Florida House and Senate leaders finalized a nearly $115 billion state budget late Sunday night, wrapping up an extended negotiation process that forced a special session for the second consecutive year.
The compromise spending plan for the fiscal year starting July 1 sits between the Senate’s initial proposal and the $113.6 billion plan sought by the House. House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, had pushed for deeper cuts to the current budget due to concerns over projected future deficits. Because the two chambers could not agree on a spending strategy, they failed to pass a budget during the regular legislative session that concluded on March 13. Lawmakers now intend to vote on the final package Friday before sending it to Governor Ron DeSantis.
On education, the final agreement keeps $4.5 billion for homeschool and private school tuition vouchers inside the main funding formula for K-12 public schools. The Senate had previously sought changes to the program following a November audit that revealed mismanagement, but the House opposed those adjustments.
To assist school districts facing declining enrollment, lawmakers approved a measure designed to prevent severe budget cuts. This follows recent actions where Union and Glades counties had their school districts placed under emergency administration due to solvency issues driven by student loss.
READ: Teacher Of The Year Nominee In Florida Asks 6th Graders To Do Her Dirty Work, Gets Arrested
Other education highlights include:
- A $7 million capital improvement fund for private schools in financially disadvantaged areas was modified to target rural counties with populations under 10,000, with funds to be distributed by December 1.
- Florida State University received approval to use existing funds for its acquisition of Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare, a deal totaling $3.6 million annually for 30 years alongside a $1.7 billion investment.
- Control of the University of South Florida’s Sarasota-Manatee campus will transfer to New College of Florida, a House priority that the Senate resisted until the final stages of talks.
Healthcare negotiations produced a $20 million compromise for the Cancer Innovation Fund, an initiative backed by First Lady Casey DeSantis. The Senate originally sought $30 million, while the House initially opposed funding the research program.
Lawmakers also allocated $75 million to the AIDS Drug Assistance Program, which assists HIV patients with prescription costs. The program required emergency funding during the regular session following federal shortfalls and state Department of Health cuts. Budget negotiators noted that the earlier reductions had forced some participants onto private insurance plans to maintain their medication access.
Additionally, a $50 million health innovation fund established in 2024 under former Senate President Kathleen Passidomo was eliminated, though the Health Innovation Council retains current-year funding. A House proposal to spend $250,000 to study exiting the federal Affordable Care Act healthcare exchange was dropped after the Senate withheld support.
Environmental spending includes $514 million for Everglades restoration projects, addressing a prior veto threat from Governor DeSantis.
The budget also dedicates $425 million to the Rural and Family Lands program to fund agricultural land easements that prevent development.
In other budget areas, the state will provide $4.5 million in grants for county supervisors of elections to acquire post-election audit software and hardware.
The agreement also includes $4 million for the families of the Groveland Four—Ernest Thomas, Charles Greenlee, Samuel Shepherd, and Walter Irvin—four Black men falsely accused of rape in Lake County in 1949, who were pardoned in 2019 and exonerated in 2021. The House accepted the provision during the final week of negotiations after initially resisting the Senate’s proposal.
The chambers failed to reach an agreement on candidate and executive security. The Senate’s proposal to fund a one-year security detail for DeSantis after he leaves office on January 5 was rejected by the House. Similarly, the Senate blocked a House plan to provide security details to major-party gubernatorial nominees following the August 18 primary election.
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox
