FloridaFlorida sports rules will let coaches help athletes with personal funds
Starting July 1, 2026, Florida’s high school sports association must let coaches use personal money to help students, with parent consent and reporting.
What it does
Starting July 1, 2026, head coaches may use personal money to provide students food, transportation, or recovery services, with written parent consent and required reporting. Spending is capped at $15,000 per team each year.
Argument forStudents may get food, rides, or recovery services from a coach, with parent consent and a report to the sports association.
Argument againstWritten consent, reporting, and the yearly spending cap could limit how quickly or how much a coach can help a student.
More detail
The Florida High School Athletic Association must adopt rules allowing a head coach to use personal money to help a student. These rules cover head coaches helping students on teams governed by the Florida High School Athletic Association. A parent must give written consent before the coach provides help, and only one head coach per team may provide it this way. The coach must report the spending. It is presumed not to be an improper benefit unless it goes unreported, is found not to be in good faith, or is used for recruiting. A coach may spend up to $15,000 per team each year. Other organizations that govern school sports may adopt similar rules. The law takes effect July 1, 2026. The $15,000 cap applies to each team each year.
Where do you stand?
Choose your position
Tell your reps
Take a position to see your representatives and ways to contact them.
Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed Senate
- Passed House
- To Governor
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2026
- May 26Chapter No. 2026-90Latest
- May 22Approved by Governor Ron DeSantisBecame Law
- May 21Signed by Officers and presented to GovernorTo Governor
- Mar 11Ordered engrossed, then enrolledMinor
- Vote recorded Returning Messages. Result: pass.Upper
- Mar 11CS passed as amended; YEAS 37 NAYS 0Major
- Mar 11Concurred in 1 amendment(s) (144123)
- Mar 10In returning messages
- Vote recorded Passage, Third Reading. Result: pass.Lower
- Mar 10Amendment 144123 engrossed amendment (replaces 684905, 570171)
- Mar 10CS passed as amended; YEAS 112, NAYS 0Passed House
- Mar 10Read 3rd timeMinor
- Mar 10Added to Third Reading Calendar
- Mar 10Amendment 684905 adopted as amended
- Mar 10Amendment 570171 adopted
- Mar 10Read 2nd timeMinor
- Mar 91st Reading (Committee Substitute 2)Minor
- Mar 9Bill added to Special Order Calendar (3/10/2026)
- Mar 9Bill referred to House Calendar
- Feb 19In Messages
- Vote recorded Third Reading. Result: pass.Upper
- Feb 19Immediately certified
- Feb 19CS passed; YEAS 38 NAYS 0Passed Senate
- Feb 19Read 3rd timeMinor
- Feb 19Read 2nd timeMinor
- Feb 17Placed on Special Order Calendar, 02/19/26
- Feb 10Placed on Calendar, on 2nd reading
- Vote recorded Favorable. Result: pass.Upper
- Feb 10Favorable by- Rules; YEAS 24 NAYS 0Minor
- Feb 5On Committee agenda-- Rules, 02/10/26, 9:00 am, 412 Knott Building
- Feb 4Now in Rules
- Feb 4CS/CS by Judiciary read 1st time
- Feb 4Pending reference review under Rule 4.7(2) - (Committee Substitute)
- Feb 3CS/CS by Judiciary; YEAS 10 NAYS 0
- Vote recorded Favorable with Committee Substitute. Result: pass.Upper
- Jan 29On Committee agenda-- Judiciary, 02/03/26, 1:00 pm, 110 Senate Building
- Jan 22CS by Education Pre-K - 12 read 1st time
- Jan 22Now in Judiciary
- Jan 21Pending reference review under Rule 4.7(2) - (Committee Substitute)
- Jan 20CS by Education Pre-K - 12; YEAS 8 NAYS 0
- Vote recorded Favorable with Committee Substitute. Result: pass.Upper
- Jan 15On Committee agenda-- Education Pre-K - 12, 01/20/26, 1:00 pm, 412 Knott Building
- Jan 13IntroducedMinor
- 2025
- Nov 3Referred to Education Pre-K - 12; Judiciary; RulesMinor
- Oct 14FiledIntroduced
Education