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Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Florida state budget talks resume with $2.25B tax cut 'framework' in place
Armed with a new 'framework' for a deal, Florida House and Senate negotiators met June 3 to resolve their differences over a 2025-26 state budget. After blowing past their original deadline to pass a budget due to an impasse between House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, and Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, over tax cuts, the chambers spent the day trading offers on spending for health care and environmental programs. While some disagreements were resolved, the details on the main source of the dispute – tax cuts – aren't likely to be unveiled for several days. Under the latest framework for a deal reached between the chambers, though, there will be $2.25 billion in recurring tax cuts. That will include eliminating the tax that Florida businesses pay on rents and exempting some items from sales taxes. Exactly which items will be exempt remains to be seen, though a memo announcing the deal last week from Albritton said the exemptions would be 'targeted towards Florida families.' Another plank of the agreement is to put more money – $750 million per year – into a key reserve fund. That move will require lawmakers to put a measure on the 2026 ballot. The House and Senate are poised to take up that measure Thursday. Lawmakers were supposed to pass a budget by May 2, the last day of the regular session, but the dispute led them to extend the session to June 6. The first outline of a broad deal between Perez and Albritton included an outright reduction in the state sales tax, from 6% to 5.75%. The across-the-board sales tax cut was a priority for Perez, who wants to restrain spending by drastically cutting back the amount of revenue available to the state. Albritton was wary of such a move, but he was willing to compromise to pass his top priority – an infusion of resources to rural areas to boost education, health care and transportation programs and projects, dubbed the 'Rural Renaissance.' Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has pressed lawmakers to move forward with cuts to property taxes, threatened to veto any tax cut bill with an overall sales tax reduction. He feared a major sales tax cut would make it harder to pass his preferred property tax reductions. Albritton opted to drop his Rural Renaissance priority to reach a deal with Perez. Now, rank-and-file members will hammer out the details in the coming days. The clock is running: The state's budget year runs July 1 to June 30, and failing to come up with a budget by the end of June could force a partial state government shutdown. Lawmakers also have to build in time for DeSantis to review their plan for any line-item vetoes before he signs it into law. Gray Rohrer is a reporter with the USA TODAY Network-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at grohrer@ Follow him on X: @GrayRohrer. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Sales tax exemptions, reserves part of Florida budget talks
Politico
3 days ago
- Business
- Politico
Returning to the Capitol
Good morning and welcome to Tuesday. State lawmakers are back in Tallahassee today with less than a month to go to avoid a state government shutdown. They're starting conference committee meetings to hash out state government spending in areas like transportation, law enforcement, health care and education. Lawmakers are giving themselves a June 16 deadline to pass a budget, which will give them just a couple of weeks of cushion before the next fiscal year starts July 1. Both chambers have put priorities by the wayside to try to get to an agreement amid what had become an acrimonious back and forth that included Gov. RON DESANTIS. State Senate President BEN ALBRITTON's $200 million 'Rural Renaissance' plan to spur economic development in Florida's rural areas got punted to the 2026 session, POLITICO's Gary Fineout reported. And House Speaker DANIEL PEREZ dropped his push for a permanent cut to the state sales tax. More details about the $50 billion general revenue fund released Monday show $6 billion going toward higher education, while primary and secondary education is set for $16 billion. Health care services are teed up to receive $17 billion, and $6 billion will go toward the criminal justice system. The budget is also set to include 2 percent raises for the state's estimated 100,000 employees, even though it wasn't included in DeSantis' proposal, reports Janelle Irwin Taylor of Florida Politics. GOP State Sen. COREY SIMON, who represents the capital city, said the pay hike also includes a $1,000 minimum for all state workers and keeps state worker health insurance premiums and co-pays at their current levels, of $50 a month for individuals and $180 a month for families for rank-and-file staff. Top-level government employees only pay $8.34 for individuals and $30 for family plans. That's a significant development, given current estimates for the state group health insurance trust fund project a deficit by the summer of 2026. DeSantis hasn't elaborated on the framework. As recently as Monday, the