Governor DeSantis signs $90.9 billion budget, vetoes $131 million

Touting spending on issues such as education and the environment, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday said he signed a $90.9 billion budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1.

DeSantis said he vetoed about $131 million from the budget passed by lawmakers May 4.

“I think it’s a fiscally responsible budget. I think we put taxpayers first,” he said during an afternoon news conference in the Capitol. The News Service will move a full story later Friday.

Vetoes including Southwest Florida entities are:

• Fort Myers Reentry Initiative (FMRI) (Senate Form 1366) (HB 3411)
• Florida Gulf Coast University – Academic and Career Attainment Funding
• Cape Coral – Public Safety Gun Range (Senate Form 1541) (HB 3957)
• Cape Coral Sirenia Vista Park (HB 4301/Senate Form 1328)
• Marco Island – Barrier Island Emergency Services Fire Services (Senate Form
  1262) (HB 3581)
• City of LaBelle Civic Center Emergency Generator (Senate Form 1072) (HB
  2753)
• City of LaBelle City Hall Emergency Generator (Senate Form 1073) (HB 2757)

LINK: Read the full veto list here.

Budget Highlights from DeSantis

The total for the Fiscal Year 2019-2020 budget is $90.98 billion. The General Revenue portion is $33.93 billion. The amount of state funds per capita decreased from $2,716 in Fiscal Year 2018-19 to $2,690 in Fiscal Year 2019-20. The General Revenue funds available for the Fiscal Year 2019-2020 budget year increased $600 million from the previous fiscal year, a 1.8 percent increase. Florida’s total reserves are $5.40 billion. Read the full budget highlights here.

Budget Savings

The budget includes $566.7 million in savings and a reduction of 755 positions. Notable savings contained in the budget include:

• Administrative and operational efficiencies of $234.4 million
• State Group Health Insurance Formulary Savings of $22.9 million
• Savings resulting from contract and lease renegotiations are $6.1 million
• Debt service savings of $56.3 million as a result of refinancing efforts
• Reduced excess budget authority of $247.0 million

Taxpayer Savings

Currently, Florida’s per capita state tax burden of $1,822 is the second lowest among all states. Governor DeSantis is committed to reducing Floridians’ tax burden even further and making Florida the most dynamic economy in the nation. The budget will save Floridians almost $400 million.