The Florida Senate advanced a major Republican-led bill on Friday that would impose work requirements on certain Medicaid recipients, mandate photo identification for SNAP benefits cards, and make other changes to the state’s public assistance programs, but delayed a final vote after lengthy floor debate.
USenate Bill 1758 (CS/CS/SB 1758), sponsored by Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, would require the Agency for Health Care Administration to seek federal approval for mandatory work or community engagement requirements for able-bodied adults to maintain Medicaid coverage.
A Senate staff analysis estimates the provision could affect approximately 111,000 enrollees, with exemptions for certain groups such as parents of young children, the disabled, and others.
Supporters argue the changes promote self-sufficiency and reduce long-term reliance on government aid. Gaetz emphasized during committee discussions that work is a “noble thing.”
The bill also directs state agencies to pursue federal waivers to expand home- and community-based services for individuals with serious mental illness, aiming to decrease hospitalizations, homelessness, and criminal justice involvement.
For the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the legislation requires the Department of Children and Families to develop and implement a payment accuracy improvement plan to lower Florida’s error rate below federal thresholds and avoid penalties.
It would mandate photographic identification on electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards, to the extent permitted by federal law, and expand employment and training requirements to adults ages 18-64 without children under 14.
Democrats offered amendments to tie the Medicaid work rules to a broader Medicaid eligibility expansion or to ease the photo ID requirement for some SNAP users, but those proposals were rejected along party lines.
After extended debate, senators placed the bill on the calendar for third reading, positioning it for a final floor vote in the coming days. If passed by the Senate and House, and signed by the governor, the changes would take effect July 1, 2026.
In other action Friday, the Senate approved legislation aligning Florida’s corporate income tax code with federal provisions, promoting artificial intelligence and digital literacy education in schools, expanding insurance coverage for orthotic and prosthetic devices, and establishing new rules for labor pools to aid temporary workers in securing permanent employment.
Lawmakers also passed a measure redesignating the historic World War II-era merchant ship SS American Victory—now an interactive maritime museum in Tampa—as Florida’s official state flagship, replacing the schooner Western Union.
