Tom Fabricio highlights bills on tax relief, vehicle registration, teacher oath

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.