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SB 1138FLORIDA · STATEWIDESession 2026Laid on Table, refer to CS/CS/CS/HB 927
High Impact

New Rules for Faster Building and Development Permits

Original title: Qualified Contractors

January 5, 2026

housingpermittinglocal governmentconstructionland usemunicipalities

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Where This Stands

Currently Laid on Table, refer to CS/CS/CS/HB 927. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Introduced.

Procedural history

16 actions
  1. Feb 26, 2026Senate
    CS/CS by Rules read 1st time
  2. Feb 26, 2026Senate
    Placed on Calendar, on 2nd reading
  3. Feb 26, 2026Senate
    Pending reference review -under Rule 4.7(2) - (Committee Substitute)
  4. Feb 24, 2026Senate
    CS/CS by- Rules; YEAS 23 NAYS 0
  5. Feb 19, 2026Senate
    On Committee agenda-- Rules, 02/24/26, 12:00 pm, 412 Knott Building
  6. Feb 18, 2026Senate
    CS by Judiciary read 1st time
Show 10 earlier actions
  1. Feb 12, 2026Senate
    Now in Rules
  2. Feb 12, 2026Senate
    Pending reference review under Rule 4.7(2) - (Committee Substitute)
  3. Feb 10, 2026Senate
    CS by Judiciary; YEAS 11 NAYS 0
  4. Feb 5, 2026Senate
    On Committee agenda-- Judiciary, 02/10/26, 12:00 pm, 110 Senate Building
  5. Jan 20, 2026Senate
    Now in Judiciary
  6. Jan 20, 2026SenateCommittee
    Favorable by Community Affairs; YEAS 6 NAYS 2
  7. Jan 15, 2026Senate
    On Committee agenda-- Community Affairs, 01/20/26, 1:00 pm, 37 Senate Building
  8. Jan 13, 2026SenateIntroduced
    Introduced
  9. Jan 12, 2026SenateCommittee
    Referred to Community Affairs; Judiciary; Rules
  10. Jan 5, 2026SenateIntroduced
    Filed

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →

The Frame

What this does

The bill changes how quickly developers can get permits for new housing and subdivisions, potentially reducing wait times by allowing private contractors to step in when local government offices are slow or fail to maintain required registries.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Developers and Homebuilders

They gain the ability to use private contractors for permit reviews and benefit from mandatory expedited timelines.

Local Government Planning Departments

They must establish new pre-application programs, maintain contractor registries, and adhere to strict processing deadlines or face fee refunds.

Licensed Engineers, Architects, and Planners

They are eligible to be listed as 'qualified contractors' to perform government-authorized review services.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 5, 2026.

What's next

Introduced.

Summary

This bill requires larger counties and municipalities to create faster, more predictable processes for developers to get pre-application advice and building permits. It allows developers to hire private, s to help review their plans if local governments fail to meet specific deadlines or registry requirements.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I hire my own contractor to speed up my permit process?
Yes, if the local government fails to establish or maintain the required registry of s, you may hire a qualified contractor of your choosing.
What happens if the local government doesn't respond to my application on time?
If the government fails to meet the 45-day deadline for final action on a complete application, it is deemed approved by .
Does this apply to all cities and counties?
No, it applies to counties with 75,000 or more residents and municipalities with 10,000 or more residents.

Why It Matters

The bill changes how quickly developers can get permits for new housing and subdivisions, potentially reducing wait times by allowing private contractors to step in when local government offices are slow or fail to maintain required registries.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Voting Record

Motion succeededsenate2/24/2026Official roll call ↗

Favorable with Committee Substitute

Total

28

Yes

27

No

0

Present

0

Not Voting

0

Abstain

0

Motion succeededsenate2/10/2026legiscanOfficial roll call ↗

Favorable with Committee Substitute

Total

11

Yes

11

No

0

Present

0

Not Voting

0

Abstain

0

Motion succeededsenate1/20/2026Official roll call ↗

Favorable

Total

10

Yes

7

No

3

Present

0

Not Voting

0

Abstain

0

Full roll-call analysis →

Sponsors

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift95% confidence

Privatization of Permit Review

The bill shifts the burden of permit review from local government staff to private contractors when government agencies fail to meet statutory deadlines.

Local GovernmentQualified Contractor

Connected Entities

date02/24/26“Date of a committee meeting.”Map →
dollar_amount37“Number of senators present at a meeting.”Map →
dollar_amount23“Number of senators present at a meeting.”Map →
date01/20/26“Date of a committee meeting.”Map →
organizationRules“Committee reviewing and passing the bill.”Map →
bill_numberHB 1234“Placeholder for a related bill.”Map →
locationKnott Building“Location of a committee meeting on 2026-02-19.”Map →
date02/26“Date of a calendar placement.”Map →
date02/10/26“Date of a committee meeting.”Map →
dollar_amount110“Number of senators present at a meeting.”Map →
locationSenate Building“Location of a committee meeting on 2026-01-15.”Map →
dollar_amount412“Number of senators present at a meeting.”Map →
organizationJudiciary“Committee reviewing and passing the bill.”Map →
organizationCommunity Affairs“Initial committee to which the bill was referred.”Map →

Sources

Open source document

openstates.org

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance85
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy60
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment10
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz30
    Current news / social attention level

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