governor continued to press for a break to property taxes and for tax cut holidays — including on items that help people prepare for hurricane season. DeSantis could decide to veto certain sections of the budget he disagrees with, as he has done in past years. And he may also keep agitating for his top priority; a survey out this morning of voters in blue-leaning Duval County found 60 percent of respondents supported undoing property taxes (more below). If DeSantis doesn't sign the budget before July 1, then the state would dive into a partial government shutdown. Should he decide to issue a full-scale veto, then lawmakers would have to return to the Capitol to come up with a new spending plan — or could try to get a two-thirds vote to override him. It'll be a lot to get through and could get heated. What to watch when it's all over? A lot of the attention in Tallahassee is expected to turn to the many vacant powerful positions DeSantis needs to fill, including lieutenant governor, state chief financial officer and Florida education commissioner. — Kimberly Leonard and Gary Fineout Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget that Playbook should look at? Get in touch at: kleonard@ ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... SPEAKING OF EDUCATION COMMISSIONER — 'Anastasios I. Kamoutsas, one of DeSantis' four deputy chiefs of staff, has emerged as one of the most frequently mentioned choices to replace Manny Diaz Jr., who becomes University of West Florida interim president in July,' reports Jeffrey S. Solochek of the Tampa Bay Times. 'If selected, he would follow other top aides into high level posts, including James Uthmeier as attorney general and Alex Kelly as commerce secretary.' POT REFERENDUM MOVES AHEAD — 'A campaign backed by Florida's medical marijuana industry to permit recreational use for adults has gathered enough voter signatures to trigger a state-required financial and judicial review,' reports POLITICO's Arek Sarkissian. 'The Smart and Safe Florida Committee has collected close to 378,000 petitions signed by voters and verified by county supervisors of elections, easily surpassing a threshold of just more than 220,000 signatures that triggers the state review. The committee is campaigning to place a question on next year's ballot asking voters to permit recreational pot use for people who are at least 21 years old. Organizers will need just more than 880,000 signatures filed with the state Division of Elections in order to secure a spot on the ballot by Feb 1.' ENDING UNAUTHORIZED STAYS — 'DeSantis has signed two measures adding new protections for commercial property owners and hotels dealing with unwanted squatters,' reports Gabrielle Russon of Florida Politics. 'The measures make it easier for law enforcement to remove squatters in commercial buildings and hotel and motel guests who aren't paying but won't leave.' — 'Construction, real estate experts say Tallahassee raid may spark 'chilling effect,'' reports TaMaryn Waters of the Tallahassee Democrat. — 'Salzman sends 'bat signal' of truce with DeSantis in backing Diaz as UWF interim president,' reports Jim Little of the Pensacola News Journal. PENINSULA AND BEYOND TODAY — The 17-member board of governors will vote on whether to confirm University of Michigan President SANTA ONO to become the next president of the University of Florida. He's facing rejection calls from DONALD TRUMP JR., gubernatorial candidate Rep. BYRON DONALDS, Rep. JIMMY PATRONIS and Rep. GREG STEUBE given past comments he has made about diversity, equity and inclusion — and because of pro-Palestinian protests that broke out at the University of Michigan. Donalds released a series of questions he thought the board should ask, including: 'How can Floridians be sure that their tax dollars won't go toward instituting the 'Indigenous Strategic Plan,' 'Climate Action Plan,' and the 'Anti-Racism Inclusive Excellence' task force — all programs you've championed in the past — at Florida's flagship public research university?' Sen. RICK SCOTT likewise released a statement Monday night saying he had 'serious concerns' about Ono's nomination and said the board should have Ono talk about what actions he would take to fight antisemitism and protect Jewish students. DeSantis has remained neutral on the pick, reports Ian Hodgson of the Tampa Bay Times. 'The governor said: 'vote your conscience,'' board member ASHLEY BELL BARNETT told TBT. 'He's not twisting anyone's arm one way or another.' FIU PRESIDENT NUÑEZ — Former Lt. Gov. JEANETTE NUÑEZ got the nod from trustees to be Florida International University's next president. The Florida Phoenix's Jay Waagmeester writes that Nuñez 'is set to earn a base salary of $925,000 and up to $400,000 in performance incentives. In addition, her contract provides a $245,000 annual retirement supplement, $12,000 car stipend, and $25,000 moving stipend.' PUSH TO CUT WITNESS — 'Attorneys for suspended Orlando City Commissioner Regina Hill want a key prosecution witness in her elder exploitation case removed from the proceedings, saying her 'contradictory and false answers' in pre-trial depositions make her unreliable,' reports Ryan Gillespie and Cristóbal Reyes. 