While they have seemingly buried the hatchet in their immigration fight, legislative leaders aren’t done pushing back against Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Lawmakers have been meeting over the past few weeks to decide which of the governor’s 2024 budget vetoes to override. After they voted during a January special session to override a couple of line item cuts, House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, formed workgroups to reconsider another $950 million worth of vetoed projects.
Some of the groups have recommendations ready. One calls for funding for 22 of the 160 vetoed water infrastructure projects. Rep. Bill Conerly, R-Lakewood Ranch, said the projects will have a sweeping impact across the state.
“This looks like a civil engineer’s wishlist, like what they would wish for Christmas. All of these projects are very good. And the geographic span of it and the types of projects; we have septic-to-sewer projects, we have a membrane bioreactor project, high-service pump for Frostproof, water treatment. It's just very broad, both geographically and the type of projects and the benefits,” he said.
Eight of the 60 vetoed human services projects have been recommended for funding. In those work groups, lawmakers selected a set number of projects they believed deserved reconsideration, then discussed them over several meetings. But as Rep. Mike Redondo, R-Miami, points out, the workgroups are just submitting recommendations.
“We'll prepare a list of these eight projects that will be recommended to the speaker's office for additional review, and again, they have the discretion at that point to accept, reject, modify, whatever they may want to do. But I do think that this has been a productive process for us,” he said.
Rep. Michelle Salzman, R-Escambia, who managed one of the groups, said during a meeting legislative leaders were hands off in the process.
“Speaker Perez had no recommendations, no input at all. He didn't come to me, call me, ask me what was happening. He really empowered each of you to make the right decisions and for us as a body to come up with this process on our own,” she said.
One of the most publicized parts of DeSantis’ vetoes to spike every allocation for arts and culture projects. The Libraries, Cultural and Historical Preservation group recommended revoking vetoes on six projects. One is the Florida Black Music Legacy exhibit at Wells’Built Museum of African America History and Culture in Orlando.
Several lawmakers, including Rep. Daryl Campbell, D-Fort Lauderdale, wanted the project reconsidered because it was championed by Sen. Geraldine Thompson, who died this month.
“For her, gospel was also something that she lived day in and day out. Sometimes, you could hear her humming and singing some e gospel tunes. But having had the pleasure to work with her, I think this project right here would be something that her community can utilize and reflect on as they mourn a loss of a giant in their community,” he said.
The speaker’s office will decide which of the projects will make it in the final package of proposed overrides. From there, a supermajority in the House and Senate, or two-thirds of lawmakers, will have to vote to override DeSantis’ veto for it to happen.
Copyright 2025 WFSU
