Two Jacksonville local bills sponsored by Rep. Wyman Duggan advance in Florida House process

Local measures move forward as the 2026 session begins

Two Jacksonville-specific bills sponsored by state Rep. Wyman Duggan, a Republican who represents parts of Duval County, have cleared an early procedural step in the Florida House, placing them on the agenda of the House Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee. The measures are part of the Legislature’s “local bill” process, in which the state enacts changes that apply to a particular local government or special district.

Both bills were filed in late December 2025 and, in mid-January 2026, were set for subcommittee consideration. Placement on the agenda is an early hurdle; for either proposal to become law, it would still need to advance through additional committees, pass both chambers, and receive the governor’s approval.

HB 4049: Duval School Board seeks its own general counsel

One bill, HB 4049, would authorize the Duval County School Board to employ a general counsel who would be independent of the City of Jacksonville’s Office of General Counsel. The bill also specifies that certain legal services would continue to be provided through the city’s legal office.

The proposal sits at the intersection of education governance and Jacksonville’s consolidated city-county structure, under which some legal services have long been centralized. The measure would not fully sever legal ties between the School Board and City Hall; instead, it would create a distinct School Board attorney position while preserving defined roles for the city’s legal office in specified areas.

HB 4045: Expanding the Jacksonville Aviation Authority’s Cecil Airport economic development role

The second measure, HB 4045, would assign the Jacksonville Aviation Authority responsibility for economic development of Cecil Airport as a regional, state, and national aerospace and related-industry hub. The bill would require an annual presentation of an economic development plan for Cecil Airport to the Jacksonville City Council for review.

HB 4045 also would revise threshold amounts for certain purchases made by the authority, potentially altering how the agency applies procurement rules in its contracting and operations.

What happens next

Agenda placement signals momentum but not certainty. In practice, the next phase is committee scrutiny, where lawmakers can debate, amend, or pause proposals. Local bills often draw attention because they can adjust governance arrangements, oversight structures, and operational authority for public bodies in a way that directly affects local decision-making.

• Both bills are scheduled for House Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee consideration.
• Further committee stops would follow if they pass the initial hearing.
• Final passage would require approval by both the Florida House and Senate, then the governor’s signature.

Local bills can move quickly once committee support is secured, but they remain subject to amendment and negotiation at each stage of the process.

As the 2026 legislative session gets underway, the two proposals place questions of school board legal independence and airport-area economic development squarely in the Legislature’s local-government agenda for Jacksonville.