TALLAHASSEE, Florida – Following weeks of ongoing budget disputes in Tallahassee, Florida lawmakers will vote on the state budget on Monday.
Legislative leaders reached an agreement on a budget proposal that is expected to be approved by the House and Senate.
Florida budget: What caused the delay?
The budget was supposed to be completed by May 2, the end of the legislative session, but the House and Senate were unable to reach an agreement on a budget and tax cuts.
The budget total was not immediately available, but it is expected to be less than Governor Ron DeSantis’ proposed $115.6 billion spending plan.
‘Nobody wanted the government shutdown.’
“A lot of people have spoken with us about, you know, ‘you took a month away from here and nothing happened,'” Senate Appropriations Chairman Ed Hooper, R-Trinity, told reporters Friday, according to the News Service of Florida. “Well, things were happening, and we knew we had to come here to get to where we are now. Because, come July 1, no one wanted the government to shut down. Nobody wanted employees to go without a paycheck.”
If the budget is passed, DeSantis will have approximately two weeks to sign it and use his line item veto power before July 1, the start of the fiscal year 2025-2026.
