Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed at least $13.7 million in Pinellas County area projects from the new state budget, with the largest local cuts affecting elder care, hurricane hardening, animal welfare, public safety and flood control.
The vetoes were included in DeSantis’ June 29 budget transmittal, where he agreed to a $117.6 billion budget after more than $1.6 billion in vetoes.
In Pinellas, the largest local cut was tied to the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, or PACE, with DeSantis vetoing two expansion items that would have funded 300 new slots in the county.
One veto struck nearly $591,000 for 50 new PACE slots at a Pinellas County organization owned and operated by Habitat Healthcare LLC or an affiliate, effective April 1, 2027. Another cut was just over $3.9 million for 250 new PACE slots at a Pinellas County organization owned and operated by Kinship Health or a subsidiary, effective March 1, 2027.
The Pinellas vetoes were part of a broader rejection of PACE expansions across the state. In all, DeSantis vetoed more than $30.6 million in PACE appropriations requests.
The next-largest Pinellas-area vetoes were two separate $2 million projects.
DeSantis vetoed $2 million for the Pinellas County Lealman Exchange Hurricane Hardening project, a cut that fits into a large swath of local storm, flood and resilience-related projects rejected in the budget. The project was requested by Sen. Nick DiCeglie and Rep. Linda Chaney.
The Governor also vetoed $2 million for Friends of Strays Dog Adoption Center construction, one of several animal welfare projects struck from the spending plan. The funding was requested by Chaney.
Notably, the Governor vetoed several local stormwater, drainage and transportation-related projects.
The veto list includes $1 million for Clearwater’s Elevate Bayshore project requested by DiCeglie and Rep. Kimberly Berfield; $1 million for the Madeira Beach Area 6 Roadway Improvement Project requested by DiCeglie and Chaney; $750,000 for Tampa Bay Watch Shoreline Protection and Water Quality Improvements requested by Sen. Ed Hooper and Chaney; $600,000 for the Largo Allen’s Creek Flood Mitigation Project requested by DiCeglie and Berfield; $500,000 for St. Petersburg Childs Park Storm Drainage Improvements requested by Sen. Darryl Rouson and Rep. Michele Rayner; and nearly $176,000 for the Tarpon Springs Pinellas Trail Culvert Project requested by Hooper and Rep. Adam Anderson.
Pinellas County vetoes also include cuts to public safety. DeSantis vetoed $350,000 for a St. Petersburg Police Department K-9 facility requested by Rouson and Rayner, $500,000 for a Redington Beaches Fire Suppression Unit requested by DiCeglie and Chaney, and $160,000 for Safety Harbor City Hall security improvements requested by Hooper and Anderson.
The veto list also includes $140,500 for AMPLIFY Clearwater Chamber Foundation’s Young Entrepreneurs Academy requested by DiCeglie and Berfield.
The transmittal letter does not provide project-by-project explanations for each veto. Instead, DeSantis used the letter to argue the budget reflects fiscal discipline while preserving state reserves, reducing debt and continuing investments in broader state priorities.
“Conservative fiscal policies produce real results,” DeSantis wrote in the letter. “In keeping with the fiscal responsibility that I have championed for the Free State of Florida during the past eight years, I am proud to announce a fourth consecutive year of a budget reduction.”
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