Read the full stored bill text
Florida Senate
-
2026
CS for CS for SB 1266
By
the Appropriations Committee on Transportation, Tourism, and
Economic Development; the Committee on Commerce and Tourism; and
Senator Calatayud
606-02503-26 20261266c2
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to cybersecurity internships; creating
3 s. 1004.0983, F.S.; providing legislative findings;
4 requiring the Department of Commerce to create the
5 Cybersecurity Experiential Learning Program in a
6 specified fiscal year, subject to legislative
7 appropriation; requiring the department use a certain
8 percentage of appropriated funds in a specified fiscal
9 year to enter into an agreement with Cyber Florida at
10 the University of South Florida to collaborate in
11 designing the program for implementation and plan for
12 expansion of the program; requiring Cyber Florida to
13 report specified information to the department;
14 providing the department with authorized uses of
15 unspent funds; requiring that disbursement of funds is
16 subject to department approval; requiring the
17 department to submit an annual report by a specified
18 date to the Governor and the Legislature; providing
19 requirements for the report; providing for the
20 expiration of the program; providing an effective
21 date.
22
23 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
24
25 Section 1. Section 1004.0983, Florida Statutes, is created
26 to read:
27
1004.0983 Cybersecurity Experiential Learning Program.
—
28
(1)(a) The Legislature finds that th
is
state’s
29
cybersecurity workforce is essential to state and national
30
security, multi-sector state economic resilience, and the
31
protection of critical infrastructure. The Legislature also
32
finds that this state has a persistent shortfall in its supply
33
of qualified cybersecurity professionals relative to the
34
workforce demand
,
and that the growing integration of digital
35
technologies in all economic sectors will exacerbate this
36
workforce gap in the future.
37
(b) The Legislature further finds that there are examples
38
of successful cybersecurity experiential learning opportunities
39
across the state university system, including an experiential
40
cyber program at the University of South Florida
,
and a combined
41
security clearance readiness and cyber certification program at
42
the University of West Florida. Both institutions are designated
43
as National Security Agency National Centers of Academic
44
Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C).
45
(c) The Legislature further finds that expansion of
46
experiential learning opportunities in cybersecurity for
47
students at state universities and Florida College System
48
institutions is likely to accelerate the development of a highly
49
qualified cybersecurity workforce. This expanded capacity to
50
develop a more qualified cybersecurity workforce is necessary to
51
close existing gaps and keep pace with the growth in demand for
52
cybersecurity talent within this state.
53
(2)(a) Subject to
legislative
appropriation
,
the Department
54
of Commerce
shall
create and operate the Cybersecurity
55
Experiential Learning Program in
the 2026-2027
fiscal year.
56
(b) The
Department of Commerce
must use 10 percent of the
57
appropriated funds in
the 2026-2027 fiscal year
to enter into an
58
agreement with Cyber Florida within the University of South
59
Florida to
collaborate in
design
ing
the program for
60
implementation at
a minimum of one
state universit
y
or Florida
61
College System institution during the 2026-2027 school year
,
and
62
to plan for the expansion of the program to additional sites and
63
additional national security
-
focused workforces in future years.
64
(3)
Cyber Florida
shall
determine and report back to the
65
department on the following:
66
(a) The specific internship opportunities and experiential
67
learning opportunities that the United States Department of
68
Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
69
believes will be the most impactful on a student’s job placement
70
in high-demand cybersecurity roles in the state, including an
71
assessment of when completing a federal security clearance
72
readiness program will assist certain students in job placement
73
in
this state
.
74
(b) A review of best practices for cybersecurity
75
experiential learning opportunities in place at other NCAE-C
76
designated institutions within and outside of th
is
state
which
77
can be replicated at institutions across th
is
state.
78
(c) A recommendation for
the
minimum qualifications a
79
student should possess or meet prior to enrolling in
an
80
experiential learning program.
81
(d) A listing of the state universities and Florida College
82
System institutions that wish to participate in the program,
83
along with an expected number of students to be served by the
84
program at each participating institution during the fiscal
85
year. Cyber Florida
shall
make a recommendation to the
86
department for the disbursement of available funds for the
87
program to maximize statewide impact, improve students’ job
88
placement
,
and support economic growth in
this state
’s defense
89
industry.
90
(
e
) A listing of employers in
this state
with openings or
91
anticipated openings in cybersecurity roles or other industries
92
that perform work that require
s
a security clearance.
93
(4)
(a)
In each fiscal year in which funds are appropriated
94
to the program, or where an unspent balance for the program
95
remains from a prior year’s appropriation
which
can continue to
96
support the program’s operations, the
Department of Commerce
97
may:
98
1.
I
mplement the program and directly disburse the funds to
99
participating institutions
. Such
funds may be used to cover the
100
cost of students going through the security clearance process
;
101
or
102
2.
E
nter into a mutually agreed upon multi-year contract
103
with Cyber Florida to administer the program statewide and
104
disburse the available funding to participating institutions.
105
(
b
)
A
ny disbursement of funds under this
sub
section
is
106
subject to approval by the
d
epartment.
107
(5) Beginning January 15, 2028, and on each January 15
108
following the completion of a fiscal year in which the program
109
operate
s
, the
Department of Commerce
shall submit a report to
110
the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of
111
the House of Representatives
which
includes
all
the following:
112
(a)
The number of students participating in experiential
113
learning opportunities at each participating institution
and
a
114
listing of the specific outcomes, skills, or credentials,
115
including security clearances, earned by students through the
116
program
which
contributed to job placement.
117
(b)
The number of students who completed an experiential
118
learning opportunity through the program
who
subsequently
119
reported entering federal, state, or private sector
120
cybersecurity positions in the state
,
and the number of students
121
provided security clearance preparation training for other
122
fields.
123
(c)
Recommendations for program improvements, including
124
potential integration with other state workforce initiatives and
125
potentially expanding the program to workforces supporting
126
national security such as defense manufacturing and aerospace
127
related engineering fields.
128
(6) This section expires on July 1, 2032.
129 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.