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The Florida Pro-Entrepreneurship & AI Workforce Act (FL-AI-Workforce)

Florida state companion to the AI Workforce Act. Extends Florida's existing pro-business, pro-entrepreneur framework (Enterprise Florida / Select Florida, the Florida Entrepreneurship Tax Credit framework, and Fla. Stat. Ch. 288 economic-development chapters) into AI-era reskilling and startup formation.

THE FLORIDA PRO-ENTREPRENEURSHIP & AI WORKFORCE ACT (FL-AI-WORKFORCE)

A Florida Bill to Make Florida the Easiest State to Start, Retrain, and Build in the AI Era

Vehicle: State passage. Florida Legislature, regular session. Primary referral to the Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee and the House Commerce Committee; Title IV fiscal provisions additionally referred to Senate Finance & Tax and House Ways & Means; Title V education provisions additionally referred to the Senate Education Pre-K-12 Committee and Senate Education Postsecondary Committee, and the House PreK-12 Quality Subcommittee and Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee.

Relationship to federal AI Workforce Act: This Act is coordinated with the federal Pro-Entrepreneurship & AI Workforce Act. Where the federal bill creates a federal transition-account mechanism, this Act creates Florida’s state companion using the CareerSource Florida infrastructure and the Department of State Sunbiz business-formation portal.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE

This Act may be cited as the “Florida Pro-Entrepreneurship & AI Workforce Act (FL-AI-Workforce).”

SECTION 2. LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS AND INTENT

The Legislature finds that Florida is the nation’s leading pro-business state, that Florida’s Department of State Division of Corporations (“Sunbiz”) operates the nation’s most efficient business-formation portal under Fla. Stat. Ch. 605 (LLCs), Ch. 607 (corporations), and Ch. 620 (partnerships), and that Enterprise Florida, the Florida Opportunity Fund under Fla. Stat. Sec. 288.9624, and the CareerSource Florida workforce-development framework under Fla. Stat. Ch. 445 together provide the infrastructure to lead a state-level AI workforce transition. The Legislature further finds that Florida’s existing statewide assessment and curriculum authorities under Fla. Stat. Ch. 1003 and Ch. 1008, and the Florida College System performance framework under Fla. Stat. Sec. 1011.4107, can be extended to support AI-era fluency without a new agency or mandate.

TITLE I — DEFINITIONS & COORDINATION WITH FLORIDA LAW

Vehicle (Florida): Definitional. Interpretive only.

Sec. 101. Definitions

For purposes of this Act:

  1. (a) “Qualified AI startup” means a Florida-formed business entity under Fla. Stat. Ch. 605, Ch. 607, or Ch. 620 whose principal business is AI-related software or services and that has fewer than 50 full-time-equivalent employees at the time of claiming an incentive under Title IV.
  2. (b) “AI-displaced worker” means a Florida-domiciled worker whose separation from employment is documented, by the former employer, as attributable in whole or substantial part to AI-driven process change.
  3. (c) “CareerSource provider” means a training provider on the Florida Eligible Training Provider List under 29 U.S.C. Sec. 3152 and Fla. Stat. Ch. 445.

Sec. 102. Coordination with Existing Florida Law

  1. (a) This Act shall be construed consistently with:
  • Fla. Stat. Ch. 605, Ch. 607, and Ch. 620 (business entities).
  • Fla. Stat. Ch. 288 (commercial development and capital improvements; Enterprise Florida; Florida Opportunity Fund).
  • Fla. Stat. Ch. 220 (corporate income tax).
  • Fla. Stat. Ch. 445 and Ch. 446 (CareerSource Florida and workforce services).
  • Fla. Stat. Ch. 1003, Ch. 1007, Ch. 1008 (K-12 and postsecondary framework).

TITLE II — STATE BUSINESS-FORMATION REFORM

Vehicle (Florida): Regular order. Extends existing Sunbiz processes; minimal fiscal impact.

Sec. 201. DOS Sunbiz Streamlining

  1. (a) The Department of State, Division of Corporations (“Sunbiz”) shall operate a same-business-day formation pathway for domestic limited liability companies under Fla. Stat. Ch. 605 and for-profit corporations under Fla. Stat. Ch. 607.
  2. (b) Sunbiz shall publish, not later than 12 months after the effective date of this Act, a machine-readable API for formation filings that preserves existing fee structures under Fla. Stat. Sec. 605.0212, Sec. 607.0122, and Sec. 620.8106.

