If signed, House Bill 1085 would codify grants to provide state-provided tools, services and coordination, signaling a shift toward a more centralized approach to cyber defense. The bill would also create the Local Government Cybersecurity Protection Program (LGCPP) within the Florida Digital Service.
This legislation passed with near unanimous support, tallying only one no vote from a state representative. The bill on Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk would go into effect July 1, and it does not include an allocation of funds.
Under the LGCPP, grants would be delivered in the form of cybersecurity software and services for local governments, who in return would agree to share telemetry data with the state’s cybersecurity operations center. The program would run through July 1, 2031.
Over the past few years, Florida has funded a similar grant through legislative allocations beginning with fiscal year 2022-23. A bill analysis shows that in fiscal year 2025-26, 199 local governments have received $65.1 million in state cybersecurity support, paying for a list of capabilities, including asset discovery inventory, endpoint detection and response, security operation platforms, and security systems.
“What they did was offer capabilities, so it wasn’t a monetary grant,” said Robert Beach, director of IT in Palm Bay, Fla., in August. “The long and short of it is, they were able to provide cybersecurity capabilities in the first year to local governments across the state of Florida. We’re talking about capabilities that were previously beyond reach to local government. I would say that’s a huge success story.”
Florida has also administered the federal State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (SLCGP) through its Division of Emergency Management. Unlike HB 1085, which codifies a permanent state‑run program, SLCGP is a federal grant program tied to discrete funding cycles and national priorities, most recently emphasizing critical infrastructure and law enforcement.
