High school sports coaches in Florida will now have the chance to make more money, contributed by booster clubs and alumni organizations. They will also be permitted to use their personal funds to support the student-athletes they coach.
The change comes after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed two bills, SBs 538 and 178, earlier this week. The bills do come with some limitations on pay and other newfound liberties for coaches.
The governor’s signature on the bills made these significant changes to Coach compensation and spending in Florida:
The Governor’s office released a statement supporting the changes made by the new laws, saying, “We recognize the value of strong coaches and strive to ensure that student athletes have the opportunities they need to thrive,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “Together, the bills I signed today will strengthen Florida’s K-12 athletic programs and support the students and coaches who help them achieve their potential.”
Shane Abbott, the Florida House Member for Walton County, said on X, formerly Twitter, that he was “proud to have helped spearhead this effort and to continue supporting those who make a difference in the lives of our students every day!”
I’m proud to have helped spearhead this effort and to continue supporting those who make a difference in the lives of our students every day! https://t.co/mnEDDSo2sL
— Shane Abbott (@ShaneAbbottFL) May 22, 2026
The Florida Coaches Coalition, which has long advocated for ways to increase coaches’ pay to remain competitive with Georgia and Alabama, noted in a post on X that it was shifting its lobbying efforts to school districts.
Florida school districts have officially run out of excuses.
— Florida Coaches Coalition (@PayFLCoaches) May 27, 2026
The law is signed.
The funding mechanism exists.
And coaches can now legally be compensated through boosters without touching district budgets.
So if a district still chooses to block it, delay it, bury it in policy,… pic.twitter.com/cd7kDjabaE
Former Okaloosa County Clerk, All Sports Association member, and current school board candidate for Okaloosa County’s School Board told Christopher Saul in an election interview that “It’s not a case where we’re going to have a junior Nick Saban making millions of dollars. That’s not what this is about. This is making sure that we can attract really good coaches at all levels across the district. It provides a tool for those invested in our kids to contribute to that thing, I’m a big believer in transparency and oversight, so there’s a role that the district will play to make sure that we have transparency in things that are not supposed to happen don’t happen. Still, I tend to think it’s a good thing to make sure we’re getting the quality of coaches that we need that our community expects.”
Pro Communi Bono
St. Francis De Sales, Ora Pro Nobis!
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