As Florida’s 2026 Legislative Session approaches, artificial intelligence is expected to be a major focus among Tallahassee’s policymakers. Driven by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ calls for greater regulation, the legislature has already filed at least 32 bills ranging from embracing the new technology to banning it. But before legislators weigh these proposals, they should review the protections Florida has already put in place.

The House got a head start on the subject during their inaugural AI Week, convening various agencies, industries, and practitioners to discuss how they are approaching the emerging technology. As legislators consider new AI proposals, they would do well to heed the advice of Leo Schoonover, Chief Information Officer at the Department of Health, who urged the state in an early IT Budget & Policy Subcommittee meeting to “set the floor, not the ceiling.”

Schoonover has reason to be confident.

Over the past few years, Florida has set a strong “floor” of accountability for AI, in some cases without even trying. Those who testified before House committees repeatedly noted that Florida’s existing legal framework already addresses many of the concerns people have about AI. This is largely because preexisting laws tend to be process-neutral, providing penalties for harmful outcomes regardless of the tool or technology used.

Whether the technology is a chatbot, image generator, or diagnostic tool, the same accountability principles apply.

Consider the state’s protections against unauthorized commercial use of someone’s likeness. In 1967, long before generative AI was conceivable, lawmakers established penalties for profiting from a person’s identity without consent. While some fear that AI-generated media might evade these restrictions, the original statute focuses on the transgression rather than the method. Unauthorized profiteering remains illegal, whether the image is captured by a camera or generated by an algorithm.

The same accountability principles apply across licensed professional practices. The Florida Bar testified that lawyers who cite AI-hallucinated cases already face disciplinary action under longstanding ethics rules that predate the technology. Similarly, health care providers confirmed that physicians remain fully liable for any incorrect AI-assisted diagnosis or documentation under existing malpractice standards. Physicians, therefore, have strong reason to actively verify AI outputs rather than defer to them without scrutiny. In both professions, existing accountability structures discourage over-reliance without requiring AI-specific regulation.

Where regulatory gaps have arisen, the Legislature has moved to close them. Since 2022, the Legislature has reaffirmed that willfully promoting an altered sexual depiction of someone without their consent is illegal, most recently with the passage of “Brooke’s Law” last Session. In 2024, the Legislature passed requirements for political advertisements to include a transparency disclosure when content is created using AI. These efforts extend the same process-neutral logic to new contexts, keeping the focus on the harm itself rather than the technology used to commit it. If new gray areas arise in the future, Florida can and should apply the same framework when drafting new protections.

AI Week offered Florida a model for approaching novel technologies. Legislators heard directly from the agencies, industries, and practitioners who work with these tools every day. That kind of informed deliberation is exactly what good policymaking looks like. Florida has taken Schoonover’s approach without even realizing it. Through decades of process-neutral law, Florida has built a strong floor of consumer protection, while recent legislation has filled gaps where needed.

In the upcoming Session, legislators have a chance to build upon that foundation rather than abandon it. The floor is already there. All that’s left is deciding whether to trust it.

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Turner Loesel is a policy analyst in the Center for Technology and Innovation at The James Madison Institute.

Seven Florida public universities are earning recognition for outreach to their respective communities in the state.

The State University System (SUS) of Florida announced that the Carnegie Foundation awarded the schools with the 2026 Community Engagement Classification. The award, which is designated by the American Council on Education and Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, highlights colleges and universities that are involved in the community.

The Sunshine State schools receiving the recognition include Florida Atlantic University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Florida International University, Florida State University, the University of Florida, the University of North Florida and the University of South Florida. Of the 12 state universities in Florida, the University of Central Florida and the University of West Florida also obtained the honor in 2024.

“Florida’s public higher education system leads the nation because our focus extends past handing out degrees; our institutions care about their impact on their communities, statewide, and beyond,” said SUS Board of Governors Chair Alan Levine.

“From nursing to engineering to aerospace technology, our academic programs are serving students and Floridians through innovative research and experiential learning that solve today’s challenges and prepare tomorrow’s leaders.”

Carnegie officials note that 230 U.S. higher-education institutions were selected for the award.

“The Community Engagement Classification is awarded following a process of self-study by each institution. The classification has been the leading framework for institutional assessment and recognition of community engagement in U.S. higher education for the past 19 years with classification cycles in 2006, 2008, 2010, 2015, 2020, 2024, and now 2026. The 2029 cycle will be for first-time applicants,” a Carnegie news release said.

SUS officials say the schools never shied away from giving back to residents.

“Under the System’s strategic plan, universities prioritize engaging stakeholders in their communities to elevate student and economic outcomes, and to cultivate prepared and engaged citizens,” said SUS Chancellor Ray Rodrigues.

“Recognition through the Community Engagement Classification demonstrates this plan in action, proving that our universities are a comprehensive resource for communities and businesses across the state and serve Floridians in the ways that matter most.”