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SB7040 • 2026

Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund/Executive Office of the Governor

Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund/Executive Office of the Governor

Budget Taxes
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Appropriations
Last action
2026-03-17
Official status
Senate - Ordered engrossed, then enrolled
Effective date
Upon becom

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund

The bill re-establishes the Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund within the Executive Office of the Governor, specifying how funds are used and managed.

What This Bill Does

  • Re-creates the Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund in the Executive Office of the Governor.
  • Specifies that money for the fund comes from the Legislature or a specific law.
  • Requires federal reimbursements to be put into a separate account within the fund.
  • Limits the use of funds by prohibiting purchases of aircraft, boats, or motor vehicles unless they are leased temporarily for emergencies.

Who It Names or Affects

  • The Governor and Executive Office of the Governor
  • State agencies involved in emergency management

Terms To Know

Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund
A fund created to help prepare for or respond to emergencies declared by the Governor.
Legislature
The group of elected officials who make laws in Florida.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how much money will be in the fund.
  • It is unclear what specific emergencies the funds can be used for beyond natural, man-made, and technological emergencies.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

722464

Floor amendment S 7040 Filed • Berman

Senate: Failed 2/11/2026

Plain English: The amendment changes how money in the Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund can be used for certain emergencies.

  • Removes the requirement that the Legislative Budget Commission must approve continued use of the fund only for disasters described in subparagraph (a)2, but not for natural emergencies.
  • Adds a new rule requiring approval from the Legislative Budget Commission if the Governor renews an emergency declaration for any disaster beyond regularly appropriated funding sources.
  • The text provided is incomplete and does not fully explain all changes or implications of the amendment.
347925

Floor amendment S 7040 Filed • Eskamani

House: Failed 3/9/2026

Plain English: The amendment removes specific lines from a bill to terminate the Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund within the Executive Office of the Governor.

  • Removes lines 12-23 in the original bill text, which likely contained details about the fund's operation or continuation.
  • Inserts language that terminates the Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund within the Executive Office of the Governor.
  • The exact content removed from lines 12-23 is not provided in the amendment text, so it cannot be described further.
520451

Floor amendment S 7040 Filed • Griffitts

Senate: Concurred as Amended 3/13/2026

Plain English: The amendment re-establishes and modifies the Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund within the Executive Office of the Governor, changing how funds are used and managed.

  • Re-creates the Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund which was set to terminate on February 17, 2026.
  • Specifies that federal reimbursements for state emergency expenditures will be deposited in the General Revenue Fund instead of the Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund.
  • Requires quarterly reports from the Executive Office of the Governor detailing fund balances, cash flow statements, inventory of assets purchased with emergency funds, and an attestation of accuracy.
  • The amendment text is complex and includes many specific legal details that are not fully explained in plain English.
  • Some parts of the amendment reference other sections of law or constitutional provisions which may require additional context to understand completely.
905572

Floor amendment S 7040 Filed • Hooper

Senate: Withdrawn 3/13/2026

Plain English: The amendment re-establishes the Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund within the Executive Office of the Governor and specifies how funds are to be managed and transferred.

  • Re-establishes the Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund within the Executive Office of the Governor.
  • Specifies that moneys in the fund cannot be invested but must remain in the fund for interest to be appropriated to the General Revenue Fund.
  • Requires the Chief Financial Officer to transfer $250 million from the General Revenue Fund to the Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund.
  • The amendment text is incomplete, so some details about the full extent of changes are unclear.
877368

Floor amendment S 7040 Filed • Hooper

House: Concur 3/13/2026

Plain English: The amendment re-establishes and modifies the Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund within the Executive Office of the Governor, specifying how funds can be used and requiring regular reports to the Legislature.

  • Re-creates the Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund within the Executive Office of the Governor.
  • Specifies that moneys in the fund may only be used for natural emergencies or manmade/technological emergencies declared by the Governor, with certain conditions.
  • Requires quarterly reports to the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House detailing the fund's financial status and asset management.
  • The amendment text is incomplete and does not provide full details on all aspects of the Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund, such as specific funding amounts or detailed operational procedures.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-17 Senate

    • Ordered engrossed, then enrolled

  2. 2026-03-13 Senate

    • Amendment(s) to House amendment(s) adopted (877368) -SJ 915 • Concurred in House amendment(s) as amended (520451) -SJ 915 • Passed as amended; YEAS 29 NAYS 7 -SJ 915

  3. 2026-03-13 House

    • In Messages • Added to Senate Message List • Amendment 877368 Concur • Passed as amended; YEAS 80, NAYS 20

  4. 2026-03-09 House

    • Read 2nd time • Amendment 347925 Failed • Amendment 520451 adopted • Added to Third Reading Calendar • Read 3rd time • Passed as amended; YEAS 82, NAYS 25

  5. 2026-03-09 Senate

    • In returning messages

  6. 2026-03-05 House

    • Bill referred to House Calendar • Bill added to Special Order Calendar (3/9/2026) • 1st Reading (Original Filed Version)

  7. 2026-02-11 Senate

    • Read 2nd time -SJ 293 • Amendment(s) failed (722464) -SJ 293 • Read 3rd time -SJ 294 • Passed; YEAS 29 NAYS 10 -SJ 294 • Immediately certified -SJ 299

