Florida 2025 Regular Session Status: In Committee 1 D cosponsors

SB 982 — Candidate Qualifying

Last action — Died in Judiciary

Track this bill free

No card. One bill, free forever — alerts when it moves.

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill died with 2025 Regular Session. It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.

This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there is no live prognosis. It would have to be reintroduced in the current session to move again.

Summary

Candidate Qualifying; Authorizing a candidate to pay the filing fee by a debit card linked to the candidate’s campaign account; providing for standing for challenges to a candidate’s qualification for nomination or election to office; providing procedures and requirements regarding such challenges, etc.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

134 added · 139 removed

134 line(s) added, 139 removed.

→
Previous
Latest
Florida Senate - 2025 SB 982 By Senator Bernard 24-01115-25 2025982__ A bill to be entitled An act relating to candidate qualifying;
Florida Senate - 2025 CS for SB 982 By the Committee on Ethics and Elections;
and Senator Bernard 582-02500-25 2025982c1 A bill to be entitled An act relating to candidate qualifying;
revising the timeframe during which a candidate may pay a filing fee if the initial payment is rejected by a bank;
The filing fee A properly executed check drawn upon the Page 1 of 5 CODING:
The filing fee A properly executed check drawn upon the candidate’s campaign account payable to the person or entity as prescribed by the filing officer in an amount not less than the Page 1 of 5 CODING:
Florida Senate - 2025 SB 982 24-01115-25 2025982__ candidate’s campaign account payable to the person or entity as prescribed by the filing officer in an amount not less than the fee required by s.
Florida Senate - 2025 CS for SB 982 582-02500-25 2025982c1 fee required by s.
If a candidate’s payment is rejected check is returned by the bank for any reason, the filing officer must shall immediately notify the candidate and the candidate must, irrespective of whether the qualifying period has ended, have 48 hours from the time such notification is received, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays, shall have until the end of qualifying to pay the fee with a cashier’s check purchased from funds of the campaign account.
If a candidate’s check is returned by the bank for any reason, the filing officer must shall immediately notify the candidate and the candidate must shall have until the end of qualifying to pay the fee with a cashier’s check purchased from funds of the campaign account.
Page 2 of 5 CODING:
4.
Words stricken are deletions;
words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2025 SB 982 24-01115-25 2025982__ 4.
A public officer who has filed the full and public disclosure or statement of financial interests with the Commission on Ethics before qualifying for office may file a copy of that disclosure or a verification or receipt of electronic filing as provided in subsection (5) at the time of qualifying.
A public officer who has Page 2 of 5 CODING:
Words stricken are deletions;
words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2025 CS for SB 982 582-02500-25 2025982c1 filed the full and public disclosure or statement of financial interests with the Commission on Ethics before qualifying for office may file a copy of that disclosure or a verification or receipt of electronic filing as provided in subsection (5) at the time of qualifying.
4.
Any candidate presenting such a challenge is entitled to an immediate hearing.
However, the court may limit the time for taking testimony in any such hearing, as appropriate based on the circumstances of the matter and the proximity of the succeeding election.
Florida Senate - 2025 SB 982 24-01115-25 2025982__ 4.
Florida Senate - 2025 CS for SB 982 582-02500-25 2025982c1 5.
Any candidate presenting such a challenge is entitled to an immediate hearing.
However, the court may limit the time for taking testimony in any such hearing, as appropriate based on the circumstances of the matter and the proximity of the succeeding election.
5.
The person using the debit card does not receive cash as part of, or independent of, any transaction for goods or Page 4 of 5 CODING:
The person using the debit card does not receive cash as part of, or independent of, any transaction for goods or services.
Words stricken are deletions;
words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2025 SB 982 24-01115-25 2025982__ services.
d.
Page 4 of 5 CODING:
Words stricken are deletions;
words underlined are additions.
Florida Senate - 2025 CS for SB 982 582-02500-25 2025982c1 d.
⬇ Download PDF
View plain text versions (2)

How this bill changes current law

4 changes Share ↗

AI-generated reading aid from the bill's amendatory text — verify against the official bill.

The bill allows candidates to pay filing fees with debit cards linked to their campaign accounts and establishes procedures for challenging candidate qualifications.

  • 99.061

    A properly executed check drawn upon the candidate’s campaign account payable to the person or entity as prescribed by the filing officer in an amount not less than the fee required by s. 99.092 by a properly executed check drawn upon the candidate’s campaign account → or by a debit card linked to the candidate’s campaign account as provided in s. 106.11(2)

    Candidates can now use debit cards linked to their campaign accounts to pay filing fees instead of only checks.

  • 99.061

    A candidate for nomination or election to an office has standing to challenge in circuit court whether another candidate for the same office has complied with the requirements of this subsection.

    Candidates now have the ability to challenge the qualifications of other candidates in court.

  • 99.061

    If an order of a court that has become final determines that a person did not comply with this subsection, the person is not qualified as a candidate for election, and his or her name may not appear on the ballot.

    This clarifies that non-compliance with the qualification requirements can lead to disqualification from appearing on the ballot.

  • 106.11

    For purposes of this section, debit cards are considered bank checks, if:

    This change redefines debit cards used in campaigns as bank checks under specific conditions.

Action History

  1. Died in Judiciary

  2. Indefinitely postponed and withdrawn from consideration

  3. CS by Ethics and Elections read 1st time

  4. Now in Judiciary

  5. Pending reference review under Rule 4.7(2) - (Committee Substitute)

  6. CS by Ethics and Elections; YEAS 8 NAYS 0

  7. On Committee agenda-- Ethics and Elections, 03/17/25, 1:30 pm, 37 Senate Building

  8. Introduced

  9. Referred to Ethics and Elections; Judiciary; Rules

  10. Filed

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

Export CSV (upgrade) →

2 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 162 not signed on

Sponsors (2)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (162)

162 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 162 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

Favorable with Committee Substitute

Passed 8 Yea · 0 Nay · 1 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Republican 5000
Unaffiliated 1000
Democrat 2001
Total 8001
% of votes cast 89%0%0%11%
How each member voted (9)
Member Party Vote
Collins — Yea
Bernard, Mack Democrat Yea
Polsky, Tina Scott Democrat Not Voting
Rouson, Darryl Ervin Democrat Yea
Bradley, Jennifer Republican Yea
Gaetz, Don Republican Yea
Garcia, Ileana Republican Yea
Grall, Erin Republican Yea
Vacant Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

elections
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does SB 982 do?
Candidate Qualifying; Authorizing a candidate to pay the filing fee by a debit card linked to the candidate’s campaign account; providing for standing for challenges to a candidate’s qualification for nomination or election to office; providing procedures and requirements regarding such challenges, etc.
Who sponsors SB 982?
SB 982 is sponsored by Bernard, Mack (Democrat) and Ethics and Elections.
What is the current status of SB 982?
This bill died with 2025 Regular Session. It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.
Where can I track SB 982?
Track SB 982 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

Make your voice heard on SB 982

Find the representatives who decide this bill and tell them where you stand — for yourself, or mobilize your whole list in one click with One Click Politics advocacy software.

Find my representatives → Run a campaign

Stay ahead of SB 982

Last checked for changes 2 months ago · updated continuously

One Click Politics tracks every bill in Congress and all 50 states.

Track this bill →