Columbia County Observer

Chris Doolin's 2026 Legislative Session Update: "Local government is under threat."

December 13, 2025  4:00 pm | 5 min read
AI Summary

Chris Doolin addresses the NCFRPC, giving his take of this year's [2026] legislative session.

By Stew Lilker

COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – Thursday evening, the legendary lobbyist for the Florida Small Counties Coalition, Chris Doolin, addressed the North Central Florida Planning Council. He provided an overview of the 2026 legislative session. Mr. Doolin issued a warning: rural counties face an existential threat from a series of legislative proposals aimed at cutting local government revenue and preempting home rule.

Mr. Doolan began by outlining several key legislative priorities and emerging issues facing Florida's small counties. He noted that the political environment in Tallahassee remains tense, with a lack of communication between the Governor, the House Speaker, and the Senate President, setting the stage for a contentious session.

He said, “This session is starting off right where they left. They're not communicating."

Number One – Property Taxes

Number one on everyone’s agenda for this year’s legislative session is the proposed constitutional amendments aimed at cutting property taxes. Mr. Doolin warned that these proposals, if passed, would "decimate" the budgets of small, rural counties.

He highlighted proposals to eliminate homestead property taxes for non-school purposes, another to eliminate them for seniors over 65 with no residency requirement, and a third to give homeowners with property insurance a tax break. He emphasized that the Governor's promised $300 million to backstop fiscally constrained counties is not a permanent solution.

On the Governor’s promise to backstop the small, fiscally constrained counties, Mr. Doolin said, “DeSantis is now saying those cash-strapped jurisdictions will have to do without supplementary funds down the road.” “This is coming, and it'll decimate you.”

Mocking the proposal to eliminate property taxes for seniors without residency rules and predicting fee hikes to offset losses, Mr. Doolin said, “No residency requirement? Come on down, New York! Come on down, New Jersey!... It’s gonna be the fee state of Florida.”

Mr. Doolin noted the revenue loss will have to be made up somewhere, “Once they cut these revenues, these property taxes, trust me, we’re gonna fee you here. Fee you there. And what do fees do? It’s not based on value. It’s everybody.”

Other Issues
More attacks on local government

Beyond property taxes, Mr. Doolin explained other attacks on local government authority.

Term Limits: A proposed constitutional amendment to impose 12-year term limits on county commissioners that retroactively counts time served.

While Mr. Doolin described this as an “attack on local government,” many believe term limits are long overdue. Mr. Doolin argued that the amendment would take authority away from local voters.

He said, “This isn’t about you – it’s about your voter. This proposal takes away the authority of your citizens to choose their elected officials... It’s an attack on local government.”

Sovereign Immunity: A proposal to significantly increase liability caps, which would drive up insurance costs for local governments at the same time their revenues are being cut.

Rep. Fiona McFarland, R-Sarasota, filed HB 145 earlier this month. HB 145 would raise sovereign immunity caps in multiple phases, from $200,000 per individual to $600,000 per individual, and from $300,000 per incident to $1.2 million per incident, after October 1, 2031.

Bills updating the current caps, which became effective in 2011, are thought by some to be more realistic limits in today’s world.

School Vouchers: Mr. Doolin offered a critical perspective

Mr. Doolin makes a point about school vouchers.

Chris Doolin offers a critical perspective on the implementation of Florida's universal school scholarship (voucher) program and said it is subject to “waste, fraud, and abuse,” which is causing a backlash in the legislature.

He noted that the program has expanded effectively to universal eligibility, where "almost anybody... can get one of these vouchers homeschooled."

Mr. Doolin joked that the homeschool kids are learning Home Economics in Walmart: “You got four or five kids and you load them up and take them home and you'll see 'em in Walmart Learning Home Ec.”

Mr. Doolin said unintended consequences have upset the legislature. Administrative confusion where students who "have scholarships and they're getting paid at home, are sitting in our public schools,” and a lack of accountability compared to local government standards.

He said that when these voucher-receiving homeschool students eventually return to the public school system, "they're way behind" academically. “This happens when you implement massive programs. You have problems,” he said.

Solar Farms
Good news for rural counties

Mr. Doolin brought up Senator Bradley’s 2026 proposed legislation for solar farm decommissioning. The bill focuses on requiring decommissioning plans to restore land to agriculture and setting deadlines for cleanup after projects end.

Epilogue

Chris Doolin’s visits are welcome additions to the NCFRPC agendas, where most think the meetings are a waste of time and usually come for the free dinners and mileage reimbursement.

Mr. Doolin’s message this year was a serious one. It was an urgent call to action.

He implored the council members to analyze the specific financial losses their communities would suffer and to understand what services are at risk. “Why,” because "your money's going away."

Mr. Doolin urged the Council members to mobilize a public information campaign. "What we need to prepare for," Mr. Doolan concluded, "is to educate our voters to defeat this in November of 2026."