Gov. DeSantis signs $115.1B budget, 1 day before start of new fiscal year

WILDWOOD, Fla. – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed the budget for fiscal year 2025-2026 during a news conference in Sumter County Monday morning.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen with interest rates. I don’t know what’s going to happen with federal spending. There’s just a lot of questions that can influence that. And so what I can say is that we’re very well prepared to meet whatever is thrown our way. And that’s really good planning. And that’s responsible planning,” DeSantis said.

One of the more-contentious legislative sessions in recent history came to a close on June 16 as lawmakers approved a $115.1 billion budget for the next fiscal year.

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The Senate unanimously passed the spending plan (SB 2500), while the House approved it in a 103-2 vote. Lawmakers finished the annual session at 11:19 p.m. — more than six weeks after the scheduled May 2 end of the session.

The budget includes:

• $900 million in tax cuts by eliminating the commercial lease tax — a long-standing priority for business groups
• $350 million in permanent sales tax breaks for Florida families
• $250 million to pay down state debt
• $750 million added to the rainy-day fund — the state’s emergency savings account
• Spend $560 million on about 280 local projects — including parks, schools, roads, emergency services, and museums
• Allocate $460.7 million for water-related projects, a compromise between the Senate’s and House’s initial proposals

The new state budget takes effect on July 1 and ends June 30, 2026.