Sec. 202. One-Stop Florida Business Portal

  1. (a) The Department of Economic Opportunity, in coordination with the Department of State, the Department of Revenue, and CareerSource Florida, shall operate a One-Stop Florida Business Portal integrating, at a minimum:
  • Business-entity formation under Fla. Stat. Ch. 605, Ch. 607, Ch. 620.
  • Florida business tax registration under Fla. Stat. Ch. 212 and Ch. 213.
  • Reemployment tax registration under Fla. Stat. Ch. 443.
  • CareerSource Florida Employer of Record registration under Fla. Stat. Ch. 445.

TITLE III — FLORIDA AI WORKFORCE TRANSITION

Vehicle (Florida): Regular order with fiscal provisions. Implemented through CareerSource Florida and appropriated through the General Appropriations Act.

Sec. 301. AI Workforce Transition Accounts

  1. (a) An AI-displaced worker is eligible to establish an AI Workforce Transition Account at a CareerSource Florida regional workforce board, through which the worker may pay tuition to a CareerSource provider for reskilling to an occupation covered by a Florida Recognized Merit Credential (see FL-ACSA Sec. 201) or a Federal FRAC.
  2. (b) Funding for AI Workforce Transition Accounts shall be provided through annual appropriations and through Florida’s allocation of federal workforce funds under 29 U.S.C. Sec. 3161 et seq.

Sec. 302. CareerSource Florida Integration

  1. (a) CareerSource Florida shall administer AI Workforce Transition Accounts through the existing Local Workforce Development Board framework established under Fla. Stat. Sec. 445.007.
  2. (b) Account administration shall not increase administrative overhead above 10 percent of the amount appropriated under Sec. 301.

TITLE IV — FLORIDA AI ENTREPRENEURSHIP INCENTIVES

Vehicle (Florida): Regular order with tax provisions. Coordinated with Florida’s existing Ch. 220 corporate income tax credits; capped in the General Appropriations Act; primary tax referral to Senate Finance & Tax and House Ways & Means.

Sec. 401. Florida AI-Startup Tax Incentive

  1. (a) A qualified AI startup may elect to claim an incentive under this Section equal to a percentage of qualified in-State research and development expenditures, subject to an annual aggregate program cap set by the General Appropriations Act.
  2. (b) The incentive shall be administered by the Department of Revenue consistent with existing Ch. 220 credit mechanics, including the Research and Development Tax Credit framework under Fla. Stat. Sec. 220.196.

Sec. 402. Capital Access via the Florida Opportunity Fund

  1. (a) The Florida Opportunity Fund, established under Fla. Stat. Sec. 288.9624, is authorized to co-invest in qualified AI startups on terms consistent with its existing statutory mandate.
  2. (b) Nothing in this Section shall authorize any expansion of the Fund’s aggregate investment authority beyond amounts specifically appropriated by the Legislature.

TITLE V — K-12 & POSTSECONDARY AI FLUENCY

Vehicle (Florida): Regular order. Extends existing K-12 and postsecondary curriculum authorities; no statewide mandate created.

Sec. 501. K-12 AI-Fluency Curriculum Option

  1. (a) The State Board of Education shall, consistent with Fla. Stat. Sec. 1003.41 (Next Generation Sunshine State Standards), approve optional AI-fluency curriculum packages for use by school districts and charter schools.
  2. (b) Curriculum packages shall be optional; nothing in this Title shall be construed to mandate any particular AI-fluency curriculum in a school district or charter school.

Sec. 502. FCS / SUS AI-Fluency Program Eligibility

  1. (a) Florida College System institutions under Fla. Stat. Ch. 1007 and State University System institutions under Fla. Stat. Ch. 1001 may offer AI-fluency certificate programs that align with the FRMC Registry under FL-ACSA Sec. 201.
  2. (b) AI-fluency certificates that align with an FRMC shall be treated consistently with other workforce-certificate programs for purposes of the Florida College System performance-funding model under Fla. Stat. Sec. 1011.4107.

TITLE VI — IMPLEMENTATION & GENERAL PROVISIONS

Vehicle (Florida): Structural.

Sec. 601. Severability

If any provision of this Act, or its application to any person or circumstance, is held invalid, the invalidity shall not affect the remainder of this Act.

Sec. 602. Effective Date

This Act shall take effect July 1 of the year following enactment, except that Sec. 401 shall apply to taxable years beginning on or after January 1 of that year, and Sec. 301 shall take effect concurrent with the effective date of the corresponding Title of the federal Pro-Entrepreneurship & AI Workforce Act.

Canonical federal version: AI Workforce. Other Florida bills: FL-ACSA, FL-MEWRA, FL-GT&P.