Gov. DeSantis vetoes nearly $1B before signing $116.5B budget

TALLAHASSEE, FLA. 3/8/24-Gov. Ron DeSantis talks about the close of the 2024 Legislative Session during a news conference, Friday at the Capitol in Tallahassee. COLIN HACKLEY PHOTO

Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed Florida’s budget (HB 5001), but slashed $900 million of spending in the process, trimming the spending plan to about $116.5 billion, or about $1 billion less than the current year.

DeSantis boasted about the reduction in spending, helped by the end of federal stimulus money from the COVID era, and the tax cuts he already signed (HB 7073). Besides the main budget, though, DeSantis has already signed other measures that include nearly $2 billion in spending on top of the main budget.

The list of vetoes wasn’t immediately released after DeSantis signed the budget at an event in Tampa, but he said some of the spending either wasn’t “appropriate” or could’ve been part of existing state programs, such as water projects.

“Some of the stuff I don’t think was appropriate for state tax dollars. Some of the stuff are things that I support but that we have state programs for,” DeSantis said.

The budget is for the fiscal year that begins July 1. It features $28.4 billion in K-12 schools spending, a $1.8 billion increase. That’s about $8,959 per student, a $240 increase on the current year. That amount includes a $200 million increase for teacher salaries.

“Thanks to the Florida legislature and Governor Ron DeSantis, the 2024-2025 budget provides strategic investments in economic development, infrastructure and affordable housing programs to ensure Florida remains economically competitive and continues the momentum toward being a top 10 global economy by 2030,” Mark Wilson, President and CEO of the Florida Chamber of Commerce said in a released statement. “Florida continues to outpace the nation in wealth migration, and these investments will help further Florida’s economy, drive innovation and maintain Florida’s robust quality of life.”

There’s also $14.5 billion for the Florida Department of Transportation’s main work program, a $500 million increase on the current year.

Lawmakers already approved a $4 billion program last year, called Moving Florida Forward, to speed up about 20 road and infrastructure projects throughout the state, which DeSantis hailed as necessary to accommodate the influx of people moving to the Sunshine State.

“If we don’t accelerate this stuff we’re not even going to be able to keep our head above water with some of this traffic,” DeSantis said.

The budget isn’t the last bill DeSantis will take action on this year. He still has more than 30 bills pending on his desk and 37 more that the Legislature hasn’t formally sent to him yet. Many of the bills take effect July 1.