The bill, state Senate Bill 480, was filed in early 2026 and is now being considered by legislative committees. If passed, it would take the current Florida Digital Service agency and make it part of a newly created division under the Executive Office of the Governor.
Right now, the Florida Digital Service, created in 2020, exists inside the Department of Management Services (DMS) — a larger agency that handles a mix of administrative tasks for the state, including real estate and human resources. If the bill becomes law, its duties and functions would “transfer” to a new entity called the Division of Integrated Government Innovation and Technology, or DIGIT, based in the governor’s office.
In practical terms, that would seem to reflect a shift in authority and focus. According to the bill text, DIGIT would operate “as the state enterprise organization for information technology governance and as the lead entity responsible for understanding needs and environments, creating standards and strategy, supporting state agency technology efforts, and reporting on the state of information technology in this state.”
In other words, the division would not just perform technical work, but would help set rules and plans for how the entire state government approaches technology. Being created as a “division” under the governor’s office would seem to afford direct access to top leadership and elevate the visibility of the work.
Florida’s approach to organizing IT has historically been anything but static. Last year, legislators attempted a broader overhaul with SB 7026, which would have replaced the Florida Digital Service entirely with a new agency, the Agency for State Systems and Enterprise Technology, designed to centralize technology authority at a cabinet level. That proposal moved through legislative committees and garnered some support but ultimately did not become law.
Earlier still, in 2019, the state did away with the Agency for State Technologies — creating instead the Division of State Technologies (DST) under the parent Department of Management Services. The following year, lawmakers eliminated the DST, replacing it with the Florida Digital Services and the DMS Division of Telecommunications.
SB 480 would create a new division and elevate an existing entity, giving it a more direct connection to the governor. It also would codify a structured leadership transition. The current state CIO would act as interim head of DIGIT through June 30, 2027, while the governor and Cabinet select a permanent CIO.
The law would require the permanent CIO to have at least 10 years of executive technology experience and be confirmed by the state Senate. Once appointed, the new CIO would have the authority to build a complete executive team, including filling the roles of chief information security officer, chief technology officer and chief data officer. This transition could lead to new leadership at the top, or the current CIO could be chosen to remain, if continuity was the goal.
