SB 124 Florida Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Florida Virtual School

Summary

Florida Virtual School; Deleting provisions relating to the Florida Virtual School giving priority to certain students; providing that the board of trustees may use supplemental funding sources to develop a state-of-the-art technology-based education delivery system; authorizing the Florida Virtual School to accrue supplemental revenue from direct-support organizations; revising which entities review and approve expenditures, etc.

Issues: ✓ Education ✓ Technology

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Mar 2026

Senate Passage

Feb 2026

House Passage

Mar 2026

Signed into Law

May 2026

Introduced Jan 13, 2026 Signed May 11, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

S 124 Filed → S 124 er · 7 edits

MODERATE

This bill amends the Florida Virtual School statute to remove specific priority admission categories for military children and students seeking early diplomas, while simultaneously adding new powers for the school to generate revenue from intellectual property and direct-support organizations. The legislation also clarifies that all intellectual property and related funds belong to the state and establishes new procedures for personnel management and franchise agreements.

Scope change

The bill modifies the scope of the Florida Virtual School by removing specific student priority criteria and expanding the school's operational authority regarding revenue generation and personnel control.

ELIGIBILITY

Deleted specific statutory requirements for the board of trustees to establish priorities for admitting military children and students seeking accelerated graduation.

FISCAL

Authorized the school to accrue supplemental revenue from direct-support and supplemental-support organizations, such as alumni associations and foundations.

Clarified that patents, copyrights, and trademarks owned by the school vest in the state, with revenues designated as internal funds for the school's mission.

REQUIREMENT

Added detailed provisions allowing the board to adopt rules for personnel loans, exchanges, and compensation, and requiring approval of pay plans by state agencies.

Established new authority for the board to enter into franchise agreements with school districts and other entities to expand the school's reach.

Updated the annual reporting requirements to include specific details on assets, liabilities, and unit costs for both the school and its global operations.

TIMELINE

Set the effective date of the act to July 1, 2026.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 11, 2026 · House Mar 11, 2026

How they voted

40–0

Passed

Total votes 40

Feb 11, 2026

D Democratic11

11 Yea

100% Yea

I Independent1

1 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican28

28 Yea

100% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

May 11, 2026

Signed into law

Approved by Governor

legislature

Mar 11, 2026

Lower · Passed

Passed; YEAS 110, NAYS 2

lower

Mar 10, 2026

Committee

Bill referred to House Calendar

lower

Feb 11, 2026

Upper · Passed

Passed; YEAS 39 NAYS 0

upper

Feb 5, 2026

Upper · Passed

Favorable by- Fiscal Policy; YEAS 15 NAYS 0

upper

Feb 2, 2026

Upper · Passed

On Committee agenda-- Fiscal Policy, 02/05/26, 9:00 am, 412 Knott Building

upper

Jan 28, 2026

Upper · Passed

Favorable by Appropriations Committee on Pre-K - 12 Education; YEAS 10 NAYS 0

upper

Jan 23, 2026

Upper · Passed

On Committee agenda-- Appropriations Committee on Pre-K - 12 Education, 01/28/26, 1:00 pm, 37 Senate Building

upper

Jan 13, 2026

Introduced

upper

Dec 10, 2025

Upper · Passed

Now in Appropriations Committee on Pre-K - 12 Education

upper

Dec 9, 2025

Upper · Passed

Favorable by Education Pre-K - 12; YEAS 6 NAYS 0

upper

Dec 1, 2025

Upper · Passed

On Committee agenda-- Education Pre-K - 12, 12/09/25, 3:30 pm, 412 Knott Building

upper

Oct 21, 2025

Committee

Referred to Education Pre-K - 12; Appropriations Committee on Pre-K - 12 Education; Fiscal Policy

upper

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors