Housing funding priorities advance in 2026 budget special session
House and Senate negotiators remain aligned on $50 million for Hometown Heroes and full SHIP and SAIL appropriations as budget talks continue.
Florida lawmakers appear to be keeping several key housing and real estate priorities intact as negotiations continue during the state’s 2026 Budget Special Session.
Both the House and Senate are currently aligned on $50 million in new funding for the Hometown Heroes Housing Program, a Florida Realtors® legislative priority, along with full funding for the State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) program at $165.7 million and the State Apartment Incentive Loan (SAIL) program at $70.8 million. These state affordable housing programs are designed to assist low-to-moderate-income residents.
Realtors® in Florida are closely watching negotiations as affordability and workforce housing remain ongoing challenges in many markets across the state.
Lawmakers are also continuing to negotiate major environmental and infrastructure spending proposals tied to flood mitigation, wastewater systems, beach renourishment, Everglades restoration and sea-level rise resilience projects – issues that can directly influence property values, insurance costs and long-term development across Florida.
Legislative leaders said they remain on track to finalize the budget by the end of next week, with a final vote expected during the week of Memorial Day.
In memos released Thursday, Senate President Ben Albritton and House Speaker Daniel Perez said unresolved budget items would now be referred to leadership for final negotiations, while budget staff prepares updated offers ahead of next week’s talks.
Meanwhile, Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed 85 of the 237 bills approved during the regular legislative session.
Among the latest measures signed into law is HB 803, which creates a new exemption from local building permit requirements for certain residential projects valued at $7,500 or less, effective July 1. The law is intended to streamline smaller home improvement projects on some single-family homes, including fences, decks and similar upgrades.
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