Proposed Changes to Big Cypress Basin Management and Tax Use

Where This Stands

Currently dead. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Introduced.

Last action

Died in Ways & Means CommitteeMar 13, 2026

Lead sponsor

Adam Botana

Procedural history

5 actions

Jan 15, 2026House
Now in Ways & Means Committee
Jan 15, 2026HouseCommittee
Referred to State Affairs Committee
Jan 15, 2026HouseCommittee
Referred to Ways & Means Committee
Jan 13, 2026HouseIntroduced
1st Reading (Original Filed Version)
Jan 7, 2026HouseIntroduced
Filed

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →

The Frame

What this does

The bill ensures that local property tax dollars collected for flood control and water management in the Big Cypress Basin remain within the specific counties where they were paid, rather than being distributed across the entire district.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Property owners in Big Cypress Basin

Their ad valorem tax payments are restricted to local flood control and project use within their specific county.

South Florida Water Management District

The district must revise basin boundaries and change its accounting and distribution of tax revenues.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 7, 2026.

What's next

Introduced.

Summary

This bill proposes updating the governing board membership and boundaries for the Big Cypress Basin and mandates that property taxes collected in the basin be spent only on projects within the counties where they were collected. It also requires the South Florida Water Management District to adopt new basin boundaries based on a 2021 scientific study.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my property taxes be spent in other counties?

Under this bill, the South Florida Water Management District would be required to ensure that basin es are used only for projects and flood control within the specific counties where they were collected.

How will the Big Cypress Basin boundaries change?

The bill requires the district to adopt the scientific boundaries recommended in the 2021 Big Cypress Basin Boundary Delineation study by July 1, 2026, provided the county has at least 25 percent of its jurisdiction within that boundary.

Why It Matters

The bill ensures that local property tax dollars collected for flood control and water management in the Big Cypress Basin remain within the specific counties where they were paid, rather than being distributed across the entire district.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift100% confidence

Localization of Tax Revenue

The bill shifts from a district-wide distribution model for basin taxes to a county-specific expenditure model.

South Florida Water Management District Big Cypress Basin

Connected Entities

organizationState Affairs Committee“Committee responsible for reviewing the bill.”Map →

locationBig Cypress Basin“The subject of the bill's focus.”Map →

date2026-01-07“Date of initial filing of the bill.”Map →

organizationWays & Means Committee“Committee responsible for reviewing the bill.”Map →

Sources

Open source document

openstates.org

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance65
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy20
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment5
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz15
Current news / social attention level