SB 1266 — Cybersecurity Internships

Florida Senate - 2026 CS for CS for SB 1266 By the Appropriations Committee on Transportation,Commerce Tourism, and EconomicTourism; Development;

theand CommitteeSenator onCalatayud Commerce577-02069-26 and20261266c1 Tourism;A bill to be entitled An act relating to cybersecurity internships;

and Senator Calatayud 606-02503-26 20261266c2 A bill to be entitled An act relating to cybersecurity internships;

requiringproviding the Department of Commerce to create the Cybersecurity Experiential Learning Program in a specified fiscal year, subject to legislative appropriation;intent;

requiringcreating the departmentCybersecurity useExperiential aInternship certainand percentageClearance ofReadiness appropriatedProgram fundswithin in a specified fiscal year to enter into an agreement with Cyber Florida at the UniversityDepartment of SouthCommerce; Florida to collaborate in designing the program for implementation and plan for expansion of the program;

requiring Cyberthe Floridadepartment to reportenter specifiedinto informationan agreement with the Florida Center for Cybersecurity (Cyber Florida) to implement the department;program in collaboration with specified universities and institutions;

providingrequiring that the departmentprogram withinclude authorizedspecified usescomponents; of unspent funds;

requiring that disbursementthe ofprogram fundsbe isavailable subjectat tospecified departmentuniversities approval;and institutions beginning in a specified academic year;

requiring the departmentdepartment, using data and analyses provided by Cyber Florida, to submit ana annual report by a specified date and annually thereafter to the Governor and the Legislature;

providing for the expiration of the program;

1004.0983 Cybersecurity Experiential LearningInternship and Clearance Readiness Program.— (1)(a) The Legislature finds that this state’s cybersecurity workforce is essential to state and national Page 1 of 5 CODING:

Florida Senate - 2026 CS for CS for SB 1266 606-02503-26577-02069-26 20261266c220261266c1 security, multi-sector state economic resilience, and the protection of critical infrastructure.

The Legislature also finds that this state has a persistent shortfall in its supply of qualified cybersecurity professionals relative to the workforce demand,demand and that the growing integration of digital technologies in all economic sectors will exacerbate this workforce gap in the future.

(b) The Legislature further finds that therethe areelements examples of successful cybersecurity experiential learning opportunities across the state university system, including an experiential cyber program atdescribed thein Universitythis ofsection Southwere Florida,successfully andtested a combined security clearance readiness and cyberrefined certificationin programtwo atpilot theprograms: University of West Florida.

Bothan institutionsexperiential arecyber designatedinternship asprogram Nationalwith Securitythe AgencyUniversity Nationalof CentersSouth ofFlorida Academicand Excellencea incombined Cybersecuritysecurity (NCAE-C).clearance readiness and cyber certification program with the University of West Florida.

(c)Both Theschools Legislatureare furtherdesignated findsas thatNational expansionSecurity ofAgency experientialNational learningCenters opportunities in cybersecurity for students at state universities and Florida College System institutions is likely to accelerate the development of aAcademic highlyExcellence qualifiedin cybersecurityCybersecurity workforce.(NCAE-C).

ThisThe expandedsuccessful capacitypilot toprograms developdemonstrated athe morefeasibility qualifiedand cybersecurityeffectiveness workforceof iscombining necessarycybersecurity toexperiential closeinternships, existingfederal gapssecurity andclearance keepreadiness pacepreparation, withand theCompTIA growthSecurity+ incertification demand for cybersecuritystudents talentas withincritical thiselements state.of workforce development.

(2)(a)(c) SubjectThe toLegislature legislativefurther appropriation,finds thethat Departmentexpansion of Commercethis shallprogram createstatewide andto operateall theNCAE-C-designated Cybersecuritystate Experientialuniversities Learningand ProgramFlorida inCollege System institutions will accelerate the 2026-2027development fiscalof year.a highly qualified, clearance-ready cybersecurity workforce.

(b)This Theexpanded Departmentcapacity ofto Commercedevelop musta usemore 10qualified percentcybersecurity ofworkforce theis appropriatednecessary fundsto inboth theclose 2026-2027existing fiscalgaps yearand tokeep enterpace into an agreement with Cyber Florida within the Universitygrowth ofin Southdemand Pagefor 2cybersecurity oftalent 5within CODING:this state.

