Florida budget

DeSantis initially pitched the emergency fund last year when outlining how he’d like to see legislators allocate billions of dollars received through the American Rescue Plan Act federal stimulus law.

Florida lawmakers are tasked every legislative session with passing a budget for the next fiscal year. And for the last four decades the government spending watchdog organization Florida TaxWatch has been monitoring how those dollars are spent.

Gov. Ron DeSantis touched on a variety of topics, including education, water quality improvements, and proposed bonuses for law enforcement officers, during his State of the State address.

DeSantis outlined his priorities for the 2022 legislative session — including the economy, education and immigration — while defending his decision not to lock down the state during the coronavirus.

Gov. DeSantis wants to spend more than a quarter of a billion dollars on what he calls resilience projects. But will they protect communities against the threat from climate change?

Said DeSantis: “We just cannot be doing contracts with companies that are knowingly and recklessly facilitating, bringing people here into our state illegally.”

The tax break on gas would last for five months beginning on July 1. It would still require approval from the Florida Legisture.

It includes a second round of $1,000 bonuses to teachers and principals.

Health care-related measures in the proposal are targeted to combat the opioid epidemic, boost mental health programs and assist the elderly, veterans and people with disabilities.

"This is a huge, huge budget. This is a huge deal," DeSantis said of his proposal, which also includes pay raises and bonuses for teachers and law enforcement. It would need to be approved by the Florida Legislature.

They say working-class Floridians will see few direct benefits without increased funding in areas including affordable housing, nursing, and education.

House Appropriations Chairman Jay Trumbull pointed to the decision to reopen Florida’s economy while other states remained on pandemic lockdown as a reason Florida's budget is in "great shape."