The Florida Legislature signed off on a $114.5 billion budget Friday afternoon, even as some legislators worried it falls short of doing enough for schools, healthcare, and the environment.
A handful of Democrats also sharply criticized a nearly $300 million tax cut package that they said does more to help special interests than everyday Floridians.
Republican legislative leaders countered that the budget pays for critical needs while at the same time reducing overall spending from the previous year.
Democrats also complained that a push to suspend the state’s gas taxes, which Gov. Ron DeSantis embraced in October 2022 but not this year, ultimately was not included in the tax reduction package, while savings for gun accessories, including silencers, was embraced.
The Senate voted unanimously to pass the state fiscal year 2026-27 budget, while the House voted 99-6 to pass the budget to guide state spending between July 1 and June 30, 2027.
The budget sets spending guidelines for public schools, higher education, healthcare, criminal justice, the environment, and more.
“Floridians expect their government to spend responsibly and prioritize the issues that matter most to families across our state,” House Speaker Daniel Pérez said in a written statement following the vote.
Additionally included in the budget is a $4 million appropriation for the so-called Groveland Four. It includes $50 million to help the Tampa Bay Rays build a new stadium near Hillsborough College. It also earmarks $250 million for an emergency fund overseen by DeSantis that he has used for immigration enforcement.
Some members quickly rushed out of the Capitol to catch Friday afternoon flights home but they must return to Tallahassee Monday for a special session on property taxes.
After more than a year discussing property tax reductions, the governor’s office sent the Senate its formal proposal, which Sen. Bryan Avila filed this week as SJR 2F. DeSantis wants to increase the state’s homestead property tax exemption to $150,000 of a home’s value beginning Jan. 1, 2027, and to $250,000 beginning Jan. 1, 2028.
Opposition
That proposal faces opposition from both Republicans and Democrats and even some special interest groups.
The Florida Association of Counties sent an email to the 160 members of the Legislature Friday calling DeSantis’ proposal a “tax shift” and asking them to vote against it.
“Decisions about how to fund local services work best when they are made close to the people who live with them. Property taxes are local by design. They are debated publicly, set locally and tied directly to the services residents see every day,” the counties wrote.
The Florida Education Association also came out against the plan, arguing it would starve public schools. And the Florida Chamber of Commerce, which frequently aligns itself with the governor, said in a written statement that it would evaluate the proposal and its potential fiscal impacts with its members.
The Chamber noted that property taxes accounted for nearly $60 billion in local government and school funding in 2025 — more than the $55.18 billion paid by local governments the year before.
Meanwhile, Democrats in both the House and Senate, without dropping any specific names, said they have heard tell of the governor’s lobbying efforts to get his proposal passed. To put his proposal on the ballot, a supermajority — 60% — of each legislative chamber must vote for the legislation.
“I also have heard that he’s been calling around some members on both sides of the aisle, trying to lobby them to vote for his property tax proposal, but what’s interesting to me is, when I have conversations with colleagues on both sides of the aisle, they understand that this is wildly unpopular, and that it would toggle our local government, that it would harm our public schools. So, it’s going to be interesting,” Tampa Democrat Fentrice Driskell, the House Democratic leader, said.
There’s “no consensus” in the Senate to vote for the plan, Jacksonville Democratic Sen. Tracie Davis said.
“We know that we’re talking among ourselves, we’re talking to our colleagues, we know that we’re split all over the place, so it’ll be interesting to see where we land with this,” said Davis, the Senate Democratic leader-elect.
“We do know it’s a split, and there is no consensus over here as to where we will land, whether we have a number of people that’s going to support this measure or not. We know we’re going to have members on both sides,” Davis said.
If DeSantis gets his plan on the November ballot, it would take 60% of the voters in November to vote “yes” for it to take effect.
Vetoes
DeSantis twice in the past two weeks mentioned his power to veto line items from the budget. Delivering the keynote address during a Federalist Society meeting May 22, the governor acknowledged he vetoes money for projects championed by legislators who oppose his agenda and priorities.
“That helps you to be able to advance a legislative agenda,” DeSantis said of veto threats.
And DeSantis this week mentioned budget vetoes while calling for the three-day special session on property tax reduction.
His comments haven’t fallen on deaf ears.
