Florida budget

The House passed its $113.6 billion budget proposal Thursday, but House Speaker Daniel Perez warned negotiations with the Senate could be rocky.

Casey DeSantis has made numerous appearances about the Healthy Florida First initiative, which tests for toxins and heavy metals in food.

Hours after the Florida Senate announced it would delay the release of its budget to align its timing with the House, the House unveiled its spending plan.

As of Monday, six proposals had been filed in the House for the 2026 session, collectively seeking just over $5.5 million.

Florida has $41 million left from a fund to "replace diesel emission sources with cleaner technology" — but doesn't want to spend it on electric vehicles.

Along with the school tax holiday, Governor Ron DeSantis announced a permanent, year-round hurricane preparedness sales tax holiday.

The new budget lacks some of the top priorities of legislative leaders and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, coming in $500 million less than the governor's proposed budget, and $3.5 billion less than last year's adjusted total, a goal of conservative lawmakers focused on scaling back state spending amid concerns of a broader economic slowdown.

Legislative leaders said Thursday evening they hope to finish a budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year on Friday so it can go before the House and Senate early next week.

House and Senate budget negotiators agreed to pay raises for state employees, with bigger boosts going to law enforcement officers and firefighters, as talks continued Tuesday on a state spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year.

Florida lawmakers are working out the details on the budget and tax breaks. They've given themselves until mid-June to get it done.

The House and Senate are expected to vote June 16 on the budget and a tax package.

Nearly a month after leaving the Capitol without passing a budget, House and Senate leaders said Friday night they had reached an agreement that will clear the way for lawmakers to begin hammering out details of a spending plan Tuesday.