Florida budget

Lawmakers overwhelmingly approved a $114.5 billion spending plan Friday, wrapping up a special session to complete the budget more than two months after they failed to do so during the regular session.

With billions on the line for Florida’s schools, the environment, and its neediest citizens, state legislators return to Tallahassee Tuesday to finally craft a new state budget.

Lawmakers are again at a stalemate over the budget. Instead of negotiating the final details of the state spending plan for the next fiscal year, House and Senate leaders haven’t agreed to top line numbers.

State legislators won't complete the budget by Friday, requiring talks on the spending plan to move beyond the scheduled end of the regular session, House Speaker Daniel Perez said Monday.

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.