“I mean, this is the elephant in the room as we’re here voting on a budget. Many of us would like to feel good about member projects for our municipalities — water projects, road projects, nonprofits that provide meals to our seniors. But we don’t know what’s going to happen to all those programs and municipalities come this property tax reform next week,” Sen. Kirsten Arrington, a Democrat from Kissimmee, said.
“So, while we’re here, we’d love to pat ourselves on the back and feel good about projects and stuff that we’re bringing home. We don’t know what’s on the horizon.”
Driskell felt similarly.
“I do think that he has now released his property tax proposal during budget season because he wants that to be a threat,” she said.
Education
There was perhaps no more controversial issue when it came to education than the state’s universal school voucher program. An audit showed financial mismanagement by the Department of Education. While the Senate pushed to separate voucher funding from traditional public school funding, the House held firm against bifurcating the dollars.
Specific to higher education, there is no money in this budget for “preeminent universities” even though the Senate pushed for $100 million. That money in the past has rewarded schools that demonstrate excellence in various categories.
Health
Healthcare is the largest portion of the budget, accounting for $49.2 billion, and, not surprisingly, was one of the last to be finalized before the General Appropriations Act was agreed upon over the Memorial Day Weekend.
Ultimately, the Legislature agreed to increase Medicaid reimbursement rates for nursing homes and pump additional funds into two programs that help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities obtain the care they need to keep them living outside of institutions and in the community.
An additional $10 million was appropriated to the Agency for Persons with Disabilities to help chip away at a lengthy waiting list for the iBudget waiver program. Another $15 million was directed to Medicaid to pay for a managed care program for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The Legislature agreed to reduce reimbursements by 1.3% to contracted Medicaid managed care plans that provide services to the poor, elderly, and disabled. Only contracted plans can provide services in the state’s Medicaid program. The Legislature agreed to extend the length of those contracts from six years to 10 years.
Hospitals, which had faced potential budget cuts, went unscathed.
Criminal justice
Regarding criminal justice, the budget provides $4.05 billion for the Department of Corrections. That includes $50 million for a new prison hospital and $52 million for additional dorms. It does not include funding for a new prison.
Nor does it include additional funding to provide air-conditioning for any prison facilities.
Orlando Democratic Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith noted that a 2023 report conducted by KPMG showed it would cost $582 million to install air conditioning in all of the state’s prisons.
The budget includes $78.7 million to increase correctional officer pay, raising the minimum hourly wage to $24. It provides the corrections agency with an additional $12.9 million for recruiting and retaining prison guards.
The budget includes $4.4 million for 40 positions in state attorney offices. Of that, $1.8 million is earmarked for eight new positions in public defender offices.
Environment
The budget includes $638.6 million for Everglades Restoration, including money to complete the state’s portion of the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) Reservoir, a critical 17,000-acre infrastructure project south of Lake Okeechobee.
Everglades Foundation Vice President for Government Affairs Bradley Watson issued a statement thanking DeSantis and noted that he “fulfilled the promises” he made regarding Everglades restoration in two separate executive orders, one issued after initially taking office in 2018 and another after his re-election.
Democrats lamented that there is no direct funding for Florida Forever, the state’s main program for buying land for conservation, but $425 million for the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program, which allows agricultural landowners to permanently preserve their land from development but doesn’t require the landowners to allow public access.
The failure to again fund Florida Forever was denounced by St. Petersburg Democratic Rep. Lindsay Cross.
“As a Legislature, it would be wise to recognize the value of our parks as places for people to improve their physical and mental health, especially as our children spend more time behind screens than they do green spaces,” Cross said. “These parks are also economic engines, providing a three-to-one return on investment for towns and communities.
“Going forward, the state needs to reimagine and reinvest in conservation programs, in ways that feed our families, protect our water, preserve our vibrant wildlife and increase safe and equitable access to natural areas for people.”
–Christine Sexton, Florida Phoenix
Mitch Perry and Jay Waagmeester contributed to this story.
Pogo says
As stated
https://www.google.com/search?q=anarchy+definition
Ibid
https://www.google.com/search?q=anarcho-capitalism
I don’t know where those folks (floridud’s leaders) went or what happened to them. All I know is that there is nothing left for the people that they left.
— Me
Skibum says
“The Florida Legislature signed off on a $114.5 billion budget Friday afternoon, even as some legislators worried it falls short of doing enough for schools, healthcare, and the environment.”
