DeSantis signs law to inventory unused school land. Is a giveaway next?
Tampa Bay Times | By: Jeffrey S. Solochek | June 15, 2026
The big story: Florida has a new law that some education advocates have suggested is a gateway to a “public school land grab.”
Public education supporters raised yellow flags of caution early in the 2026 session when they saw the legislation (SB 824), which initially would have required school districts to give undeveloped taxpayer-owned property to private interests.
Several feared the measure’s provisions that would have forced any district that had lost enrollment in three consecutive years to offer undeveloped property owned longer than three years to charter school operators.
Coming so soon after lawmakers allowed “Schools of Hope” charters to claim unused space on campuses, concerns swirled that the state aimed to erode the system that more than three-quarters of families rely on for schooling.
Bill sponsors later backed off the early language, eliminating all references to charter schools and instead focusing on making an inventory of the property rather creating a plan for giving it away.
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed that version into law on Friday. Observers have said they still worry the original intent remains in the offing, but at least for now the immediacy is gone. Watch for next steps next year.
