The Florida House and Senate approved very different state budgets on Wednesday, kicking off negotiations with a large gap to close.
The Senate’s proposal tops $117 billion but falls just short of the amount legislators passed last year — before Governor Ron DeSantis issued his vetoes. The House’s budget is $4.4 billion less.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, meanwhile, wants a $115.6 billion budget.
Center stage moving forward are dueling tax changes pitched by DeSantis and legislative leadership.
Gov. DeSantis is calling for tax rebates that would return an average of $1,000 in property taxes to Florida homeowners. It’s estimated to cost the state around $5 billion.
ALSO READ: Florida House, Senate facing budget differences as proposals are about $4.4 billion apart
Coming at a similar cost, but on an annual basis, House Speaker Daniel Perez is pushing a permanent sales tax reduction.
Senate President Ben Albritton has urged caution, pointing out how state economists are projecting billions of dollars in potential budget deficits in the years to come.
But shortly after the Senate approved its budget, Florida Politics broke news that Albritton is suggesting a less expensive plan for a sales tax exemption on clothes purchases up to $75.
At a Wednesday evening press conference, Albritton said he was confident his chamber and the House would resolve their differences.
“There's a delta between where they are and where we are,” he said. “And usually what happens is that we end up somewhere in the middle. And, you know, we'll see where it goes.”
Perez, in a separate press conference, echoed the Senate president’s sentiment — though reserved criticism for DeSantis.
“The Senate and I are working very hard to get there, but for some reason, we haven't heard anything about the fiscal conservative budget of the House from the governor's office, which is something that is surprising to me,” he said.
The House and governor’s office have feuded in recent weeks over several issues, including the sales tax cut and the DeSantis administration’s spending practices
If you have any questions about the legislative session, you can ask the Your Florida team by clicking here.
This story was produced by WUSF as part of a statewide journalism initiative funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
