Florida is again with a brand new try and put Bitcoin on the state’s steadiness sheet. The brand new invoice, HB 183, revives final 12 months’s failed effort, however with sharper tooth and broader scope.
Resetting the cap on particular nation funds allotted to digital property, together with Bitcoin and controlled ETFs, to 10%. However whereas the 2025 invoice was largely an aspirational gesture, this one reads like a sensible blueprint.
It particulars how custody works, who could make calls, and even what occurs if the state loses management of the personal keys.
This invoice is lengthy and detailed, and for good cause. HB 183 goals to reveal that the state of Florida can really maintain cryptocurrencies in a method that may move an audit.
It defines digital property, together with Bitcoin, tokenized securities, and different cryptographically recorded devices, below Florida’s Digital Data Act. It additionally opens the door to merchandise traded on exchanges that maintain digital property alongside shares and commodities.
This growth signifies that nations usually are not simply speaking about accumulating Bitcoin. The corporate stands to carry publicity by way of SEC-registered ETFs and tokenized securities so long as they meet custody and disclosure requirements.
The invoice designates the chief monetary officer because the focal particular person. CFOs can allocate as much as 10% of every state fund account, from basic income to belief funds and company funds, to authorised cryptocurrencies and ETF merchandise.
The identical cap applies to pension plans, and the state trustees can make investments as much as 10% of the Florida Retirement System belief fund. These limits mirror final 12 months’s invoice, however make clear that the caps apply on an account-by-account foundation, slightly than all funds directly, successfully increasing the potential pool.
None of those are obligatory, as they’re caps slightly than quotas, however the authorized authorizations are broad sufficient to be important.
Storage and administration laws have been strengthened. Digital property bought by the state have to be held instantly by the CFO or below ongoing management by way of a custodian who’s legally entitled to excellent the safety curiosity. If this management lapses, the state should appropriate it inside 5 enterprise days.
Loans are permitted, however provided that the mortgage is absolutely collateralized, and the CFO is free by regulation to request overcollateralization. These are the form of operational guardrails designed to reply the query that killed the unique invoice: How can we shield the personal keys of the Treasury?
HB 183 additionally accounts for taxes and charges obtained on digital currencies and requires them to be included normally income and reimbursed in {dollars}. It is a small however important signal that the drafters are desirous about accounting frictions as a lot as ideology.
Dimension and stakes
The numbers behind the ten% quantity make this invoice greater than symbolic. The Florida Retirement System holds roughly $218 billion.
A 1% allocation there would equate to about $2.2 billion, already greater than most day by day spot Bitcoin ETF flows.
The 5% allocation approaches $11 billion, and that is earlier than factoring in different state funds such because the $4.9 billion Funds Stabilization Fund, which might theoretically add lots of of hundreds of thousands of {dollars} extra.
None of those strikes will occur in a single day, however even a cautious 1% pilot would introduce a brand new supply of secure demand to a market that at the moment depends closely on ETF inflows.
Authorized and political obstacles stay excessive. The invoice exempts digital foreign money holdings from a few of the state’s public deposit safety guidelines, however it doesn’t remedy the bigger drawback of volatility and fiduciary threat. Public funds are constructed on liquidity and predictability. Bitcoin is neither of these issues.
A five-day treatment clause for custody revocation could appear neat on paper, however it’s unproven in public sector apply. Auditors will search proof that Florida can doc and worth these holdings as rigorously as Treasury and shares.
There’s additionally the difficulty of timing. Even when the invoice passes, every funding committee might want to revise its personal coverage assertion earlier than bearing on cryptocurrencies.
HB 183 is basically not a declaration that Florida will purchase Bitcoin, however a declaration that Florida needs to legally have the opportunity to take action. Increasing the scope from one asset to a whole class, incorporating management mechanisms and creating an atmosphere for cautious participation slightly than speculative bets.
Whereas the ten% determine has garnered consideration, the true story lies in states’ makes an attempt to create authorized methods for nationwide administration of crypto property.
If the framework survives scrutiny and positive factors traction, it might change into the primary mannequin of its variety in america. Every regulation will quietly however basically change the best way governments take into consideration holding digital property.