'The 17-page motion filed Friday by Hill's defense team seeks to remove Sandra Lewis from the case against Hill, who was indicted last year. Hill is accused of exploiting a 96-year-old woman by draining her savings of more than $100,000 after getting control of her finances. Prosecutors say Hill used a document notarized by Lewis to purchase a west Orlando home in her own name, with the elderly woman as a co-signer.' — 'Father burned in holiday boat explosion in Fort Lauderdale has died,' reports Cindy Krischer Goodman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. ...HURRICANE HOLE... RAISING EYEBROWS — 'The acting head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency told employees on Monday that he did not know the United States has a hurricane season … The official, David Richardson, has served in the Marines and worked in the Department of Homeland Security's Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office,' reports Christopher Flavelle and Lisa Friedman of The New York Times. 'The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA, said in a statement that Mr. Richardson was joking. The agency statement said FEMA would be focused on disaster response this hurricane season and said the Trump administration is in the process of reforming an agency it believes is bloated.' RINSE AND REPEAT — 'Richardson told staff Monday that the agency would be returning to the same guidance for hurricane response as last year,' reports Scott Patterson and Tarini Parti of the Wall Street Journal. 'Some were confused how that would be possible, given the agency had already eliminated key programs and sharply cut its workforce.' CAMPAIGN MODE DEMOCRATIC AG CANDIDATE EMERGES — Former state Sen. JOSÉ JAVIER RODRÍGUEZ made a run for state attorney general official Monday. Rodriguez, who worked for the Biden administration as assistant secretary of Labor for employment and training, lost his state Senate reelection bid in 2020 after political operatives recruited straw candidates to siphon votes away from Democrats. 'Corrupt dealmakers have taken over Florida and we are paying the price,' Rodríguez said in a campaign video, referring to powerful interests like insurance and utilities. He also went after incumbent GOP state Attorney General JAMES UTHMEIER, accusing him of 'enriching his friends and only looking out for himself.' Asked for comment, Uthmeier campaign spokesperson KAYLA LITTLE called the attorney general 'relentless' and said Florida voters 'reject soft-on-crime liberal policies.' 'Uthmeier delivers for Floridians,' she said. 'He recently convicted an illegal immigrant for stealing $1.6 million in property, dismantled an international child pornography ring, and charged a pedophile with election fraud — cases reflecting his aggressive stance on crime.' Rodriguez is the first major Democrat to announce he's running for statewide office for the 2026 cycle. The speculation about who'll run for state attorney general has been more heated on the Republican side given the state's GOP majority. Uthmeier is running in 2026 to keep his seat and has made recent moves to signal how aligned he is with the Trump administration. Little noted that he'd begun working in politics in 2015 under the Trump administration as an attorney and said he'd worked closely with senior Trump administration officials in his job as attorney general. 'While he has not personally met with President Trump in his current role, he looks forward to doing so and continuing to support a shared vision for Florida,' she said. It's not yet clear whether Uthmeier will get a clean path to the 2026 election or who Trump will endorse for the job, given that Uthmeier was the campaign manager behind DeSantis challenging Trump for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024. GOP strategist JAMIE MILLER recently said in his newsletter that Trumpworld has had conversations with former Rep. TOM ROONEY to run for the seat. JAX-WATCH — Jacksonville Mayor DONNA DEEGAN still enjoys high approval ratings in the city despite the backlash over a gun registry disclosure at City Hall (which she said she didn't know about), according to polling out this morning from the University of North Florida's Public Opinion Research Lab. The poll, which surveyed 742 voters in Duval County, found 61 percent strongly or somewhat approved of the job Deegan is doing. It also found that a majority of voters, regardless of party, support banning concealed weapons from City Hall. The survey also asked voters about how they feel on key issues. At 25 percent, housing costs are a leading concern about the issues facing Jacksonville. In the past, crime was the top concern. There was also good news for DeSantis: The poll showed that 60 percent of respondents either strongly or somewhat supported getting rid of property taxes. TODAY — There's a special election on the Miami City Commission to replace MANOLO REYES, who passed away in April. Voters will choose between former North Bay Village manager RALPH ROSADO and former Miami assistant building director JOSE REGALADO, reports Tess Riski of the Miami Herald. ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN BIRTHDAY: Florida Power & Light's George Bennett.
