Florida Governor Ron Desantis signs Teddy Bridgewater Act

By: Anthony McCulley


Florida Governor Ron Desantis signs Teddy Bridgewater Act 



Teddy Bridgewater with the Lions credit: heavy.com



Florida Governor Ron Desantis signed the Teddy Bridgewater act into law Friday after it was unanimously voted 38-0 on February 20, 2026. 


The Teddy Bridgewater Act allows high school coaches throughout the state to care for the welfare of the student-athletes. They can help with things such as paying for food, transportation and recovery services, according to nfl.com. 


Florida Senate passed the bill back in February of this year by a vote of 38-0. It was inspired by NFL veteran Teddy Bridgewater after a 2025 incident at his alma mater, Miami Northwestern High School. Bridgewater was suspended the rest of that season after he admitted he paid up to $6,000 per week for meals, Uber rides and recovery services, according to an article on heavy.com.


 He also paid up to $23,500 for training camp costs and apparel for the team. Coaches are allowed to spend up to $15,000 annually but they have to report the expenditures to the Florida High School Athletic Association. 


Bridgewater said he did it out of compassion for the players who come from high-poverty, high-crime areas. The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) and Miami-Dade County Public Schools ruled the benefits were impermissible under state rules, according to nbcmiami.com.


Governor Ron Desantis also signed the pay and role flexibility bill on Friday. It aims at all extracurricular positions such as football head coaches, band directors, etc. School districts can now classify these positions as administrative personnel, making them year-round positions rather than seasonal workers. Florida coaches have been underpaid for years. 


Coaches can now negotiate their salaries with the highest-paid administrator in a given district. Booster clubs and supporting organizations are authorized to fund the additional pay for coaches. Some restrictions do apply. The state of Florida isn’t mandating the new process, meaning districts need to adopt this in their respective jurisdictions in year one or face organized pressure from the Florida Coaches Coalition if they decline, per news4jax.com. 


While it’s important to apply the new system, it does place the decision at the local level which means political influence will be met if a district declines it. The idea is to make Florida competitive, recognize coaches as year-round, not seasonal and to provide resources to the districts to pay coaches fairly. 


Desantis signed both bills together on Friday to recognize all coaches and mentors who help their student-athletes. On the flip-side, the players can have their welfare checked on with the help of the coaches. 




 








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