Florida Gov. DeSantis signs $116.5 billion state budget after vetoing almost $950 million

TALLAHASSEE – Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law a $116.5 billion state budget for the coming year after vetoing almost $950 million in programs and projects mostly tucked into the spending plan by fellow Republicans in the Legislature.

DeSantis has vetoed more in past cycles, erasing more than $3 billion from the state spending plan in 2022 as federal COVID-19 relief funding wound down. But while those vetoes were designed to steady state government in an uncertain economy, this time around DeSantis boasted of shaping a relatively lean spending plan.

The $116.5 billion budget came in under current-year spending, clearly a goal of the governor.

“This is a budget that shows it can be done,” DeSantis said, during a Wednesday appearance in Tampa.

The budget was approved in March by the Republican-controlled Legislature and takes effect July 1.

As part of the vetoes, DeSantis wiped out $32 million in state arts and cultural grants, a move that is certain to draw outrage from many communities.

The almost $950 million in vetoes were not publicly released at his hourlong news conference. But when made public several hours later, as expected, they included a lot of hometown projects sought by many of his GOP allies.

Programs, projects, large and not so, confront veto pen

The single biggest construction project axed by the governor was $26.2 million for Pensacola’s University of West Florida, where more dollars for a new science and engineering building were put on hold.

Dozens of local water, drainage and sewage projects around the state also were killed by the governor. Lawmakers had tucked 281 such projects costing $410.3 million into the budget and many of them drew DeSantis’ veto.

Scores of road projects, ball parks, fire trucks and dollars for community centers also were vetoed without detailed explanation by the governor. They were among 1,600 hometown projects totaling $2.8 billion which the business-backed research organization, Florida TaxWatch, said larded the spending plan and should draw scrutiny from DeSantis.

Big-time players weren’t necessarily spared.

Florida Senate President-designate Ben Albritton, saw his rural Hardee County town of Wauchula lose to DeSantis vetoes $500,000 for a senior center, $5 million for airport improvements, $500,000 for park restrooms, $1 million to demolish an old electrical generator plant and $1 million for community center improvements.

DeSantis didn't explain why he cut the arts grants so deeply, but the governor spends a lot of time advancing anti-woke policies that he may see embodied in some programs financed by this spending.

"We must recognize and support the invaluable impact of arts and culture on our economy and our society," said Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando. "I urge the Legislature to fully fund these programs next session and ask that community members step up to fill these funding gaps created by Gov. DeSantis."

The Legislature also saw DeSantis axe a combined $54 million leaders had set aside for support services in the House and Senate.

In another major veto, DeSantis wiped out $80 million that had been included in the budget to provide a group health insurance option, similar to that offered state employees, to those working within the state college system.

DeSantis rolled off some highlights

DeSantis spent most of the budget-signing event highlighting key areas of spending, from increased funding for security at Jewish day schools, to more money for recruiting college and university professors in a higher education system he is recasting under conservative leaders.

The Republican governor also made familiar partisan references, noting how the state’s spending accomplishments came despite “Bidenflation.” He also cited how the Florida budget was significantly smaller than that of Democratic-led New York.

Running down a list of spending items, he paused:

“This budget spends less than last year, and we’re still able to do all this,” DeSantis said with a tone of wonder.

Reserves keep going up

He also pointed out that the budget includes $17 billion in reserves, swollen with the $1 billion in spending he has now vetoed.

Included in the budget is an average $240-per-student boost, or 2.75%, for schools, bringing per-pupil spending to $8,959 next year. State workers also get a 3% pay raise, marking the third straight year of raises aimed at attracting and retaining employees in a tight labor market.

It’s a reversal of what has been a history of the Legislature’s Republican leaders refusing pay hikes for state workers for most of the past decade.

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And while DeSantis has promoted the budget’s $1.25 billion for teacher pay, the state’s largest teachers union challenged his claim. Most of the funding only maintains earlier year salary levels and a more modest $200 million is what more accurately is available for pay hikes, the Florida Education Association said.

“The $200 million equates to a salary increase in every classroom teachers’ paycheck of about $125 a month, and nowhere near the $15,000 annual increase needed to match the national average for teacher salaries,” FEA said.

“The only thing the budget guarantees is that Florida’s teachers will remain near the bottom in average pay,” the union added.

DeSantis touts Florida budget as a 'lesson for the nation'

Environmental programs also drew major increases, with $1.7 billion spent toward the construction-happy state’s enduring problems with water quality. Areas targeted for the spending are wastewater treatment, Everglades restoration, and efforts to combat algae and improve freshwater springs.

Everglades work, alone, drew $740 million.

“It’s been clear from the beginning that (DeSantis) understands the importance of the Everglades – to our economy and environment – and has continually sought to push restoration forward,” said Anna Upton, chief executive officer of the Everglades Trust.

The spending includes $717 million to back a major health-care bill, Live Healthy, sought by Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, which is intended to attract more doctors to the state and expand access.

The budget also sets aside $500 million to pay down state debt.

In a letter accompanying his budget signing, DeSantis, whose bid for the Republican presidential nomination collapsed five months ago, concluded with a message.

"Governments should strive to do more with less. It can be done and my action today cements that lesson for the nation," he wrote. "

John Kennedy is a reporter in the USA TODAY Network’s Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at [email protected], or on X at @JKennedyReport.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: DeSantis signs Florida budget; vetoes almost $950 million in projects