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
A 'strange' session: As Florida budget stalemate dooms bills, here's what appears dead
Florida lawmakers wrapped up the scheduled last day of the regular session May 2 without a budget and with several major policy bills crashing before the finish line. The dispute means lawmakers will need to return to the Capitol to resolve it. Late in the evening, House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, and Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, said they reached a deal on a "framework" for a final 2025-26 spending plan. Perez said the details still need to be worked out in formal talks, but there would be a $1.6 billion cut to the state sales tax. He had pushed for a cut from 6% to 5.25%, which produced a large gap in the budgets of the House and Senate, leading to the deadlock. Lawmakers agreed to extend the session until June 6 to reach a final agreement. The budget and Albritton's signature 'Rural Renaissance' initiative to infuse rural areas with more revenue, health care, education and transportation options are included in the extension. Despite the emergence of a "framework" for a budget deal, lawmakers in both chambers and on both sides of the aisle say the lengthy fight over the budget isn't ideal and not usual. 'It's a strange session. Probably the strangest one I've been involved in,' said Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill, a staunch Gov. Ron DeSantis ally who was first elected to the House in 2014 before winning a Senate seat in 2022. After squabbling with DeSantis for much of the session, lawmakers passed many of his top priority bills in the final days. On May 2, they passed HB 1205, which imposes new restrictions on the process of gathering petitions to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot. DeSantis believes it is needed to stop fraud rampant in petition drives, but Democrats said it was a move to stamp out the citizen initiative process entirely. More: Gov. DeSantis signs bill for tougher citizen amendment process in Florida Bills to give condo owners more leeway to pay assessments for inspections, repairs and maintenance (HB 913) and require law enforcement to have probable cause before inspecting boats and vessels – something DeSantis dubbed the 'Boater Freedom' bill – were passed on May 1. But for much of the session DeSantis' agenda, which typically steamrolled through the Legislature during the first six years of his tenure, faced a rockier ride. Many of his other priorities didn't gain traction, such as rolling back gun control laws. He also saw House leaders probe a charity connected to First Lady Casey DeSantis and the Senate refuse to confirm several of his appointees. More: Hope Florida probe halted as DeSantis allies refuse to testify DeSantis frequently lashed out at the House, saying the GOP majority was 'stabbing voters in the back' by not moving forward with his agenda, especially on property tax cuts. Perez in turn accused DeSantis of throwing 'temper tantrums' and 'lying' about the House budget. Still Perez, while pushing an overall reduction in the sales tax from 6% to 5.25%, this week convened a select committee to review proposals to cut property taxes next year. The budget gridlock also stymied the priorities of the GOP legislative leaders. A set of bills backed by Perez and favored by the trial bar lobby, including one to roll back a 2022 law eliminating one-way attorney fees in property insurance claim disputes, failed to pass. The deadlock over the budget centered on a disagreement over how much to cut taxes. Perez wants a reduction in the sales tax from 6% to 5.25%, while Albritton believes the $5 billion in revenue loss it will mean each year will prevent the state from paying for needed services for a growing state. The House's preferred budget is $113 billion, while the Senate's is $4.4 billion more. Democrats, mired in superminority status in the Legislature, reveled in the GOP dysfunction. Senate Democratic Leader Lori Berman of Boca Raton said she was disappointed the chambers couldn't pass a budget – the one bill the constitution requires lawmakers to pass each year – in 60 days but said the infighting among Republicans was a boon to her party. 'There were a lot fewer bills than we've seen in other sessions. But I'm happy that here in the Senate that we did not see many of the divisive bills,' Berman told the USA TODAY Network-Florida Capital Bureau. 'The dysfunction worked in the Democrats' favor in that a lot of the really awful bills" didn't pass. Bills backed by DeSantis to remove child labor protections failed to pass, as did other bills to erase programs in state law perceived as diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs and ban governments from displaying gay pride, Palestinian and other flags on its properties. Here's a look at a few of the major bills that failed to pass this session: Bills dealing with property insurance failed to move this year, even as homeowners continue to grapple with large premiums. And a bill (HB 1551) to restore Florida's one-way attorney fee statute for property insurance claim disputes advanced in the House but wasn't heard in the Senate. DeSantis slammed the bill as going backwards on the 2022 changes to the law he says have helped stabilize the market. A bill to allow guns on college campuses (SB 814) was voted down in a Senate committee on March 25. The bill was likely doomed anyway because it was sponsored by then-Sen. Randy Fine, R-Melbourne Beach, who left the Legislature on March 31 to win a U.S. House seat. Another measure to lower the age to buy a rifle from 21 to 18 (HB 759) passed the House on March 26, but the Senate version was never heard in that chamber. The votes on the gun bills came before Phoenix Ikner, 20, killed two people and wounded five more on the Florida State University campus on April 17. More: On YouTube, Phoenix Ikner backed racist conspiracy theory that inspired other mass shootings Two bills backed by big business lobbies to