Above, Tim Weisheyer
A proposed bill that would have abolished the Florida Real Estate Commission (FREC) appears to be dead, according to Tim Weisheyer, president of Florida REALTORS®, which strongly opposed the bill.
The proposal—which Weisheyer says was attached to multiple different pieces of legislation over the past few weeks, using a state-specific amendment process—would effectively abolish FREC, sparking pushback from real estate professionals across the state and concern around the country. It passed the Florida house last week, 69 to 42.
According to Weisheyer, though, the Florida senate “doesn’t have any interest in passing the legislation as proposed,” though he added there is still a possibility something could change.
“We are operating under the mindset that it will not make it through, but that this will be an ongoing conversation with the Florida legislature over the next 12 months going into the 2026 session,” he says.
The proposal made national headlines this month, with real estate professionals concerned that this kind of massive deregulation would cause chaos and lead to consumer harm, or that similar proposals would crop up in other states.
Explaining why Florida REALTORS® opposes the bill, Weisheyer specifically points to FREC’s role in continuing education, and oversight of licensees who aren’t REALTORS® and are therefore not bound by REALTOR® bylaws or ethics.
“So just based on that alone, we believe that the commission serves a purpose,” he says. “Part of our narrative to the legislature is—have us at the table and let us see what we can do to help you while also making sure that we lend our expertise and even our support in some ways to help re-look at the system and the processes that ultimately maybe gets us to an even better place.”
Weisheyer emphasizes that Florida REALTORS® has maintained positive relationships with legislators throughout the process, and noted the bill did not target real estate specifically, but rather took a wholesale approach to deregulation, aiming to abolish numerous other oversight boards and commissions in the state.
He added that this legislative session in Florida has not been characterized by any extraordinary focus or scrutiny on real estate, despite numerous other states considering significant changes in the wake of the National Association of REALTORS®’ settlement.
“It’s the normal work of the body, and there’s been nothing that has been major for us during this session compared to any other,” Weisheyer says.
The fact that a proposal to upend a system that has operated for almost 100 years in the state was supported by a majority of representatives in the Florida house still sent shockwaves through the national real estate community. Weisheyer, though, downplayed the significance of the bill’s advancement, and characterized the national reaction as essentially a misunderstanding.
“I think the narrative that has gotten caught up around this has almost created a story that doesn’t necessarily represent my or our thoughts, which is that somehow the Florida House is adversarial towards Florida REALTORS® and/or real estate, and it’s simply not true. These are good people doing good work, and we understand that,” he says.
At the same time, the message sent by the bill is that deregulation is something that lawmakers are keen to get behind—with Weisheyer saying that Florida REALTORS® is eager to be part of that conversation, and support changes and deregulation where it makes sense.
Other states have already begun various efforts to cut spending or increase government efficiency—which Weisheyer says was an explicit aim of the Florida bill.
Weisheyer adds that the takeaway for associations in other states is to maintain and build collegial relationships with lawmakers to be part of any conversation. Asked if helping defeat the bill should be viewed as a win or a demonstration of the power of advocacy for Florida REALTORS®, Weisheyer offers another perspective.
“What I would consider a success, going through this whole process, (is) Florida REALTORS® and the Florida legislature working together hand in hand to make sure that we’re creating the right oversight framework and outcome for the real estate industry in Florida,” he says. “That’s what I’m going to call a win. Anything short of that, it’s just part of the process. We’re used to it. We’ve always done it.”