• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
MENUMENU
MENUMENU
  • Home
  • About
    • Contact Us
    • FlaglerLive Board of Directors
    • Comment Policy
    • Mission Statement
    • Our Values
    • Privacy Policy
  • Live Calendar
  • Submit Obituary
  • Submit an Event
  • Support FlaglerLive
  • Advertise on FlaglerLive (386) 503-3808
  • Search Results

FlaglerLive

No Bull, no Fluff, No Smudges

MENUMENU
  • Flagler
    • Flagler County Commission
    • Beverly Beach
    • Economic Development Council
    • Flagler History
    • Mondex/Daytona North
    • The Hammock
    • Tourist Development Council
  • Palm Coast
    • Palm Coast City Council
    • Palm Coast Crime
  • Bunnell
    • Bunnell City Commission
    • Bunnell Crime
  • Flagler Beach
    • Flagler Beach City Commission
    • Flagler Beach Crime
  • Cops/Courts
    • Circuit & County Court
    • Florida Supreme Court
    • Federal Courts
    • Flagler 911
    • Fire House
    • Flagler County Sheriff
    • Flagler Jail Bookings
    • Traffic Accidents
  • Rights & Liberties
    • Fourth Amendment
    • First Amendment
    • Privacy
    • Second Amendment
    • Seventh Amendment
    • Sixth Amendment
    • Sunshine Law
    • Third Amendment
    • Religion & Beliefs
    • Human Rights
    • Immigration
    • Labor Rights
    • 14th Amendment
    • Civil Rights
  • Schools
    • Adult Education
    • Belle Terre Elementary
    • Buddy Taylor Middle
    • Bunnell Elementary
    • Charter Schools
    • Daytona State College
    • Flagler County School Board
    • Flagler Palm Coast High School
    • Higher Education
    • Imagine School
    • Indian Trails Middle
    • Matanzas High School
    • Old Kings Elementary
    • Rymfire Elementary
    • Stetson University
    • Wadsworth Elementary
    • University of Florida/Florida State
  • Economy
    • Jobs & Unemployment
    • Business & Economy
    • Development & Sprawl
    • Leisure & Tourism
    • Local Business
    • Local Media
    • Real Estate & Development
    • Taxes
  • Commentary
    • The Conversation
    • Pierre Tristam
    • Diane Roberts
    • Guest Columns
    • Byblos
    • Editor's Blog
  • Culture
    • African American Cultural Society
    • Arts in Palm Coast & Flagler
    • Books
    • City Repertory Theatre
    • Flagler Auditorium
    • Flagler Playhouse
    • Flagler Youth Orchestra
    • Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra
    • Palm Coast Arts Foundation
    • Special Events
  • Elections 2024
    • Amendments and Referendums
    • Presidential Election
    • Campaign Finance
    • City Elections
    • Congressional
    • Constitutionals
    • Courts
    • Governor
    • Polls
    • Voting Rights
  • Florida
    • Federal Politics
    • Florida History
    • Florida Legislature
    • Florida Legislature
    • Ron DeSantis
  • Health & Society
    • Flagler County Health Department
    • Ask the Doctor Column
    • Health Care
    • Health Care Business
    • Covid-19
    • Children and Families
    • Medicaid and Medicare
    • Mental Health
    • Poverty
    • Violence
  • All Else
    • Daily Briefing
    • Americana
    • Obituaries
    • News Briefs
    • Weather and Climate
    • Wildlife

DeSantis Signs $115 billion Budget, Vetoes $567 million; Palm Coast’s Modest Appropriations Survive

June 30, 2025 | FlaglerLive | 2 Comments

A 6 million-gallon tank at Wastewater Treatment Plant 1. The city needs a similar equalization tank built there. (© FlaglerLive)
A 6 million-gallon tank at Wastewater Treatment Plant 1. The Legislature appropriated $2.5 million for Palm Coast to build one like it off site, to help relieve pressure on the system during heavy rain events.  (© FlaglerLive)

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law a long-awaited state budget Monday just hours before it would take effect, vetoing $567 million.

The Legislature approved a $115.1 billion budget after a 105-day extended session, which is half-a-billion less than what the governor recommended before the session. However, during the budget signing ceremony and in ensuing press releases, the governor padded the size of the Legislature’s budget to include spending that does not all count toward the new fiscal year.

DeSantis insisted that after his $567 million in budget vetoes, the total budget was $10 million more than his recommendation.

The 2025-2026 budget comes in less than the 2024-2025 budget, which was $117.46 billion.

[Palm Coast’s pair of appropriations, $2.5 million for an “equalization tank” like the one pictured above and $2.5 million to help modernize Waste Water Treatment Plant 1 in the Woodlands, the city’s biggest and oldest, survived vetoes. A $125,000 appropriation for a planned YMCA in Town Center also survived.]

“How many places are spending less year over year? Not a lot,” DeSantis said Monday morning when signing the budget in Wildwood.

DeSantis also canceled $750 million meant to bolster a reserve fund. Senate President Ben Albritton and House Speaker Daniel Perez touted the plan to add the money in case of a recession. The fund will reach nearly $5 billion in the new budget.

DeSantis explained that he didn’t think voters would like the idea of increasing the reserves; they can raise it themselves in November 2026 via a proposed constitutional amendment to raise the legal ceiling on the fund.

Albritton’s spokesperson declined to comment, and Perez’s office didn’t immediately respond to the Florida Phoenix’s request for comment on the veto of the large-ticket item the Legislature had emphasized.

“None of us know what the future holds,” Perez told reporters during budget negotiations in early June. “I think this is just a preparation of being prepared for the unexpected, and none of us know what the unexpected is, but we have a sample to look at in the 2000s when we had a recession.

