House, Senate reach top line budget numbers, set to begin spending talks

TALLAHASSEE, FLA. 3/7/23-House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, left, greets Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, as during the opening day of the 2023 Florida Legislative Session, Tuesday at the Capitol in Tallahassee. COLIN HACKLEY PHOTO

House and Senate leaders agreed to top line spending numbers, known as allocations, for each area of the budget, with both sides ready to spend $45.4 billion in general revenue in total.

Formal meetings between the chambers to hash out the details of the budget won’t start until 9 a.m. Monday at the earliest and evening meetings won’t start later than 8 p.m., according to a joint memo from House Speaker Paul Renner, a Palm Coast Republican, and Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, a Naples Republican, sent to members Saturday.

“The House and Senate budgets were already aligned on many key issues, making for a smooth allocations process,” the memo states. “The … allocations deliver fiscally responsible levels of funding that maintain historic reserves and allow for a record number of meaningful tax relief initiatives, while at the same time respecting the budget goals unanimously passed by each chamber and those identified by the Governor, Cabinet, and state agencies.”

The agreements on allocations reflect general revenue spending only, and doesn’t take into account federal spending or money that comes from trust funds. The total budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1 will likely be more than $115 billion.

During negotiations, conference meetings comprised of members of each chamber will meet, starting at the subcommittee level first. Unresolved issues will then “bump” to the full budget committees. A final agreement must be in place by May 2 for lawmakers to finish the Regular Session by its scheduled May 5 end date, due to the constitutionally required 72-hour “cooling off” period before the Legislature can vote on the budget.

Here’s a breakdown of the general revenue funds available for each area of the budget:

PreK-12 Education — $14.2 billion

Higher Education — $5.7 billion

Health and Human Services — $15.1 billion

Criminal and Civil Justice — $5.6 billion

Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development — $1.46 billion

Agriculture & Natural Resources — $1.6 billion

State Administration, Technology and General Government — $708.3 million

Administered Funds & Statewide Issues — $1.18 billion