Florida Governor Ron DeSantis locked in his final state budget, signing a $117.6 billion spending plan that caps off his two terms in office. The final version of the Fiscal Year 2026-2027 budget was approved following nearly $810 million in line-item vetoes slashed by the governor before signing.
State financial data highlights this as the fourth consecutive year of declining overall state spending, even as individual investments in education, environmental conservation, and public safety hit new highs.
State fiscal reports indicate that Florida’s total financial reserves have climbed to nearly $18 billion, which includes maxing out the state’s Rainy-Day fund to its $5 billion constitutional limit. Furthermore, state officials confirmed that Florida is currently on track to pay off approximately 52% of its total accumulated state debt ahead of schedule.
During the budget signing in Tampa, Governor DeSantis highlighted the core areas of focus for this final fiscal package.
“The FY 2026-2027 Budget I signed today reflects the core priorities I laid out from the beginning,” Governor Ron DeSantis said. “This budget protects taxpayers’ interests, cuts spending for the fourth year in a row, and makes meaningful investments to build on Florida’s successes in education, public safety, environmental conservation, infrastructure, cancer research, and more.”
Public education stands out as the largest single piece of the new budget. The state is routing a record $30 billion to the K-12 public school system, raising per-student funding to $9,338—a $150 increase over the previous year. This allocation covers the costs for an estimated 500,000 students participating in Florida’s expanded school choice voucher system, the Family Empowerment Scholarship. The education budget also designates $1.56 billion specifically for teacher and instructional staff salary increases, alongside $1.65 billion for early childhood education and $290 million for school safety initiatives.
For higher education and workforce development, lawmakers approved $3.9 billion for the State University System, $1.8 billion for the Florida College System, and $158.6 million for the state’s four Historically Black Colleges and Universities. To address ongoing labor demands, $732 million will go toward workforce education programs, including $130 million explicitly aimed at filling nursing vacancies across Florida hospitals and clinics.
Environmental funding is led by a $1.2 billion allocation for Everglades restoration and water quality protection, bringing total environmental spending during DeSantis’ second term to nearly $6 billion. This includes $475 million for the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) to fund the EAA Reservoir and accelerate components of the Central Everglades Planning Project. An additional $396 million is earmarked for localized water quality improvements, such as septic-to-sewer conversions and wastewater facility upgrades, while $150 million is dedicated to land conservation through the Florida Forever program.
The budget also outlines a variety of tax relief measures for Florida residents and business owners. Alongside permanent sales tax exemptions on baby products, disaster items, and state park admissions, the budget schedules a second consecutive Second Amendment Sales Tax Holiday from September 1 through December 31, 2026, which exempts firearms, ammunition, and camping gear from state sales tax. Homeowners can also apply for a sales tax refund of up to $500 for installing impact-resistant windows and doors between July 2026 and June 2029.
Public safety provisions include $19.8 million for state law enforcement officer pay raises, $2.5 million for state firefighters, and $20 million to continue the Law Enforcement Recruitment Bonus Program, which offers $5,000 signing bonuses to new officers.
In healthcare and social services, the state is directing $127.5 million to the Casey DeSantis Cancer Research Program and $70 million to the Florida Cancer Innovation Fund. To combat substance abuse, more than $164.6 million drawn from the national Opioid Settlement Agreement will be deployed for statewide recovery, treatment, and prevention programs.
Finally, the state’s child welfare budget will see a $90.3 million increase to boost foster care room-and-board rates, fund adoption subsidies, and expand independent living services for young adults transitioning out of the foster system.
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