The DeSantis decisions: A Friday afternoon favor for the Fontainebleau

Checking in on the bills that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is choosing to sign into law.

Photo credit: Invadinginvader / Wikimedia Commons

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Without any public fanfare, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill on Friday that will help a billionaire megadonor build a waterpark in Miami Beach despite intense opposition from folks who live nearby.

The provision, tucked inside a larger piece of land-use legislation, is a favor for the famed Fontainebleau Hotel and owner Jeffrey Soffer, a south Florida real-estate mogul who once donated $1 million to Ron DeSantis’ failed presidential campaign and who has repeatedly let Florida’s jet-set governor fly around on his private plane.

There was no celebratory bill-signing ceremony or press conference for this one. DeSantis signed House Bill 399 in private and didn’t publicly announce the decision until 4:30 on the afternoon before a weekend — a classic Friday news dump meant to minimize media attention.

So I figured we’d highlight the decision here on Seeking Rents on Monday.

It also got me thinking that we should make a recurring feature out of tracking DeSantis’ decisions on legislation from Florida’s 2026 legislative session, which ended earlier this month (sort of). So look for regular updates — at least once a week, I expect — about some of the most notable bills that DeSantis chooses to sign, veto or let become law through executive inaction (the coward’s signature, you might call that.)

That starts today. Below you’ll find more details about House Bill 399 and some other important legislation the governor just signed into law.

Before we get to that, though, please allow me to make a momentary appeal.

We just came through another legislative session (sort of) where we did an incredible amount of work here at Seeking Rents (he said, modestly).

We broke a bunch of big stories (see here, here, here and here, for a few examples). We produced more than two dozen news-of-the-day podcasts. We tracked hundreds of bill movements and votes through our weekly roundups. We helped other journalists across Florida dig deeper into legislation, too.

And we did it all without locking any of our work behind a paywall.

That work isn’t done, either. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be probing the state budget and some individual earmarks ahead of the impending special session. We’ve also begun the process of submitting post-session public records requests in hopes of unearthing new details about what happened during the regular session and why — and what might be coming next.

So, please, if you’re reading this and you haven’t already done so, consider becoming a voluntary paid subscriber to Seeking Rents. And if you’ve already chosen to pay for your subscription — well, first of all, thank you. But perhaps you could also reach out to others who care about the future of Florida and urge them to become paid subscribers, too?

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The growth of Seeking Rents has been truly astounding over the last few years, and I can’t tell you enough how grateful I am for the support we receive from our readers, listeners and viewers.

But I also want to keep the momentum going, so we can continue doing more of the kind of state and local watchdog journalism that we’ve become known for across Florida — and we can continue to keep it all free for everyone, not just folks who can afford to pay for it.

And now on with our first installment of the DeSantis decisions.

Signing of the week

House Bill 399 — Land Use Development and Regulation

While this may always be remembered as the Fontainebleau bill — the result, by the way, of an amendment added during its final committee hearing — House Bill 399 is actually a substantial land-use package that will have significant implications around the state.

Most notably, the new law restricts the power of local governments to deny proposed residential developments by deeming them incompatible with surrounding residential areas.

It also compels cities and counties to allow manufactured homes anywhere site-built homes are permitted; limits the amount local governments can charge in application fees for new developments; and requires growth-planning agreements between a city or county government and the local school board to ensure that charter school developers can access public easements and rights-of-way when necessary to construct a new school.

A last-minute amendment added on the Senate floor will also make it more difficult for local governments to deny or revoke permits for compositing facilities.

That said, what may be most important about House Bill 399 is what’s not in it.

A pair of controversial provisions that would have undermined an urban development boundary in Miami-Dade County were removed by the Florida Senate on the final day of session. Senators also rejected a scheme by Republican Sens. Jonathan Martin (R-Fort Myers) and Jason Brodeur (R-Sanford) to insert language into the bill that would have eviscerated rural boundaries in Orange and Seminole counties around Orlando.

The Fontainebleau was also the subject of a final-day floor fight. Sen. Shevrin Jones (D-Miami Gardens) filed an amendment that would have removed the provision, which will essentially allow the hotel to sidestep Miami Beach’s historic preservation board and force city leaders to approve its plans for an on-site water park. But the amendment narrowly failed on a 17-20 vote that featured some unusual coalitions.

It was one of the more tense moments of the Florida Legislature’s 2026 session — which probably says quite a bit about whose problems get attention from Tallahassee.

What else did he sign?

Senate Bill 290 — Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

The latest “Florida Farm Bill” pushed by Republican Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, there’s a lot in this package. The most important piece will let state leaders sell public conservation land to agricultural companies. The legislation also strips cities and counties around Florida of the authority to set rules around the use of gas-powered leaf blowers and other lawn equipment. But a provision that would have made it easier for the state’s sugar industry to sue critics for defamation was removed from the bill before it passed.

Did he make a big deal of it? Sure did. The podium poster at the signing ceremony said, “Delivering Results for Floridians.” (Someone on the governor’s team clearly phoned it in on that one).

Further reading: New law lets state sell ‘surplus’ conservation land to be used for agriculture (Central Florida Public Media)

Senate Bill 302 — Coastal Resiliency

One of the big bipartisan bills of session, Senate Bill 302 is most notable for a provision that is intended to prevent a construction of a proposed cruise port near Rattlesnake Key at the mouth of Tampa Bay. The bill could have been even better, though.

Did he make a big deal of it? Of course. The podium poster at the signing ceremony said, “Protecting Florida’s Coasts.” (Much better theming work.)

Further reading: ‘Not really a need.’ DeSantis signs bill aiming to block Manatee cruise port (Bradenton Herald)

House Bill 697 — Drug Prices and Coverage

Another of the session’s big bipartisan bills, the most important piece of House Bill 697 will temporarily block cuts to a program that helps Floridians afford AIDS and HIV medication. The legislation provides roughly $30 million to keep the program fully funded through the end of the fiscal year — though its long-term fate still hangs in the balance of the budget special session.

Did he make a big deal of it? He did not . . . which makes sense when you remember that DeSantis and his administration were partially responsible for the cuts in the first place.

Further reading: DeSantis signs law to restore HIV medication access through June (The 19^th)

And what did he veto?

Nothing of note yet.

But here’s a suggestion.