Bye, bye business rent tax

Florida is the only state to assess a business rent tax. No longer is that the case, starting Tuesday.

“The Legislature has also done something that I’ve been asking for many years, and that’s eliminating a tax that only Florida has of all 50 states, and that’s taxing business rents. It’s not good for our economy. It’s not good for business growth. And so that tax is being sunsetted.” DeSantis said.

In all, the plan is estimated to provide $1.3 billion in tax relief.

florida phoenixLawmakers passed a budget that eliminated 1,745 positions, or 1.5% of the authorized workforce.

Among the budget vetoes is $14 million for Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office hangar, $4.4 million for public television stations, $1.3 million for public radio stations, $1.5 million for Broward County eviction prevention and rental assistance program, and $2.8 million for a Florida International University transportation efficiency program.

DeSantis vetoed the nearly $360,000 lawmakers set aside to conduct a pilot program on a bell-to-bell ban on cellphone use in six Florida school districts.

The College of the Florida Keys Marine and Maritime Professional Institute was vetoed, a total of $1.99 million.

OnBikes Pensacola was allocated $62,500 in the budget, but DeSantis vetoed that line item. One of OnBikes’ vice presidents is Rep. Alex Andrade, chair of the committee that probed Hope Florida, First Lady Casey DeSantis’ charity.

Lawmakers had agreed to provide $750,000 for the construction of the Florida Museum of Black History in St. Augustine, but DeSantis vetoed its funding.

Property taxes

DeSantis vetoed $1 million to study the consequences of eliminating property taxes.

“We don’t need to give a bureaucracy money to study this. We know what needs to be done, so let’s just do it, and we will do it,” DeSantis said.

“Property tax is going to require us to go to the ballot and get it done,” DeSantis said. “I know I spoke with President Albritton yesterday about it. He’s committed to do it. There’s no excuses. In the House of Representatives, we have almost a three-to-one Republican majority. Is there any possible excuse for why you can’t get it done?”

Vacancies

With former Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez’s departure earlier this year, the lieutenant governor position remains vacant, as does the chief financial officer after now-U.S. Rep. Jimmy Patronis resigned to run for his new position.

The governor said he has not made decisions on those positions but would in “relatively short order,” but not before the July 4 holiday weekend.

–Jay Waagmeester, Jackie Llanos, Florida Phoenix

Support FlaglerLive's End of Year Fundraiser
Thank you readers for getting us to--and past--our year-end fund-raising goal yet again. It’s a bracing way to mark our 15th year at FlaglerLive. Our donors are just a fraction of the 25,000 readers who seek us out for the best-reported, most timely, trustworthy, and independent local news site anywhere, without paywall. FlaglerLive is free. Fighting misinformation and keeping democracy in the sunshine 365/7/24 isn’t free. Take a brief moment, become a champion of fearless, enlightening journalism. Any amount helps. We’re a 501(c)(3) non-profit news organization. Donations are tax deductible.  
You may donate openly or anonymously.
We like Zeffy (no fees), but if you prefer to use PayPal, click here.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Pogo says

    July 1, 2025 at 7:11 am

    @Vetoes $567 million

    …then hurries to piss that away on hateful stupidity — and a biblical proportion hurricane disaster…
    https://www.google.com/search?q=cost+so+far+alligator+alcatraz

    It’s quite clear this state is now run like a kegger for juvenile delinquent fugitives, chaperoned by the mafia; modeled, obviously, after the national level shit show and snuff film in Washington D.C.

    Welcome to hell’s basement.

    Loading...
    10
  2. Big Mike says

    July 1, 2025 at 7:32 pm

    Even though Palm Coast’s modest appropriations survived, all the liberals will be crying, complained and seeking counseling over this.

    Loading...
    1

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • Conner Bosch law attorneys lawyers offices palm coast flagler county
  • grand living realty
  • politis matovina attorneys for justice personal injury law auto truck accidents
  • Flagler County Sheriff's Expo 2025

Primary Sidebar

  • grand living realty
  • politis matovina attorneys for justice personal injury law auto truck accidents
Flagler County Sheriff's Expo 2025

Recent Comments

  • Ray W, on The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, July 24, 2025
  • Ray W, on The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, July 24, 2025
  • beach cat on School Board Fails Math as It Adds Deputy Despite Increased Costs in Lean Times and No Increased Safety
  • Shark on School Board Fails Math as It Adds Deputy Despite Increased Costs in Lean Times and No Increased Safety
  • R.S. on University of Miami Under Investigation for Scholarships to Undocumented Students
  • JimboXYZ on 3rd Arrest in 7 Years on Domestic Violence Charges for William Krivanek, 43, Who Was on Probation
  • Surely not my fault on Flagler School Board Wrestles with Smoke and Mirrors Budget as $17 Million in Vouchers and Trump Cuts Hit Home
  • Bailey’s Mom on 3rd Arrest in 7 Years on Domestic Violence Charges for William Krivanek, 43, Who Was on Probation
  • Ray W, on The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, July 24, 2025
  • Ron on Flagler County’s Industrial Development Authority Holds Inaugural Meeting and Has Its 1st Interested Client
  • Skibum on School Board Fails Math as It Adds Deputy Despite Increased Costs in Lean Times and No Increased Safety
  • Henry on Flagler School Board Wrestles with Smoke and Mirrors Budget as $17 Million in Vouchers and Trump Cuts Hit Home
  • Standing in the Middle of Palm Coast Parkway on As Data Centers Hog Power, Regular Customers Foot the Bill
  • Ray W, on The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, July 24, 2025
  • Cruelty is the point on University of Miami Under Investigation for Scholarships to Undocumented Students
  • Bummed Out on Flagler School Board Wrestles with Smoke and Mirrors Budget as $17 Million in Vouchers and Trump Cuts Hit Home

Log in

%d