Byron Donalds Pitches Florida Bitcoin (BTC) Reserve in Governor Race

U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds is pitching a state Bitcoin (BTC) reserve and a leading role in fractional ownership of real-world assets as he campaigns for Florida governor.

Donalds made the comments in an interview dated Oct. 17 and published Oct. 23. He said Florida should consider assembling a reserve and could lead in fractional ownership of real-world assets. He gave no bill number, funding source, custody plan or timeline for a state reserve. Donalds described Bitcoin as a commodity-like hedge against monetary policy.

His federal bill, H.R. 2112, was introduced March 14, 2025. It would give legal force to an executive order establishing a federal Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile, and was referred to the House Financial Services Committee.

Donalds also endorsed the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, saying, “CLARITY is about as good as you can get.” The bill would create a federal framework for digital-commodity markets, generally assigning oversight to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) while preserving some Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) authority.

He questioned whether the CFTC has the expertise and staff to keep pace with prediction markets. Donalds said he expects the agency to prevail in jurisdictional disputes with states, which he said could still have a consumer-protection role.

On Sept. 15, 2026, the Senate rejected cloture on a motion to proceed to the CLARITY Act, 49-50, with one senator not voting. The Sept. 15 Senate vote on the CLARITY Act was procedural and did not decide final passage. The House passed the bill 294-134 on July 17, 2025.

Florida lawmakers considered reserve measures in both chambers during the 2026 session. Senate Bill 1038 died in an appropriations committee on March 13, while House Bill 1039 died on the second-reading calendar that day. Donalds did not identify either bill as his proposal.

Donalds also opposes a central bank digital currency (CBDC). Florida’s 2023 law, which took effect July 1, excludes CBDCs from the definition of money under the state’s Uniform Commercial Code.