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4w ago

DeSantis Signs $115 Billion Florida Budget With $567 Million in Vetoes

Gov. DeSantis wielded line-item veto power to prioritize pay raises, debt reduction, broad tax relief, boosted reserves

FILE - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a public event where he announced he would sign a bill banning the use of fluoride in public water systems, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, file)
Ron DeSantis speaks during a press conference at the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando, Florida, on Jan. 16, 2025. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/TNS)
Gov. Ron DeSantis announces that he's signed the 2025-26 budget in Wildwood, FL on June 30,2025.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis approved a new state budget Monday. Local projects in Tampa Bay were mostly spared from his veto pen. (Luis Santana/Tampa Bay Times/TNS)

Overview

  • The final $115 billion budget is about $4 billion below current spending and nearly $600 million less than the Legislature’s original proposal after vetoes.
  • It secures 2% raises for state employees, 10–15% pay hikes for law enforcement and allocates $4 billion for private and religious school scholarships.
  • The plan delivers $1.3 billion in annual tax cuts for families and businesses, including a $900 million cut from ending the sales tax on business rentals and $300 million in consumer product exemptions along with permanent back-to-school holiday and sales tax exemptions for disaster and safety items.
  • DeSantis directed $250 million toward early debt reduction and boosted the rainy day fund by $750 million to shore up state reserves.
  • Roughly $567 million in line-item vetoes axed local initiatives such as wildlife corridor land purchases, a property tax study, public media grants and affordable housing projects, with many cuts hitting lawmakers who opposed the governor.