It wasn’t exactly Panthers-Oilers double OT — but after two extensions, the 2025 Legislative Session is over.
The House and Senate finalized their spending plan for the 2025-26 fiscal year on Friday evening, starting the clock on the 72-hour cooling-off period before a final vote.
True to form, they didn’t gavel in the moment the clock struck zero, instead letting the cooling-off period run fully cold before doing the only thing they are constitutionally required to do: pass a budget.
From the moment they took command of their respective chambers, House Speaker Daniel Perez and Senate President Ben Albritton signaled that the era of 10-digit year-over-year budget increases was over.
Five years ago, Florida’s budget was a quaint $93 billion, but federal pandemic funding, inflation, inbound migration, and more pushed the state government budget across the $116 billion mark last year.
This year’s total: $115 billion. That’s a $1.5 billion reduction from the current budget and $500 million leaner than the budget Gov. Ron DeSantis proposed ahead of Session.
Much of the feuding this Session — mainly between the House and the Governor — was not focused on how the state could slash spending, but rather how it could gut revenues.
Albritton unveiled a $117.36 billion budget proposal — slightly leaner than the $117.5 billion lawmakers approved last year, but higher than the effective tally after the veto. A few days later, Perez announced the House’s $112.95 billion budget.
The $4.4 billion gap was a hurdle. Another source of friction, however, was the inclusion of a permanent 0.75% sales tax cut. Albritton didn’t dismiss it out of hand, issuing a measured response that his chamber would consider it in good faith; the Governor was less diplomatic.
Many twists and turns followed, but the thread remained consistent: despite Republicans holding a supermajority in chambers, deep ideological rifts remain over budgeting philosophy and the proper role of government in spending and saving.
However, the plan drew sharp criticism from Democrats, who argued it overwhelmingly favors corporations while neglecting the needs of everyday families. “This budget doesn’t do nearly enough to address Florida’s affordability crisis… very little of that tax relief is going to the average Floridian — instead, we’re giving handouts to huge corporations,” said Senate Democratic Leader Lori Berman. House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell questioned the GOP’s priorities, adding, “If we can help them, why can’t we also do things to help consumers? I think it is a false choice to suggest that’s the only way we can help.”
In the end, the chambers agreed on a $1.3 billion tax cut package. Most of the total comes via a repeal of Florida’s business rent tax, which is expected to nix $904.8 million in state revenues. The biggest-ticket broad-based tax cut, meanwhile, is a permanent back-to-school sales tax holiday, which is expected to produce a $167.7 million hit to state revenues in 2025-26.
With so many big-ticket policy questions ending on a cliffhanger, don’t be surprised if this year’s budget drama gets a sequel in next year’s Session — same stage, slightly different script.
But for now, the focus turns to DeSantis, who is currently in France, and whether he will attempt a “Red Wedding”-style veto spree with less than two weeks before the budget must be signed.
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