STATE NEWS BRIEFS

Florida State Capitol.

Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, directed subcommittee leaders on Nov. 18 to consider the “potentially positive and negative impacts” of artificial intelligence ahead of the 2026 legislative session. In a memo, Perez dubbed the week of Dec. 8 “Artificial Intelligence Week.”

Lawmakers will hold a final set of committee and subcommittee meetings that week to prepare for the session, which will start in January.

“We all recognize that AI may open new economic vistas. At the same time, we see stories about how AI can be abused, have adverse effects on education, or harm emotionally vulnerable users,” Perez wrote. “As policy makers, our understanding of the issue is complicated by the rapid emergence of this complex technology, and, as we’ve seen with social media, short-term legislative choices can have serious long-term consequences.”

While offering few details, Gov. Ron DeSantis previously said the state will develop a plan while warning of “very dangerous” impacts of rapidly changing AI. In June, DeSantis vetoed a bill (HB 827) about studying the effects of artificial intelligence on Florida workers. The bill, which passed the Legislature in April with only one dissenting vote, would have directed part of the state Department of Commerce to study issues such as job losses and gains.

In 2024, DeSantis signed a measure that requires disclaimers on certain political ads created using artificial intelligence and another to establish an advisory council at the Department of Management Services to advise the Legislature on new technologies, including artificial intelligence.

‘Unborn child’ bill backed in house

The Florida House on Nov. 18 began moving forward with a proposal that would allow parents to seek pain-and-suffering damages in lawsuits involving the wrongful death of an “unborn child.”

The House Civil Justice & Claims Subcommittee voted 13-3 to approve the measure (HB 289), which, in part, would add “unborn child” to a law that allows family members to seek damages when a person’s death is caused by such things as negligence.

Abortion-rights advocates are fighting the bill, but supporters said the issue is not abortion-related.

Bill sponsor Sam Greco, R-St. Augustine, said most states have civil protections for the death of fetuses.

“This bill allows parents, in the horrible circumstance where somebody’s wrongful act causes them to lose their unborn child, to seek recovery,” Greco said.

But opponent Dotie Joseph, D-North Miami, raised concerns about potential ramifications of the bill.

“Embryos and fetuses would be granted the same rights as living people, creating much broader consequences that would make it harder for patients to access reproductive care,” Joseph said.

Lawmakers have considered similar proposals in recent years, but the bills have not passed.

Greco’s bill is filed for the 2026 session, which will start Jan. 13. The Senate Judiciary Committee on Nov. 4 approved the Senate version of the bill (SB 164), filed by Sen. Erin Grall, R-Vero Beach.