Florida Senate - 2026 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS for SB 380
Ì159872JÎ159872
LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Senate . House
Comm: RCS .
01/27/2026 .
.
.
.
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
The Committee on Community Affairs (Trumbull) recommended the
following:
1 Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
2
3 Delete lines 50 - 137
4 and insert:
5 (1) For purposes of this chapter, the term “governmental
6 agency” means a county, municipality, school board, clerk of the
7 circuit court, tax collector, water management district
8 operating pursuant to chapter 373, or other unit of local
9 government or political subdivision in this state.
10 (2) For purposes of notices and advertisements required
11 under s. 50.011, the term “publicly accessible website” means a
12 county’s official website or other private website designated by
13 the county for the publication of legal notices and
14 advertisements which that is accessible through via the
15 Internet. For legal notices and advertisements required under s.
16 50.011 by a municipality, clerk of the circuit court, tax
17 collector, or water management district, the term “publicly
18 accessible website” means such entity’s official website, a
19 private website designated by such entity, a county’s official
20 website, or a private website designated by the county in which
21 such entity is located.
22 (3) All advertisements and public notices published on a
23 website as provided in this chapter must be in searchable form
24 and indicate the date on which the advertisement or public
25 notice was first published on the website.
26 (4) Any legal notice or advertisement that is published on
27 a publicly accessible website must, unless otherwise specified
28 by law, be published continuously for at least 2 weeks when the
29 purpose is to provide notice of the status of a government
30 activity or be published continuously from the date of initial
31 publication through the date of the proposed event or activity.
32 (5)(3) A governmental agency may use the publicly
33 accessible website of the county in which it lies to publish
34 legally required advertisements and public notices if the cost
35 of publishing advertisements and public notices on such website
36 is less than the cost of publishing advertisements and public
37 notices in a newspaper.
38 (6)(4) A governmental agency with at least 75 percent of
39 its population located within a county having with a population
40 of less fewer than 160,000; a municipality, school board, clerk
41 of the circuit court, or tax collector that is located within a
42 county having a population of less than 160,000; or any other
43 unit of local government or political subdivision in this state
44 having at least 75 percent of its population located within a
45 county having a population of less than 160,000 may use a
46 publicly accessible website to publish legally required
47 advertisements and public notices only if the governing body of
48 the governmental agency, at a public hearing that has been
49 noticed in a newspaper as provided in this chapter, determines
50 that the residents of the governmental agency have sufficient
51 access to the Internet by broadband service, as defined in s.
52 364.02, or by any other means, such that publishing
53 advertisements and public notices on a publicly accessible
54 website will not unreasonably restrict public access.
55 (7)(5) A special district spanning the geographic
56 boundaries of more than one county that satisfies the criteria
57 for publishing and publishes chooses to publish legally required
58 advertisements and public notices on a publicly accessible
59 website must publish such advertisements and public notices on
60 the publicly accessible website of each county it spans. For
61 purposes of this subsection, the term “special district” has the
62 same meaning as in s. 189.012 but does not include a water
63 management district operating pursuant to chapter 373.
64 (8)(6) A governmental agency that uses a publicly
65 accessible website to publish legally required advertisements
66 and public notices must shall provide notice at least once per
67 year in a newspaper of general circulation or another
68 publication that is mailed or delivered to all residents and
69 property owners throughout the government’s jurisdiction,
70 indicating that property owners and residents may receive
71 legally required advertisements and public notices from the
72 governmental agency by first-class mail or e-mail upon
73 registering their name and address or e-mail address with the
74 governmental agency. The governmental agency must shall maintain
75 a registry of names, addresses, and e-mail addresses of property
76 owners and residents who have requested in writing that they
77 receive legally required advertisements and public notices from
78 the governmental agency by first-class mail or e-mail.
79 (9)(7) A link to advertisements and public notices
80 published on a publicly accessible website must shall be
81 conspicuously placed:
82 (a) On the website’s homepage or on a page accessible
83 through a direct link from the homepage.
84 (b) On the homepage of the website of each governmental
85 agency publishing notices on the publicly accessible website or
86 on a page accessible through a direct link from the homepage.
87 (10)(8) A governmental agency that has a governmental
88 access channel authorized under s. 610.109 may also include on
89 its governmental access channel a summary of all advertisements
90 and public notices that are published on a publicly accessible
91 website.
92 (11)(9) A public bid advertisement made by a governmental
93 agency on a publicly accessible
94
95 ================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ================
96 And the title is amended as follows:
97 Delete lines 4 - 22
98 and insert:
99 “governmental agency”; revising the definition of the
100 term “publicly accessible website”; requiring that
101 certain legal notices be continuously published for a
102 specified timeframe when the notices are for a
103 specified purpose and provided under a certain
104 circumstance; authorizing certain counties or
105 specified municipalities, school boards, clerks of the
106 circuit court, and tax collectors to use a publicly
107 accessible website to publish certain advertisements
108 and legal notices under specified conditions; revising
109 the definition of the term “special district”;
110 reenacting