Florida Lawmakers Strike $115 Billion Budget Deal After Extended Standoff
Florida lawmakers finalized an $115 billion budget deal after a special session, balancing education funding, healthcare allocations, and rural development while addressing past legislative disputes. The agreement includes $4.5 billion for school vouchers, $75 million for HIV drug assistance, and $514 million for Everglades restoration, with key concessions on private school funding and university transfers.
Florida’s House and Senate leaders reached a final budget agreement worth nearly $115 billion late Sunday, resolving a standoff that required a second consecutive special session. The compromise sits between the Senate’s initial $113.6 billion proposal and the House’s push for deeper cuts due to projected deficits. Governor Ron DeSantis will review the plan before Friday’s final votes. On education, lawmakers preserved $4.5 billion for homeschool and private school tuition vouchers within the K-12 funding formula, despite Senate concerns over mismanagement highlighted in a November audit. To support struggling school districts, a measure was approved to prevent severe budget cuts after Union and Glades counties faced emergency administration due to declining enrollment. The budget allocates $7 million for rural private school capital improvements, targeting counties with populations under 10,000, with funds distributed by December. Florida State University secured approval to use existing funds for its $3.6 million annual acquisition of Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare, alongside a $1.7 billion investment. The University of South Florida’s Sarasota-Manatee campus will transfer to New College of Florida, a House priority added late in negotiations. Healthcare funding includes a $20 million compromise for the Cancer Innovation Fund, backed by First Lady Casey DeSantis, and $75 million for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program to offset federal shortfalls. A $50 million health innovation fund from 2024 was eliminated, though existing funds remain. Environmental spending totals $514 million for Everglades restoration, avoiding a veto threat from DeSantis, and $425 million for rural land easements. The budget also provides $4.5 million for election audit software and $4 million to the families of the Groveland Four—Ernest Thomas, Charles Greenlee, Samuel Shepherd, and Walter Irvin—exonerated in 2021 after false rape accusations. A House proposal to study exiting the federal Affordable Care Act exchange was dropped due to Senate opposition.
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