A new poll shows U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds remains in a dominant position in the Republican Primary for Governor.

The latest Mason-Dixon poll of registered Republicans found 37% would vote for Donalds, a Naples Republican, if the election were held today. By comparison, 7% favor Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, 4% back former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner and 3% support Azoria CEO James Fishback.

Pollsters conducted the phone survey of 400 registered Republican voters Jan. 8-13. Collins launched his long-anticipated campaign near the end of that polling period.

Donalds’ lead falls well outside the poll’s 5% margin of error, and he remains the only candidate polling in double-digits. He’s also the candidate who has been in the field the longest, launching his campaign in March shortly after President Donald Trump endorsed a run.

Renner kicked off his campaign in September while Fishback launched a run in November.

Pollsters also surveyed favorability ratings for all of the candidates.

It found a majority of Republicans, 52%, hold a favorable opinion of Donalds, and just 3% have an unfavorable view of him. About 17% know of Donalds but remained neutral about the Congressman while 28% did not recognize his name.

The rest of the field remains largely unknown to voters. About 73% did not recognize Collins, 74% had no knowledge of Renner and 81% were clueless about Fishback.

But 11% held a positive view of Collins, compared to just 1% who view him unfavorably, with 15% recognizing him but remaining neutral.

By comparison, 9% had a favorable opinion of Renner, while just 1% saw him unfavorably and 16% felt neutral.

Only 5% felt favorably about Fishback, while 4% had an unfavorable opinion and 10% felt neutral but knew the name.

The Primary for Governor, scheduled for Aug. 18, will be open to only registered Republicans.

Miami Lakes Republican Rep. Tom Fabricio is bringing a package of policy proposals both new and familiar into the 2026 Legislative Session.

Some cover widely publicized issues, such as property taxes and affordability. Others center on more under-the-radar concerns, from red tape in day-to-day government transactions to a renewed push for what he calls constitutional clarity in Florida’s classrooms.”

“This Legislative Session will, yet again, be an opportunity to do the work of the people,” Fabricio said in a statement.

On affordability, Fabricio is carrying legislation (SB 1184, HB 6027) with Doral Republican Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez to tighten rules around homestead portability, the system that lets many homeowners carry forward accumulated property tax savings when they move from one primary residence to another.

Fabricio described the measure as an attempt to match state law to the promise 64% of voters thought they were approving when they OK’d the provision in 2008. He called it a “technical fix.”

If passed, the measure would simply change references from an “immediate prior homestead” to a “prior homestead,” while keeping the same Save Our Homes portability calculation formulas and $500,000 cap.

That minor alteration would allow a homeowner’s portability calculation to be based on a previous qualifying homestead within an existing three-year window, rather than only the most recent homestead, which could help people who had an intervening non-homestead situation — like renting — to still transfer their Save Our Homes benefit.

“By tightening the rules around Homestead portability, this bill ensures that homeowners can actually carry their hard-earned property tax savings with them when they move, just as voters intended,” he said.

Fabricio is also pitching what he describes as a government-modernization bill targeting something most Floridians encounter far more often than tax policy: renewing their car registration.

He and Rodriguez also filed twin bills (SB 982, HB 841) to require renewals to be recorded electronically and eliminate the requirement for yellow registration decals to be placed on a vehicle’s license plate.

That small change, which Miami-Dade County Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez called for, is already policy in states like Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Vermont, and it’s estimated to save Miami-Dade alone $2.5 million yearly.

Fabricio said it’s an overdue departure from outdated processes.

“This legislative proposal … would overhaul and streamline an ancient technology by cutting outdated red tape,” he said, adding that the switch would improve government efficiency “while also saving taxpayers time and money.”

Another measure (SB 416, HB 115) Fabricio is again sponsoring with Miami Springs Republican Sen. Bryan Ávila would tackle a persistent problem in northwest Miami-Dade and southwest Broward: property damage due to limestone blast mining.

The two lawmakers have tried for years to give property owners a clear route to compensation when nearby quarry activities damage their homes, with little to no attention from leadership in the Legislature.

Taking note of this inaction, including a complete snubbing in both chambers last Session, Fabricio’s home city voted to sue Florida over the state’s ban on lawsuits against limestone mining operators.

Like its past iterations, this year’s version of the legislation would establish a path for compensation for residents whose homes sit within 3 miles of limestone quarries, while also setting standards for how claims are evaluated and paid.

