Jim Turner and Gray Rohrer — Florida lawmakers overwhelmingly approved a $114.5 billion state spending plan Friday, wrapping up a special session to complete the budget more than two months after they failed to do so during the regular session.
The Senate voted unanimously in favor of the budget and the House voted 99-6 for the plan, but the vast support for the measure belied the tense process to produce it.
House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, insisted on cutting the current budget of more than $115 billion, while Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, preferred to keep funding essentially level.
“Floridians expect their government to spend responsibly and prioritize the issues that matter most to families across our state,” Perez said in a released statement. “For the second year in a row, the Florida House has led the charge in passing a budget that reduces spending while continuing to invest in public safety, education, environmental protection, health care, and infrastructure.”
For his part, Albritton, a citrus farmer, was pleased with the $196 million in the budget to support the beleaguered citrus industry, which has endured freezes, a greening disease and encroaching development that has led to a massive shrinking in the number of boxes it produces each year.
“Florida citrus is making a comeback, one tree at a time,” Albritton said in a released statement. “This heritage industry is not only vital to our state’s economy, but it is truly a part of our DNA. Mark my words, Florida citrus is not going down on my watch."
The budget includes $30 billion for K-12 schools, with $201 million for teacher pay increases. That raise, though, will only go to teachers with 10 years of experience, with the increase capped at $3,000 per year.
Republicans said they wanted to use the money to prevent veteran teachers from leaving the field.
“That’s a great approach to trying to retain veteran teachers,” said Sen. Danny Burgess, R-Zephyrhills, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee on PreK-12 Education.
Democrats, though, said the funding isn’t enough, as many districts faced potential cuts this year due to declining enrollment and teachers struggle to keep up with inflation.
There were funds included to mitigate the effect of enrollment declines for school districts, but Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando, said that would still leave Orange County with a $13 million shortfall for its schools.
Smith voted for the budget, but also took issue with the zeroing out of preeminence funding for universities. The University of Central Florida recently qualified for the funding, which is designed to push schools to boost research. But now the school won’t be able to receive the money. In the current budget, $40 million was set aside for preeminence funding, which went to the University of Florida, Florida State University, Florida International University and the University of South Florida.
“The preeminence framework remains a part of Florida law,” said Sen. Jennifer Bradley, R-Fleming Island, Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Higher Education, in response to Smith. “This is something that I hope we will revisit next year.”
Other Democrats called for raises for all state workers; instead 4% raises target only corrections officers, state law enforcement officials and firefighters.
“Our state employees are having difficult times paying their bills, paying for childcare, paying their car note, paying for property insurance, car insurance, all those things,” said Rep. Bruce Antone, D-Orlando. “There's nothing we can do about pay raises this year, but for those coming back next year, I hope that we will put this on our radar screen and make sure that it happens.”
Six House Democrats voted against the budget, although the main theme from Democrats was that it doesn’t do enough to help Floridians facing cost of living constraints.
“I don't know what it's going to take for us to wake up one day and realize that we are really not doing the things for the people in the state of Florida that we should be doing, as opposed to doing what companies need,” said Rep. Dianne Hart-Lowman, D-Tampa, who voted against the budget.
Tax cuts for guns, fishing, tennis, slots pass
People who buy guns, fishing gear and tickets to two tennis tournaments, will see tax cuts as part of a bill (HB 7031E) approved by the Legislature on Friday.
The Senate voted 29-6 and the House 88-11 for the tax package, which is estimated to cut state and local revenue by $272.2 million, including $105 million in state general fund revenue in the next fiscal year. Democrats voting against the measure countered the package failed to address housing, gas and food affordability issues.
Another piece of the bill revives a hunting, fishing and camping sales tax “holiday” created last year. This year’s version is set to run from Sept. 1 through Dec. 31. During that time, sales taxes would be lifted on ammunition, pistols, rifles, and an assortment of firearm accessories that include range bags, holsters, magazines, mats, sights, slings, stocks, cleaning kits, silencers and triggers.
Camping gear that will fall under the holiday includes sleeping bags and camping stoves under $50, flashlights under $30 and tents under $200. Sales taxes would also be lifted for fishing rods and reels individually sold under $75, tackle boxes under $30 and bait priced $10 or less. Those discounts are projected to save consumers $32.2 million.
The package also includes property tax exemptions for members of the military deployed in 2023, 2024, and 2025, adds $35.2 million for rural road and bridge improvements, revises the way special assessments may be levied against RV parks, and changes the Save Our Homes portability by allowing the transfer to a new homestead from any homestead abandoned in the prior three years. Under current law, the transfer is only allowed from the immediate prior homestead.
For parimutuel operators, the package cuts the tax on slot machine revenues from 35 to 34% and the gross receipts tax on cardroom revenues from 8 to 5%.
Democrats were disappointed the bill didn’t include a moratorium on the state’s 22-cent-per-gallon gas tax as pump prices remain over $4 per gallon in the state.
“Hopefully future legislators will listen to the voters. They're asking us to focus on affordability, not give tax breaks to large corporations,” said Orlando Democratic Rep. Anna Eskamani.
The package also moves the back-to-school sales tax “holiday” to July 20 through August 20 rather than for all of August, as was set in state law last year. During the holiday period, sales taxes will be lifted on select clothes and supplies, and personal computers priced at $1,500 or less.