The maga loving, UN-christian nationalist, pedophile approving, con-man supporing republi-cons can be counted on to screw the very FL citizens who are most dependent on state supported services! Yet they will reward the wealthiest and corporations without hesitation, draining taxpayer funds into the pockets of those who are least deserving of our money. The grift, waste and political schemes will only be stopped if FL voters wise up and vote to replace the gerrymandered republican legislature that merely rubber stamps pet project of this corrupt governor instead of abiding by their oaths of office to work toward the benefit of THE PEOPLE.
The dude says
Trickle up economics at it’s best…
Joe D says
It ESSENTIALLY looks ( in my opinion) like our illustrious Governor is planning on using his “LINE ITEM” budget veto power (using the TRUMP tactic of “punishing” representatives on both sides of the aisle who don’t vote the way he wants), to cut programs and spending on projects in those districts whose representatives did not vote the way DeSantis wants …especially on this massive proposed voter referendum to “cut” (actually SHIFT) Homestead taxing levels for local communities, who DEPEND on that money for public services (roads, drinking water treatment/ water water treatment /storm water management and other locally run public services). The Governor’s proposal does not cut any State money…only the money needed by local communities’ to fund County and City services.
It also “looks” ( again in my opinion), like our Governor could essentially HOLD THE LEGISLATURE “HOSTAGE,” by either consistently vetoing those line items and sending the budget back to the Legislature to be redone, or keeping them in multiple EXTENDED SESSIONS this Summer, (someone I’m sure will tell me if that’s even LEGAL?), until he gets the required MAJORITY representative votes he needs to get his SUPPOSED tax “cut” disaster of his on the 2026 ballot!
This entire process is going to turn out to be a mess if the voters get tricked into thinking this is REALLY going to result in maintaining services voters demand, and in long long run ACTUALLY put much “tax” money back in Homesteaders pockets.
I hope I’m wrong…
Pogo says
You’re not wrong.
Dusty Boots says
First, Governor DeSantis is not some outside observer trying to force his will on the Legislature. Under Florida’s Constitution, the Governor has a defined role in the legislative process, including the authority to approve or veto spending items. The line-item veto is not a new power, nor is it unique to Governor DeSantis. It is a constitutional tool that governors of both parties have used for decades to influence budget priorities and control spending.
Second, it is important to remember that Governor DeSantis was elected statewide by an overwhelming majority of Florida voters. Whether one agrees with every policy position or not, he represents the will of millions of Floridians who voted for him knowing his views on taxes, government spending, and fiscal policy. His position on property tax reform is not appearing out of nowhere; it is consistent with the promises he made to voters.
Many Florida homeowners, especially seniors living on fixed incomes, are being squeezed by rising property taxes, insurance costs, and inflation. For these residents, property tax relief is not a political talking point—it is a quality-of-life issue. Many retirees have spent decades paying taxes into their communities and now find themselves struggling to remain in homes they own because local tax burdens continue to rise.
If a proposal ultimately reaches the ballot, it will not be imposed on anyone. The voters themselves will decide. That is the opposite of being “tricked.” Floridians are capable of reviewing the facts, weighing the costs and benefits, and making their own decision at the ballot box.
Reasonable people can disagree about how local governments should be funded, but suggesting that the Governor is somehow “holding the Legislature hostage” ignores the fact that both the Legislature and the Governor were elected by the people and are exercising powers granted to them under the Florida Constitution. Negotiation, compromise, and even vetoes are part of the normal legislative process.
The real question is whether Florida can provide meaningful tax relief to homeowners—particularly seniors on fixed incomes—while maintaining essential local services. That debate is worth having, and ultimately Florida voters will have the final say.
The dude says
“The real question is whether Florida can provide meaningful tax relief to homeowners—particularly seniors on fixed incomes—while maintaining essential local services.”
Floriduh, Flagler, and Palm Coast can barely deliver “essential local services” as it is.
The gaps will have to filled somehow, or those services will have to go away.
Which one will come to pass?
Why not both?
This is what Floriduhians and seniors on fixed incomes have voted for. Be careful what you wish for.
Laurel says
Then explain how DeSantis used tax money to support his agenda against marijuana? And please explain about the $10,000,000 siphoned into his wife’s pet project instead of legally returning it? How about the millions poured in the incredibly idiotic Alligator Alcatraz concentration camp run by private prison industry?
No, he’s not looking out for our good. This is not what millions of people wanted when they voted, to put a stamp of approval on any scenario he feels like putting forth.