Drew Wilson
The House is meeting the Senate halfway on state employee pay raises.
According to the latest budget documents released late Thursday, the lower chamber is pitching a 2% bump for most state workers. The Senate’s position was a 4% raise.
The minimum pay raise would be $1,000, down from $1,500 in the Senate plan.
The raises would go to most non-law enforcement employees, specifically employees “in the Career Service, the Selected Exempt Service, the Senior Management Service, the lottery pay plan, the judicial branch pay plan, the legislative pay plan, the pay plans administered by the Justice Administration Commission, a military employee of the Florida National Guard on full-time military duty, and a non-career service employee of the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind.”
There are about 100,000 state employees who would qualify for the raise.
The House’s latest offer was expected. Sources familiar with budget negotiations told Florida Politics earlier this month that a 2% bump was the likely outcome.
Notably, Gov. Ron DeSantis did not include a pay raise in his draft budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year, which begins July 1. This year’s budget recommendation was only the second one in the DeSantis era not to include a pay raise for state workers.
Both chambers are pursuing a different pay bump plan for law enforcement. New budget proviso language would provide police officers and state troopers with at least five years of service a 10% pay bump; those with 10 or more years on the job would be given a 15% raise.
Additionally, the new proviso calls for a minimum base pay of $60,000 a year for law enforcement.
Barring another extension, Session is scheduled to end on or before June 18. Due to a mandated 72-hour cool down period, lawmakers must finalize a budget by June 15 to hit that deadline.
