Florida SB 1128 Did Not Take Effect July 2026: Bill Died

The Short Answer

Florida SB 1128 did not take effect on July 1, 2026. Despite headlines suggesting otherwise, the Senate record shows the bill died in the Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice on March 13, 2026. July 1, 2026 was only its proposed effective date, which never activated. Florida time-sharing enforcement law remains unchanged.

The News Hook

A claim has been circulating that Florida Senate Bill 1128 took effect on July 1, 2026, bringing faster time-sharing enforcement and priority hearings. It did not.

The official Florida Senate bill history for CS/SB 1128 (2026 session) records its last action as: "3/13/2026 Senate - Died in Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice." The bill, sponsored by Senator Grall, cleared the Judiciary Committee on February 10, 2026 by an 11-0 vote, but never advanced past Appropriations. Its companion House measure, HB 971, also died in committee.

When a Florida bill dies before passage, none of its provisions become law. The proposed effective date written into the bill text (here, July 1, 2026) is contingent on the bill actually passing both chambers and being signed by the Governor. That never happened.

What SB 1128 Would Have Done

SB 1128 was a family-law procedural bill focused on time-sharing enforcement. Had it passed, it would have:

• Required courts to prioritize certain time-sharing cases on their calendars
• Established procedural requirements for hearings on motions involving temporary parental responsibility and time-sharing
• Mandated annual reporting by judicial circuit on how such hearings were handled
• Changed statutory language to require (rather than merely authorize) courts to determine an appropriate parenting plan in certain proceedings

These were meaningful procedural changes for parents fighting over enforcement. But because the bill died, none of them are in force.

Legal Implications for Florida Divorce Cases

Because SB 1128 did not pass, Florida time-sharing law continues to operate under the framework already on the books. The controlling statutes are unchanged:

• F.S. 61.13 governs parenting plans, time-sharing, and enforcement of time-sharing schedules, including make-up time-sharing and sanctions for a parent who violates the schedule.
• F.S. 61.046 defines "time-sharing schedule" and "parenting plan" — the terminology Florida uses in place of the older words "custody" and "visitation."
• F.S. 61.13(4) already gives courts tools to enforce a time-sharing order when one parent refuses to honor it, including awarding additional time-sharing, ordering the offending parent to pay reasonable costs and attorney fees, and requiring attendance in a parenting course.

The 2023 alimony and time-sharing reforms under SB 1416 (which did become law) remain the most recent major statutory change, including the rebuttable presumption that equal (50/50) time-sharing is in the best interest of the child under F.S. 61.13(2)(c)(2). SB 1128 would have layered new hearing-priority procedures on top of that framework, but it did not survive.

For practical purposes: the enforcement remedies available to a Florida parent today are the same ones that existed before the 2026 session. There is no new statutory right to a priority hearing that arose on July 1, 2026.

Florida-Specific Analysis

Misinformation about family-law bills is common in Florida because so many proposals are filed each session and so few pass. Several 2026 bills drew similar confusion, including HB 943, HB 1014, and SB 644 — each of which also failed despite online claims to the contrary.

The distinction matters most for parents who are actively dealing with a time-sharing dispute. A parent who believes a new law guarantees them an expedited hearing may make filing decisions based on a rule that does not exist. Under current law, whether a time-sharing enforcement motion gets heard quickly depends on the individual circuit's calendar and the specific facts, not on a statewide priority mandate.

It is worth noting that most of this confusion does not touch uncontested divorces. If both spouses already agree on a parenting plan and time-sharing schedule, there is no enforcement fight to prioritize — the agreed plan is submitted with the dissolution paperwork and approved by the court.

Practical Takeaways

• Do not rely on SB 1128. It died on March 13, 2026 and is not law. There is no new priority-hearing right as of July 1, 2026.
• Verify bill status at the source. The Florida Senate site (flsenate.gov) lists every bill's full action history. "Died in committee" means it did not pass.
• Time-sharing enforcement still exists. F.S. 61.13(4) already provides make-up time-sharing, fee-shifting, and other remedies when a parent violates a time-sharing order.
• Agreed parenting plans avoid the fight entirely. In an uncontested divorce with children, both parents sign the parenting plan up front, so there is nothing to enforce later.
• Talk to a Florida family lawyer before acting on any headline about a "new law."

If you and your spouse agree on the terms of your divorce, including a parenting plan for any minor children, our firm handles uncontested Florida divorces for a flat $750 attorney fee (court filing fees are separate). See our related guides:

• Uncontested Divorce With Children Orlando FL: $750 (2026)
• How to File Uncontested Divorce in Orlando FL: $750 (2026)
• SB 1128 Died: Florida Time-Sharing Law Unchanged (2026)

Legal Disclaimer

This article is provided for general informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Florida law changes and every case is different. For advice about your specific situation, consult a licensed Florida attorney. Antonio G. Jimenez, Esq., is licensed to practice law in Florida (Florida Bar No. 21022).