It’s “about fairness,” Fabricio said.

“These repeat explosions have caused significant damage to South Florida properties,” he said, “and this bill will serve as a compromise to mining operations and relief for affected residents.”

Rounding out Fabricio’s priority slate is an education-focused proposal built around an explicit pledge to state and federal charters.

The bill (HB 147) would require teachers and administrative personnel in public schools — from prekindergarten to the college level — to take an oath to protect and defend the Florida Constitution and the U.S. Constitution.

Fabricio said the proposed mandate, which Jacksonville Republican Sen. Clay Yarborough is carrying in the upper chamber (SB 430), is meant to underscore the foundational role the documents play in civic life.

“Florida’s Constitution and the U.S. Constitution are the backbone of our republic,” he said. “It’s critical that those entrusted with educating our children respect and uphold the principles that define our nation and our state, and that they protect those constitutional values across classrooms in the Sunshine State.”

The 2026 Legislative Session began Tuesday and is scheduled to run until March 13.

The Florida Building Commission (FBC) has overturned a recommendation from the Florida Plumbing Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) aimed at strengthening the Florida Building Code to clarify a technical definition that certain contractors have exploited to use a flawed and non-compliant pipe repair method known as CIPP “gapping.”

The TAC recommendation confirmed that only continuous cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) installations — with no “gaps” left at branch or service connections — meet Florida Building Code standards. The decision protected future condominium and commercial property owners who choose to use CIPP as a cost-effective rehabilitation solution and also gave support to legal warranty claims by thousands of Florida property owners who are being identified as CIPP “gapping” victims suffering from premature pipe failures and deficiencies caused by the CIPP “gapping” installation shortcut.

Without the recommendation, homeowners will continue facing financial harm, local governments will be susceptible to enforcement challenges, and the state risks increased litigation.

The “gapping method” involves leaving unlined sections of aged, corroded pipe where branch lines connect, rather than creating a fully sealed, continuous CIPP liner. Over time, these gaps can cause leaks, blockages, and hidden structural damage — leaving owners with expensive repair bills for work they previously paid to rehabilitate.

Despite those recommendations, which had support from affected property owners and Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) building officials, the FBC overturned the decision at its meeting Dec. 9 by a 9-5 vote.

Critics of the vote argue the FBC’s decision creates continued confusion and inconsistency in how existing building codes related to CIPP material installation are interpreted and enforced in Florida. Additionally, its failure to support thoroughly vetted TAC recommendations exposes property owners to failures associated with non-compliant “gapped” CIPP installations, leaving homeowners at risk of paying for repairs on work that may not meet the performance standards required by material manufacturers, Florida law or American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) standards. The decision also jeopardizes warranty protections consumers rely on.

Legally, the vote not to uphold TAC recommendations also undermines the intent of legislation (SB 4-D) passed in 2022, which calls for accurate assessment and code-compliant remediation of aging cast iron drainage systems. With inspections mandated under the legislation now well underway and ongoing, more deficiencies associated with “gapped” installations are being discovered, increasing the likelihood of building system failures and costly litigation.

And perhaps worse, the decision contradicts expert consensus, which defines “continuous” as having no “gaps” in CIPP material coverage.

AHJ representatives who attended the meeting last month expressed concern that the action will prolong confusion and rob residents of protections the recommendations were designed to ensure.

And one of the speakers supporting the TAC recommendations at the December meeting was from the Highland Towers Condominium Association speaking on behalf of “gapping” victims, underscoring threats to finances and safety without implementation.

Pipeline Technologies, Inc. founder Michael Wilson and his company have been leading the fight for CIPP installation clarification for more than a decade. In 2015, Wilson secured a Declaratory Statement from the State affirming that continuous CIPP was the only code-compliant method, requiring a permit to ensure proper inspection oversight and consumer protection. Still, inconsistent enforcement allowed some contractors to continue using shortcuts, leaving many property owners vulnerable.

The TAC recommendations would have put an end to that, ensuring that any CIPP system showing material gaps during a final video inspection will automatically fail — giving building officials statewide a clear and straightforward way to enforce the code and prevent future consumer exploitation.

Wilson is now re-committing to continuing efforts to work with state and local AHJ officials to establish uniform statewide interpretation and understanding of existing CIPP code requirements.