(2)(a) The Legislature intends to establish the Page 2 of 5 CODING:

Florida Senate - 2026 CS for CS for SB 1266 606-02503-26577-02069-26 20261266c220261266c1 FloridaCybersecurity toExperiential collaborateInternship inand designingClearance theReadiness programProgram foracross implementationall atNCAE-C-designated a minimum of one state universityuniversities orand Florida College System institutioninstitutions, duringbeginning thewith 2026-2027 school year, and to plan for the expansion2026- of2027 theacademic programyear. to additional sites and additional national security-focused workforces in future years.

(3)(b) CyberThe FloridaLegislature shallfurther determineintends to sustain the program through the 2030-2031 academic year and reportestablish backclear metrics and reporting requirements to measure the departmentimpact on thethis following:state’s workforce and national security posture.

(a)(3) The specificCybersecurity internshipExperiential opportunitiesInternship and experientialClearance learningReadiness opportunitiesProgram thatis thecreated Unitedwithin Statesthe Department of Commerce’sCommerce. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) believes will be the most impactful on a student’s job placement in high-demand cybersecurity roles in the state, including an assessment of when completing a federal security clearance readiness program will assist certain students in job placement in this state.

(b)The Adepartment reviewshall ofenter bestinto practicesan foragreement cybersecuritywith experientialthe learningFlorida opportunitiesCenter infor placeCybersecurity (Cyber Florida) at otherthe NCAE-C-University designatedof institutionsSouth withinFlorida, andto outsideimplement ofthe thisprogram statein whichcollaboration canwith beall replicatedNCAE-C-designated atstate institutionsuniversities acrossand thisFlorida state.College System institutions.

(c)(4) AThe recommendationprogram forshall theinclude minimumall qualificationsof athe studentfollowing shouldcomponents: possess or meet prior to enrolling in an experiential learning program.

(d)(a) AIncreasing listing of the statenumber universitiesof andexperiential Floridacyber Collegerisk Systemanalyst institutionsinternships thatstatewide wishby tousing participatean ininstrumented theplatform program,of alongautomated assessments with anemployers expectedbased numberin ofthis studentsstate toin be served by the programdefense, atfinance, eachhealth participatingcare, institutiontransportation, duringutility, theand fiscalcritical year.infrastructure sectors.

Cyber(b) FloridaProviding shallintern-supporting makeorganizations awith recommendationactionable, toprioritized theanalytics, departmentreporting, forand therisk disbursementmitigation ofaction availableplans funds for the program to maximizeenhance statewidecyber impact,resilience improveacross students’this jobstate. Page 3 of 5 CODING:

(c) Delivering a federal security clearance readiness curriculum, including comprehensive background checks preparation, national security information and protection Page 3 of 5 CODING:

Florida Senate - 2026 CS for CS for SB 1266 606-02503-26577-02069-26 20261266c220261266c1 placement,training, andclearance supportapplication economicpreparation growthand invetting, thisand state’smentoring defensefor industry.selected participants.

(e)(d) AProviding listingCompTIA ofSecurity+ employerscertification intraining thisand stateexamination withfor openingsselected orparticipants. anticipated openings in cybersecurity roles or other industries that perform work that requires a security clearance.

(4)(a)(e) InCoordinating eachwith fiscalstate, yearfederal, inand whichprivate fundssector arepartners appropriated to thefacilitate program,placement orof wheregraduates anin unspenthigh-demand balancecybersecurity forroles. the program remains from a prior year’s appropriation which can continue to support the program’s operations, the Department of Commerce may:

(f) Providing access to datasets for statewide cyber assessments, research, and development.

(5) Beginning in the 2026-2027 academic year, the program must be available at all currently NCAE-C-designated state universities and Florida College System institutions.

(6)(a) Beginning January 1, 2027, and annually thereafter through January 1, 2032, the department, using data and analyses provided by Cyber Florida as required by the agreement under subsection (3), shall submit a report to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

(b) The report must include all of the following:

ImplementThe thenumber programof students participating in internships, clearance readiness preparation, and directlyCompTIA disburseSecurity+ thecertification fundsprograms toat participatingeach institutions.institution.

Such2. funds may be used to cover the cost of students going through the security clearance process;

orThe 2.number of students who have earned CompTIA Security+ certification and the number of students who have completed internship and clearance readiness milestones.

Enter3. into a mutually agreed upon multi-year contract with Cyber Florida to administer the program statewide and disburse the available funding to participating institutions.

(b)The Anynumber disbursement of fundsstudents underwho thissubsequently subsectionreported isentering subjectfederal, tostate, approvalor byprivate thesector department.cybersecurity positions requiring a federal public trust or national security clearance, and any available data on those positions.