Florida budget

Advocates for poor, elderly and disabled individuals, who have been pressing the DeSantis administration to leverage the additional funding since spring, hailed the plan.

They include a requirement for out-of-state online retailers to collect sales taxes on purchases made by Floridians, and surveys to assess the “intellectual freedom and viewpoint diversity” at state colleges and universities.

Because of a legally required 72-hour “cooling off” period, the budget is required to be finalized and printed Tuesday for the annual legislative session to end on time Friday.

Lawmakers in recent years have been unable to reach agreements to end the 60-day regular legislative sessions on time.

Legislative leaders reached agreement on more than $22 billion in school spending, including a bump in money for teacher salaries as well as $1,000 bonuses for teachers and principals.

It includes increased money to address affordable housing, as well as funds to repair the former Piney Point processing plant.

Similar to the Senate proposal, the House health care plan recommends reducing Medicaid payments for inpatient and outpatient hospital care by $288 million.

The austere proposal would whack funding for hospitals and reduce spending on services meant to keep people with intellectual and developmental disabilities out of institutions.

The state budget, health care, education and a controversial proposal to change Florida's vote-by-mail process are among the issues facing lawmakers in the session starting March 2.

Appropriations Chairman Jay Trumbull says possible assistance from the federal government won't make up for the shortfall.

The cuts, which so far include pay reductions for university leadership and employees in USF Athletics, are driven by a COVID-19-related decline in state taxes and lottery funds. Potential effects on the salaries of faculty and staff have not been announced.

As Florida lawmakers inch toward a budget deal, House and Senate leaders on Saturday announced they had reached agreement on a number of key issues,…