The governor lambasted House GOP lawmakers for not addressing ‘pressing issues that Floridians care about.’
DeSantis wants repeal of red flag laws and supports open carry
DeSantis wants repeal of red flag laws and other restrictions on Second Amendment Rights
- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis criticizes the Florida House’s decision to reinstate four budget items he vetoed last year.
- DeSantis urges the legislature to prioritize issues like condo insurance reform, medical freedom, and E-Verify instead.
- The Senate has yet to decide whether to support the House’s budget veto overrides.
Gov. Ron DeSantis isn’t happy with Florida House Republicans and their decision this week to reinstate four budget items he vetoed last year.
In a one-minute video posted on X on Thursday, DeSantis criticized the chamber for “choosing to spend more in this fiscal year when we’re almost at the end of it anyways” while not addressing “pressing issues that Floridians care about.”
“We need relief from the condo crisis,” DeSantis said. “We need to enact permanent protections for medical freedom. We need a universal E-Verify to strengthen our existing laws against illegal immigration.”
For instance, bills to address the large assessments facing owners of old condo units have made some headway in the Senate, but haven’t advanced in the House.
And bills to require all businesses, not just those with more than 25 employees, to use E-Verify, the federal system to check a potential hire’s legal status, haven’t budged in either chamber.
And while he didn’t mention House Speaker Daniel Perez’s proposal to cut the state sales tax by 0.75%, DeSantis made it clear he prefers lawmakers to move forward on his push for a property tax cut.
“We need a Florida-first tax package that will reduce the No. 1 tax that is hurting Floridians, which is property tax,” DeSantis said. “People need relief, they want it and we need to deliver it for them.”
The House voted unanimously to override four budget items totaling more than $4.7 million slashed by DeSantis out of a $118.6 billion budget:
- A water treatment project in Rockledge: $2.5 million.
- A staffing and scheduling system in state prisons: $1 million.
- A sewer system upgrade in Baldwin: $1.1 million.
- A nonprofit helping veterans access health benefits: $140,000.
That’s roughly 0.004% of the budget. DeSantis’ vetoes totaled almost $950 million.
Will Florida Senate agree to veto overrides and risk DeSantis’ wrath?
It’s unclear if the Senate will take up those votes to complete the overrides and reinstate those projects.
When lawmakers passed an override of DeSantis’ veto of $57 million in legislative support funding earlier this year, Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, indicated he had no intention of bringing up more veto overrides.
As of Thursday, the Senate still hadn’t received the slate of overrides from the House and a final decision on whether to pass them hasn’t been made.
Ahead of the override votes, Perez, a Miami Republican, warned that spending has grown too rapidly in the state government and touted that the House budget to be released Friday will be lower than the current spending plan and less than DeSantis’ recommended budget.
Perez said moving the sales tax from 6% to 5.25% will provide concrete relief for Floridians dealing with an affordability crisis.
“This will not be a temporary measure, a stunt or a tax holiday. This will be a permanent, recurring tax reduction,” Perez said.
Such a move would save consumers $5 billion, but put a large dent in state revenues. Florida is projected to collect $36.3 billion in sales taxes this fiscal year, 75% of the general revenue – the state’s main funding source – it will receive.
The differences in tax cut plans set up a clash between DeSantis and Perez. With more than half of the 60-day session left, it’s unclear which proposal will prevail. Bills to place a greater exemption for homestead property taxes on the 2026 ballot have advanced in the Senate, but Albritton said he’s open to Perez’s approach as well.
The House and Senate will release their preferred budget plans Friday. After they pass the floor in each chamber, the sides will negotiate a final spending plan for the fiscal year that begins July 1. That plan will include tax cut bills, too.
“I’m certainly not looking for conflict. What I’m looking for is the best policy for Floridians,” Albritton said. “We’re open to the conversation and we’re working right now to understand how (the sales tax cut) would work.”
Gray Rohrer is a reporter with the USA TODAY Network-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at grohrer@gannett.com. Follow him on X: @GrayRohrer.
