Inspired by Elon Musk and President Donald Trump cutting the fat in federal government, a pair of Republican lawmakers said they want to get rid of red tape in Florida, too. Their new bill would deregulate the state by expiring many agencies’ rules after eight years unless they get readopted and would make it easier for people to challenge the state’s rules in court.

“With more than 170,000 regulatory restrictions, Florida ranks 11th nationally in bureaucratic burden — putting it in the company of high-regulation states like New York and California,” said a joint press release put out by Sen. Danny Burgess and Rep. Tiffany Esposito.

Burgess and Esposito’s legislation (SB 448/HB 305) would exempt the rules from ending in eight years if agencies are required to comply with federal law or receive federal money, or if they are rules under agencies run by elected officials or rules set from authority in the state constitution.

“An agency may not adopt any rule or issue any guidance document unless the agency has been expressly granted the power to do so by a specific statutory delegation,” the bill also outlines.

When asked for the reason behind the bill, a spokesman said, “Rep. Esposito has been boots on the ground in her day job as CEO of Southwest Florida Inc., listening to businesses frustrated by costly, bureaucratic roadblocks that serve no real purpose. She’s also inspired by President Trump and Elon Musk’s work at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to reduce the size of government.”

Their bill would also require regulatory agencies to do a cost-analysis and determine regulatory costs for rules.

Later, “an agency shall conduct a retrospective cost-benefit analysis for each adopted rule 4 years after the rule’s effective date,” the bill states. 

The bill also allows people to challenge the enforcement of the state’s rules “based solely on the grounds that the agency lacked express statutory authority to adopt the rule,” the bill states. “Any party that prevails on such a challenge shall be entitled to recover reasonable costs and attorney fees.”

One reason why people could challenge the rules is if the agency didn’t provide the cost analysis or give estimated regulatory costs, according to the bill.

“President Trump got right to work reining in the size of government and putting an end to wasteful spending, and with this legislation, Florida will be ready to follow suit. By cutting through bureaucratic red tape and keeping regulations in check, we will ensure our state government is working smarter, businesses have the opportunity to flourish, and our economy continues to thrive,” Burgess said in a statement.

Added Esposito, “Government should serve the people, not the other way around. The bill aligns with President Trump’s call to shrink government and focus taxpayer dollars on real priorities.”

The lawmakers said their bill is supported by the Cicero Institute, a billionaire-backed think tank from Texas making headlines recently for working with states, including Florida, to ban homeless street camps. Its website says it wants “bold policies for a more functional future.”

“Unnecessary rules cost Florida businesses billions in lost productivity and compliance,” said Jonathan Wolfson, Policy Director at the Cicero Institute. “This bill moves Florida closer to becoming the nation’s leader in cutting bureaucratic waste.”

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If people have a right to smoke medical marijuana, Sen. Joe Gruters says they should have the right to grow it in their own home.

The Sarasota Republican filed legislation (SB 546) that would allow individuals to seek permits with the Department of Agriculture to cultivate cannabis for their own personal use.

“People want to have the ability to grow it themselves,” Gruters said. “If you have an ID card, why should we not allow that. It’s probably a good idea. We can still make it regulated and limit the amount.”

The legislation would limit home-grow permits to those at least 21 years old. As written, it would allow a permitted individuals to have up to two cannabis plants at his or her home, but the plants would have to be out of public view and locked away from children.

The bill would also allow for the Agriculture Department to conduct home inspections to make sure individuals were following state rules and regulations. Notably, Gruters also filed another bill (SB 552) that could expand the number of conditions legally treatable under the state’s medical marijuana law.

Gruters filed the bill months after a recreational amendment he had endorsed fell short of passage. While it failed to reach the 60% threshold for passage, it did receive broad support, from about 56% of voters.

During the campaign, Gov. Ron DeSantis frequently lamented the measure did not allow individuals to grow at home, and that the measure would likely restrict production to permitted companies in a system similar to Florida’s medical marijuana regulations.

Supporters said the Legislature had the ability to allow home-grown medical marijuana now. Gruters’ bill would make it happen.

At the moment, Florida heavily regulates the cannabis industry, allowing a limited number of companies, and only allowing companies that run both cultivation and distribution of their product, a process called vertical integration.

Notably, Gruters represents a portion of Manatee County, where longtime medical marijuana advocate Cathy Jordan was arrested in 2014 for growing marijuana in her own home. Jordan, who suffered from ALS, died last year.

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Terminally ill Floridians could be given additional options to end their lives after a new measure was filed Friday.

The bill (HB 471) was filed by Boynton Beach Democrat Rep. Joe Casello and would be titled the “Florida End-of-Life Option Act” which would give terminally ill patients autonomy over their end-of-life choices.

It emphasizes the fundamental right of self-determination for adults with terminal illnesses who are still fully mentally capable of making an informed, voluntary decision. Patients must be over the age of 18, Florida residents, and diagnosed with a terminal illness that would end their life within six months.

To be eligible, patients would have to submit two oral requests and one written request — which would include a non-relative witness signature — for medication to end their life. The bill would further allow for a waiting period, and the patient would be able to rescind their request at any time.

Attending qualified physicians would be required to verify a patient’s terminal condition, inform them of their options and, if needed, refer the patient to a consulting physician and mental health professional. Consulting physicians would need to confirm a diagnosis, the patient’s mental capacity, and confirm the decision is a voluntary action.

Health care providers would report to the Department of Health under strict documentation, reporting and recordkeeping guidelines. The department would then publish an annual aggregated report.

Any unused medications would be required to be disposed of properly, and death certificates for patients who die by self-administration of prescribed medication must list the underlying terminal condition as the cause of death.

Those acting in good faith and not participating in prohibited actions would be granted immunities. However, the bill would not restrict any further liability for civil damages that result from negligent conduct or intentional misconduct by any person.

Health care providers and facilities would be able to prohibit participation in the act on their premises, but they must inform both their employees and patients before doing so. Furthermore, providers who participate in the act off-premises or outside of their employment scope cannot be sanctioned.

Under the act, insurance companies would be prohibited from any clauses within a patient’s insurance contract that affects decisions a patient could make about using end-of-life medications. Insurers would further be prohibited from denying benefits or discriminate based on the availability of the medication.

The bill points out that the act does not authorize a physician or any other person to end a patient’s life by lethal injection, mercy killing or active euthanasia.

Criminal penalties would apply if any person willfully altered or forges a request for medication or conceals or destroys a recission of the request with the intent or effect of causing the patient’s death. Coercion or influence of a patient to take the end-of-life medication also carries criminal penalties.

These actions would be considered a first-degree felony under Florida statutes and could come with a potential prison sentence of up to 30 years.

If passed, the act will come into effect July 1, 2025.

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