Jesse Scheckner
Florida TaxWatch is applauding Gov. Ron DeSantis’ vetoes of more than $56 million in what it considers wasteful spending from the state’s newly signed $115.1 billion budget.
However, while that’s a decent sum, the nonprofit watchdog group stated that ample cuts were missed, and there still needs to be far more accountability in the future for how local projects are selected and funded through the appropriations process.
DeSantis nixed 65 of 238 projects Florida TaxWatch flagged as “Budget Turkeys” in the group’s annual watchdog report. Those projects, Florida TaxWatch President and CEO Dominic Calabro said, “bypass or violate established budget procedures or legislative and public scrutiny.”
The Governor also struck 194 items totaling $126.1 million that Calabro’s group said should be given “especially close scrutiny.”
In total, more than half the individual appropriations DeSantis vetoed were included in the “Budget Turkey” report.
Calabro said Florida TaxWatch commends DeSantis, Senate President Ben Albritton, House Speaker Daniel Perez and the Legislature for slashing spending, securing recurring funding to continue paying down the state’s debt, establishing a permanent back-to-school tax holiday in August and permanently exempting disaster preparedness items.
He also highlighted the elimination of business rent tax — taxes on office space, retail storefronts, warehouses and industrial facilities, among other fees — as a major win for “meaningful tax relief” empowering “Florida families and businesses (to) thrive.”
“As a trusted government watchdog for over 45 years, Florida TaxWatch will never stop advocating for the hardworking taxpayers of our state, ensuring that taxpayer dollars be allocated through a transparent, accountable, and deliberative process,” Calabro said in a statement.
In its “Budget Turkey” report published last month, Florida TaxWatch flagged $416.1 million in questionable spending items and another $799.5 million in spending that, while not designated as turkeys, should receive more examination before winning final approval.
Among the most scrutinized categories: higher education construction, where 18 university projects totaling $134.3 million were funded despite lacking priority rankings from the Board of Governors.
The report also criticized agriculture and park projects that bypassed oversight, including $6.5 million allocated to a Hardee County fair facility that had already received funding last year and $1.7 million to a South Florida Fairgrounds shelter. The Florida Department of Agriculture did not prioritize either project.
TaxWatch also objected to the funding of 18 local park projects worth $13.2 million, arguing that a state grant system, such as the Department of Environmental Protection’s competitive Recreational Development Assistance Program, should have been used.
Boating, water and transportation projects also drew fire. The Legislature used general revenue and the State Transportation Trust Fund to support local infrastructure projects that sidestepped existing review protocols.
That included $461.5 million allocated to the state’s Water Quality Improvement Grant Program that was almost entirely earmarked for 314 member projects and $210.9 million for 114 member projects funded by the State Transportation Trust Fund, which is supposed to support initiatives vetted through the Florida Department of Transportation’s Work Program.
Florida TaxWatch noted late-Session rule violations, including $8.5 million added for a University of South Florida veterans facility and $5 million for a University of Central Florida innovation hub during the budget conference process, despite the prohibition of such moves under joint rules.
In total, lawmakers approved 1,700 local member projects worth more than $2 billion, many of which were exempt from formal ranking, review or eligibility checks.
Florida TaxWatch officials have called for the Legislature to establish competitive, statutory review processes for project types such as law enforcement grants, fire stations, educational enhancements, and cultural institutions — all of which have seen substantial funding despite bypassing merit-based evaluation.
“Funding them through the state budget has now become standard,” said Kurt Wenner, TaxWatch Senior Vice President of Research. “If the Legislature is going to fund such projects, it must create a competitive review and selection process in statute for each of these areas.”
