TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — Gov. Ron DeSantis averted a shutdown and signed Florida’s $117.4 billion finances for the following fiscal 12 months, which kicks off Tuesday, July 1, 2025.
After a drawn-out session marked by Capitol clashes, critics are questioning if Floridians actually got here out on high. And was the 105-day prolonged session actually well worth the wait?
Lawmakers started the 2025 legislative session promising to deal with affordability, however that shortly became a showdown between the governor, Home Speaker, and Senate President.
DeSantis known as the 2025 session “unnecessarily bumpy,” blaming the delays on Home Speaker Danny Perez (R-Miami).
“The session was unnecessarily bumpy,” mentioned DeSantis. “I believe plenty of the agenda was not an agenda that the voters despatched them there to do, so I believe the best way it went 45 days, it did not must go 45 days, this might have been achieved 45 days earlier, I might have signed this finances a month in the past and have considerably comparable issues.”
DeSantis, nevertheless, mentioned he’s proud this 12 months’s finances reduces state spending, builds reserves, helps priorities like instructor pay and legislation enforcement bonuses, and delivers tax reduction for Florida households.
“This 12 months’s finances continues our dedication to repaying our money owed forward of schedule, saving cash for Floridians, and delivering tax reduction for Florida households,” DeSantis mentioned.
Regardless of the everlasting back-to-school tax vacation, the brand new year-round hurricane gross sales tax exemption, and an elimination of the enterprise lease tax, issues over finances priorities proceed to rise.
“This session began out with plenty of hope and plenty of speak about affordability and actually attempting to make Florida extra inexpensive for Floridians. However in some ways, I really feel prefer it’s ending with a whimper as a result of it’s going to ceaselessly be characterised by the Republican occasion infighting, which delayed us,” mentioned State Rep. Fentrice Driskell (D-Tampa).
Political Analyst Tara Newsom added to the dialogue, saying even with the prolonged session, the ultimate finances is lacking the mark for Floridians.
“This 105 days and this prolonged prolonged session did not produce the form of coverage that Florida voters requested the Florida legislature to do. They requested for a discount in property taxes, they requested for dwelling insurance coverage coverage adjustments. They requested for preserving our state lands they usually received none of it,” mentioned Newsom.
Ultimately, lawmakers handed a finances with loads of tax breaks, however was it the type Floridians had been asking for?
