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5mo ago

Florida GOP-Led Legislature Faces Extended Session After Budget Deadline Miss

Lawmakers failed to finalize a state budget for the first time in a decade, highlighting rifts over tax policy, governance reforms, and oversight of Gov. DeSantis's administration.

FILE - The Old Florida Capitol is seen with the tower of the current Florida Capitol rising behind, during a legislative session in Tallahassee, Fla., March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)
FILE - Florida Gov. Ron De Santis speaks during a press conference on immigration enforcement, at Homestead Air Force Base, Feb. 26, 2025, in Homestead, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)
FILE – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, center right, is applauded by, from left, House Speaker pro tempore Rep. Wyman Duggan, House Speaker Rep. Daniel Perez, and Senate President Ben Albritton, as he gives his State of the State address to a joint session on the opening day of the 2025 legislative session, Tuesday, March 4, 2025, at the state capitol in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)

Overview

  • The Florida Legislature will reconvene from May 12 to June 6 to finalize a budget after missing the May 2 constitutional deadline.
  • Key disagreements include the House's push for a permanent 0.75% sales tax cut, which Senate leaders oppose, favoring more targeted tax relief measures.
  • Republican lawmakers have increasingly defied Gov. Ron DeSantis's agenda, advancing measures to limit executive power and launching a probe into the Hope Florida Foundation tied to First Lady Casey DeSantis.
  • The Legislature passed 205 bills during the regular session but left critical issues unresolved, including education, healthcare funding, and infrastructure spending.
  • The extended session is expected to cost Florida taxpayers $50,000 per day, further underscoring the stakes of the ongoing budget impasse.