Florida Senate - 2026 SB 1182
By Senator Jones
34-01094-26 20261182__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to business development incentives for
3 veterans and military spouses; creating s. 295.189,
4 F.S.; providing a short title; providing legislative
5 findings and intent; providing definitions; requiring
6 the Department of State to waive specified fees for
7 certain businesses; providing eligibility and
8 registration requirements for such waivers; providing
9 applicability; providing tax exemptions for certain
10 businesses; providing eligibility requirements for
11 such exemptions; requiring the Department of Revenue
12 to establish procedures for claiming such exemptions;
13 providing applicability; providing for rulemaking and
14 interagency cooperation; providing annual reporting
15 requirements; providing an effective date.
16
17 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
18
19 Section 1. Section 295.189, Florida Statutes, is created to
20 read:
21 295.189 Business development incentives for veterans and
22 military spouses.—
23 (1) SHORT TITLE.—This section may be cited as the “Florida
24 Veterans and Military Spouses Business Development Act.”
25 (2) LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS AND INTENT.—
26 (a) The Legislature finds that veterans and military
27 spouses contribute significantly to this state’s economy through
28 their skills, expertise, and entrepreneurial efforts.
29 (b) The Legislature recognizes the challenges of frequent
30 relocations and economic instability faced by many military
31 spouses.
32 (c) It is the intent of the Legislature that this act
33 attract and support veteran-owned and military spouse-owned
34 businesses by providing incentives.
35 (3) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term:
36 (a) “Military spouse” means a spouse of:
37 1. An active duty member of the United States Armed Forces;
38 or
39 2. A veteran.
40 (b) “Veteran” has the same meaning as in s. 1.01(14).
41 (c) “Veteran-owned or military spouse-owned business” means
42 a business entity:
43 1. That employs 200 or fewer permanent full-time employees.
44 2. That, together with its affiliates, has a net worth of
45 $5 million or less or, if a sole proprietorship, has a net worth
46 of $5 million or less including personal and business
47 investments.
48 3. That is organized to engage in commercial transactions.
49 4. That is domiciled in this state.
50 5. That is at least 51 percent owned and operated by one or
51 more veterans or military spouses.
52 6. The management and daily business operations of which
53 are controlled by one or more veterans or military spouses.
54 7. That has a professional license, if required by the
55 industry, in the name of a veteran or military spouse who owns
56 the business entity.
57 (4) FEE WAIVER.—
58 (a) The Department of State shall waive all fees for:
59 1. A new business established by a veteran or military
60 spouse.
61 2. An existing veteran-owned or military spouse-owned
62 business that relocates to this state.
63 (b) The Department of State shall establish registration
64 requirements for such fee waivers, which must include:
65 1. For veterans, a DD Form 214 or another acceptable form
66 of identification as specified by the United States Department
67 of Veterans’ Affairs; or
68 2. For military spouses, verification of a military spouse
69 relationship and that the other spouse is on active duty or a
70 veteran.
71 (c) The fee waivers apply to veteran-owned or military
72 spouse-owned businesses established between July 1, 2026, and
73 June 30, 2031.
74 (5) TAX EXEMPTIONS.—
75 (a) Eligible veteran-owned or military spouse-owned
76 businesses shall receive:
77 1. A 5-year tax exemption from the corporate income tax and
78 the franchise tax.
79 a. A business that is 100 percent veteran-owned or military
80 spouse-owned shall receive the 5-year tax exemption after being
81 in business for at least 5 years.
82 b. A business that is at least 51 percent veteran-owned or
83 military spouse-owned but does not qualify for the tax exemption
84 under sub-subparagraph a. shall receive the 5-year tax exemption
85 after being in business for at least 7 years.
86 2. A one-time sales tax exemption on equipment and supplies
87 directly related to business operations.
88 (b) The Department of Revenue shall establish procedures
89 for claiming the tax exemptions.
90 (c) For veteran-owned or military spouse-owned businesses
91 relocating to this state, the tax exemptions apply for 5 years
92 after the date on which the business is established.
93 (6) ADMINISTRATION.—The Department of Veterans’ Affairs and
94 the Department of State shall:
95 (a) Develop rules for administering this section.
96 (b) Ensure interagency cooperation for seamless
97 implementation of this section.
98 (7) ANNUAL REPORTING.—Beginning December 31, 2026, and each
99 December 31 thereafter, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs
100 shall submit a report to the Governor, the President of the
101 Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives which
102 includes:
103 (a) The number of veteran-owned or military spouse-owned
104 businesses that were established in this state or that relocated
105 to this state.
106 (b) Economic metrics such as job creation and tax revenue
107 impact from veteran-owned and military spouse-owned businesses.
108 (c) Demographic data for the participating veterans and
109 military spouses.
110 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.