TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) —Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has proposed a $96.6 billion spending plan for the next fiscal year, a $4.3 billion increase from the year before.
DeSantis’ proposed budget includes money to fund the state’s COVID-19 response while providing about $65 million in tax breaks for Florida families.
According to DeSantis, the pandemic has cost the state about $2.6 billion, mostly due to Medicaid enrollment, with millions of laid-off Floridians seeking benefits under the program. The proposal includes about $3 billion to boost Medicaid spending. The governor also proposed $1 billion in unspecified cuts and $6.6 billion in total reserves. He said the state collected more tax revenue than expected, and $4.6 billion in federal funds received through the CARES Act also helped cushion budget cuts.
“As a state driven by tourism and hospitality, we were staring down the barrel of an unprecedented economic collapse,” DeSantis told reporters at the Florida Capitol Thursday. “The pandemic required Florida to lead – we’ve done so, and we will continue to do so. While so many other states kept locking people down, Florida lifted people up.”
The governor also proposed $550 million in teacher pay raises, a $50 million increase from last year. The goal is to raise the minimum salaries of K-12 teachers to at least $47,500.
DeSantis also wants $65 billion in tax relief for Florida families. The proposal includes a $56 million 8-day Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday and a $9 million 10-day Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday.
Around $10 million in funding would go toward expanding mental health programs in schools.
The proposal, which is advisory only, will be viewed by state lawmakers during their annual legislative session beginning March 2. From there, they’ll craft the state budget, which DeSantis has authority to veto.
