March 24 – Democrats flip two state legislative seats in special elections. Emily Gregory defeats financial planner Jon Maples in HD87, a district covering part of Palm Beach County which includes Mar-a-Lago. Brian Nathan defeats state representative Josie Tomkow in SD14, a district covering parts of Brevard County and Volusia County. March 26 – The Florida Board of Governors removes sociology as a core general education requirement at all public universities, effective for the 2026-2027 academic year. However, sociology may still be offered as an elective. March 27 – Golfer Tiger Woods is charged with driving under the influence following a car crash on Jupiter Island; it is the fourth publicized car crash involving Woods. March 30 DeSantis signs SB 706 into law, preempting the naming of major commercial service airports to the state. The law renames Palm Beach International Airport to Donald J. Trump International Airport. Trump and his son Eric unveil the plans for Trump's presidential library in Miami at Miami Dade College. Trump plans for the library to be a hotel.