A bill to abolish the Florida Real Estate Commission passed its second House committee hearing Tuesday with opposition from Florida Realtors and other industries.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A second Florida House committee advanced House Bill 1461 on Tuesday which would eliminate nearly all boards and commissions that regulate professions under the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR). This change includes the Florida Real Estate Commission (FREC), which is responsible for regulating the real estate profession in the state.
Florida Realtors® 2025 President Tim Weisheyer traveled to Tallahassee to speak in opposition of the bill.
“We’re talking about the largest financial investment that families and individuals make in their lives – their homes, the place that they build their wealth, and something that we know is really important to the fabric and the fiber of every single community,” Weisheyer told the committee. “We understand the intent of the bill and what the state is trying to do with deregulation, but we do truly believe that real estate is one of those that should be preserved – the Florida Real Estate Commission should stand.”
The bill, filed on Feb. 28, 2025, did not originally propose eliminating FREC. However, a 389-page amendment filed on April 7 added the provision. It passed its first committee on April 9, and its second on Tuesday. It has one more committee stop before it would be brought to the House floor for a full vote.
“The truth is, the Florida Real Estate Commission, as it stands today, has over 175 years of combined experience and expertise that’s really unique and really nuanced,” added Weisheyer. “Being able to look at the very unique circumstances that come before them to make decisions on not just who gets a license, but also who gets to keep or maintain a license in the state of Florida is critical. We stand in opposition to the bill, but we stand in support of continued collaboration.”
FREC was created to protect the public by regulating the conduct of real estate licensees and ensuring that real estate professionals in Florida comply with established legal and ethical standards. Real estate represents more than $394 billion—or 24%—of Florida’s economy. With nearly 320,000 active real estate licensees working across the state, along with more than 100,000 licensees currently inactive, FREC’s role is crucial in maintaining public trust and professional integrity in real estate transactions.
It is unclear who within DBPR would handle disciplinary duties, how the process would work and whether DBPR has the necessary staff and expertise to handle the increased workload. The bill does not include additional staffing to handle this change.
If the bill is passed by the House, the Senate would need to approve their own version or adopt the House version before it can be sent to Gov. Ron DeSantis for his signature. It is unclear at this time where the governor and Senate stand on the bill.
Florida Realtors will continue to lobby against the bill in its current form. It will also continue to engage stakeholders and decision makers to determine next steps regarding these proposed changes to the real estate industry.
© 2025 Florida Realtors®
©Florida Realtors®
Source link