undercut Florida's minimum wage law and remove restrictions on child labor also failed to pass this year. The bill (HB 1225) to allow employers to schedule 16- and 17-year-olds for unlimited hours in a week and for 14- and 15-year-olds who are homeschooled, attend virtual school or who have already graduated to be scheduled to work more hours in a week. The bill passed the House but only advanced through one committee in the Senate. Other legislation (SB 676/HB 541) to give workers in work training, pre-apprenticeship programs or internships the ability to opt to be paid below the minimum wage – which currently sits at $14 per hour in Florida – advanced in both chambers but never made it to the floor in either. The revelation that $10 million from a Medicaid settlement with the state, made as a 'donation' from a Medicaid vendor to the Hope Florida Foundation, a charity supporting the program championed by Casey DeSantis, put intense scrutiny on the program. That money was then funneled to nonprofits that then gave more than $8 million to Keep Florida Clean, a political committee run by James Uthmeier, DeSantis' chief of staff at the time who has since been named attorney general. The committee was used to oppose Amendment 3 on the ballot last November, which would have legalized recreational marijuana. The scrutiny on the program helped kill bills backed by DeSantis that would have codified the Hope Florida program into law and permanently set up a Hope Florida office within DeSantis' office. Gray Rohrer is a reporter with the USA TODAY Network-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at grohrer@ Follow him on X: @GrayRohrer. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: 'Strangest session': Infighting forces Florida Legislature into OT
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Franklin County Schools may switch to four-day school week to attract teachers
FRANKLIN COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – The Franklin County School is considering transitioning to a four-day school week for students beginning in August 2025. The goal is to bring in qualified teachers to the area. 'We want the best and brightest teachers to come to Franklin County, to live in our community, to be paid a high salary, and to teach our students,' Superintendent Steven Lanier said. Bay County wraps up NRDA artificial reef project The current starting teacher salary is $44,000 but the school is starting negotiations for that to change. 'We're looking at starting teacher pay to be around $53,000. So with a high starting salary a high and the opportunity to have a four-day school week, why in the world would you not want to come to Franklin County,' Lanier said. The pay raise has to be approved by the school board. There are currently 70 teachers working at the Franklin County School and the Apalachicola Bay Charter School. With 1,200 students in Pre-K through 12th grade. The school superintendent believes the change would improve the graduation rate and increase enrollment. They're asking the community to weigh in on the issue before making a decision. They've prepared an online survey to measure the interest and determine the pros and cons. 'The survey so far have been very positive. People are in favor of a four-day week because it'll help hopefully bring more students to Franklin County. I'll afford them opportunities that they have never had before,' Lanier added. The 4-day workweek would only apply to teachers and students. The district office employees will maintain a 5-day work week. The Florida Department of Education mandates students to spend 1500 minutes at school per week. The school is looking to add 30 to 45 minutes per day onto the schedule. They are still deciding if the day off will fall on Friday or Monday. But having a workday off could impact students with working parents. 'The only negative effects I've heard so far from the surveys are parents that both their parents work with their single parents and they work because they're wondering what they're going to do with their children on that off day,' Lanier said. 'Rural Renaissance' bill to benefit counties in the Panhandle The school district will hold a series of meetings, starting in April to hear from the receiving public input, they will come to the school board with a recommendation. The school board will decide whether or not to approve it. To fill out the survey, . Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Rural Renaissance' bill to benefit counties in the Panhandle
LIBERTY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – Florida Senate leaders are pushing a revitalization of rural communities, and the Panhandle is set to be the main beneficiary. Senator Corey Simon's 'Rural Renaissance' bill passed Wednesday afternoon. The bill includes nearly $200 million in funding and would redirect nearly another $100 million from general revenue in the state budget. It aims to increase partnerships with rural communities, enhance rural transportation and broadband infrastructure, expand rural housing options, improve education opportunities, and make health care more accessible. Join Panama City Police Department bicycle rodeo for fun and safety tips Many local counties fit the bill's requirements. 'For a community like Liberty County and our surrounding counties, we need all the help we can get. You know, Florida is growing at a rapid pace, but up here in the panhandle, we're seeing a decline. And, with some of these bills that are coming out that could possibly help us grow our tax base and help our schools, help our law enforcement, help our emergency management, and EMS. We need it. We have to have it,' Liberty County Sheriff Dusty Arnold said. Calhoun, Franklin, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Liberty, Walton, and Washington counties are set to benefit from this bill. On Thursday, representatives from each county will be in Tallahassee for 'Rural Counties Day' showcasing their communities. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