  8. 2026-02-11 House

    • In Messages

  9. 2026-02-10 Senate

    • Introduced

  10. 2026-02-09 Senate

    • Placed on Special Order Calendar, 02/11/26

  11. 2026-02-06 Senate

    • Filed • Placed on Calendar, on 2nd reading

  12. 2026-02-05 Senate

    • Submitted as Committee Bill and Reported Favorably by Appropriations; YEAS 12 NAYS 5

  13. 2026-02-02 Senate

    • Submitted for consideration by Appropriations • On Committee agenda-- Appropriations, 02/05/26, 9:00 am, 110 Senate Building

Official Summary Text

Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund/Executive Office of the Governor; Re-creating the Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund within the Executive Office of the Governor; specifying that moneys are appropriated to the Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund by the Legislature or pursuant to a specified provision; requiring that federal reimbursements of state emergency expenditures be deposited in a separate account within the fund; prohibiting moneys in the fund from being used to purchase aircraft, boats, or motor vehicles, etc.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
ENROLLED

2026

Legislature

SB 7040, 1st Engrossed

20267040er
1
2 An act relating to trust funds; re-creating the
3 Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund within the
4 Executive Office of the Governor; amending s.
5 252.3711, F.S.; specifying that moneys are
6 appropriated to the Emergency Preparedness and
7 Response Fund by the Legislature or pursuant to a
8 specified provision; authorizing funds to be used for
9 specified emergencies; requiring that budget
10 amendments be submitted in accordance with a specified
11 provision; providing an exception; requiring that
12 federal reimbursements of state emergency expenditures
13 be deposited in a separate account within the fund;
14 providing requirements for such account; prohibiting
15 moneys in the fund from being used to purchase
16 aircraft, boats, or motor vehicles; providing
17 construction; providing for the termination of the
18 fund on a specified date; requiring a certain review
19 of the fund before termination; requiring the Division
20 of Emergency Management to submit a specified report
21 periodically to the Legislature, beginning on a
22 specified date; providing for retroactive application;
23 providing an effective date.
24
25 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
26
27 Section 1.
The Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund

28
within the Executive Office of the Governor, which terminated

29
pursuant to s. 19(f), Article III of the State Constitution on

30
February 17, 2026, is re-created within the Executive Office of

31
the Governor.

32 Section 2. Section 252.3711, Florida Statutes, is amended
33 to read:
34 252.3711 Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund.—
35 (1) The Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund is created
36 within the Executive Office of the Governor.
37 (2) The fund is established for use as a depository for
38 moneys specifically transferred or appropriated to the fund
by

39
the Legislature or pursuant to s. 11.90
. The moneys deposited in
40 the fund are available as a primary funding source for the
41 Governor for purposes of preparing or responding to a disaster
42 declared by the Governor as a state of emergency that exceeds
43 regularly appropriated funding sources.
44
(a)

Moneys in the fund may be used for a natural emergency.

45
If such state of emergency has been renewed pursuant to s.

46
252.36, budget amendments must be submitted in accordance with

47
the notice, review, and objection procedures set forth in s.

48
216.177, notwithstanding ss. 216.181 and 216.292.

49
(b)

Moneys in the fund may be used for a state of emergency

50
that is a manmade emergency or a technological emergency. If

51
such state of emergency has been renewed pursuant to s. 252.36,

52
budget amendments must be submitted in accordance with the

53
notice, review, and objection procedures set forth in s.

54
216.177. However, the chair and the vice chair of the

55
Legislative Budget Commission may authorize such amendment to be

56
approved pursuant to s. 216.177.

57
(c)

Federal reimbursements of state emergency expenditures

58
shall be deposited in a separate account within the fund.

59
Expenditures from this separate account may only be made for

60
invoices that were incurred before the deposit of the federal

61
reimbursement and may not be used for any other purpose until

62
all outstanding prior invoices have been paid.

63
(d) Moneys in the fund may not be used to purchase

64
aircraft, boats, or motor vehicles; however, nothing in this

65
paragraph shall prohibit the short-term lease of aircraft,

66
boats, or motor vehicles for responding to an emergency.

67 (3)
In accordance with s. 19(f)(2), Art. III of the State

68
Constitution,
The Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund
69 shall, unless terminated sooner, be terminated
July 1, 2028

4

70
years after the effective date of this act
. Before its scheduled
71 termination, the fund shall be reviewed as provided in
s.

72
215.3208

s. 215.3206(1) and (2)
.
73
(4)

Beginning July 15, 2026, and on or before the 15th day

74
of the month following each
quarter, the Division of Emergency

75
Management shall submit a
report to the President of the Senate

76
and the Speaker of the
House of Representatives which includes

77
all of the following:

78
(a)

The projected year-end cash balance of the fund
.

79
(b)

An updated cash flow statement for that fiscal year.

80
(c)

An update on all pending and received federal

81
reimbursements.

82
(d)

An accounting of all inventory and assets purchased,

83
itemized by emergency event and agency, for preparing for,

84
responding to, or recovering from a state of emergency and the

85
current status of such assets.

86
(e)

An accounting of all pending invoices, itemized by

87
emergency event and agency, including the date the invoice was

88
received.

89 Section 3.
This act shall operate retroactively to February

90
17, 2026.

91 Section 4. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.