Guest Author
SB 7026’s passage in the Senate strongly signals that Florida is serious about modernizing how our state approaches technology.
The Senate’s “all-in” mindset has been clear throughout this process — they’re not backing down until meaningful change is achieved.
While the House is taking a more measured path, the two chambers share the same goals: empowering agencies, supporting bold information technology decisions, modernizing legacy systems, and laying the groundwork for smarter, more efficient government operations.
What’s encouraging is the shared mission among legislative leaders. This isn’t shaping up to be a House vs. Senate scenario like you see in many states. Instead, it’s a united effort to advance Florida’s commitment to a more agile, accountable, and forward-thinking IT structure across state government.
Both chambers recognize the importance of empowering agency leaders with the authority to make impactful decisions — while also ensuring clear oversight and alignment with statewide goals.
The Senate’s interest in elevating IT leadership to a cabinet-level position reflects a broader intent to strengthen executive accountability while reinforcing trust in the expertise of our agency teams.
Florida is fortunate to have already dedicated and highly capable IT professionals across our agencies and within FLDS. The goal here is not to undo what’s working — but to build on that foundation with better access to data, clearer reporting frameworks, and stronger pathways toward interoperability and long-term digital goals.
This Session could very well mark the next chapter in Florida’s technology strategy — one that reflects the bold thinking and collaborative spirit we’re seeing from both chambers.
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James Taylor is the CEO of the Florida Technology Council.
