Gov. Ron DeSantis denounced the Florida House's proposed cuts to Everglades and water quality funding Tuesday, marking the latest in his series of criticisms of lawmakers over agenda discrepancies.
"Shouldn't you be doing what's right for the people of Florida? Stop playing your petty games," DeSantis said, delivering his remarks at the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Naples.
The House's proposed budget slashes Everglades and water quality efforts by almost $500 million.
Despite the House's GOP-led supermajority, the governor called the move an attempt to "sabotage" his administration's Everglades restoration efforts after he recommended $805 million be earmarked for the cause this upcoming fiscal year.
"Continue the momentum, and stop with the silliness," DeSantis said.
Since 2019, Florida has invested more than $3.3 billion in Everglades restoration, according to Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Alexis Lambert. The state has begun or completed over 75 restoration projects over the past five years, DeSantis said.
These efforts, aimed at improving the nutrient quality and flow of water to the Everglades, will introduce hundreds of thousands of jobs over the next five decades, DeSantis said.
The governor used Tuesday's appearance to echo remarks he delivered a week earlier, rebuking the House's proposal to cut 84 Florida Highway Patrol positions and gear used by troopers. Days before that, the governor also criticized the chamber for stalling on parts of his agenda concerning property tax cuts, sentiments he also reiterated Tuesday.
"Their whole agenda really represents a revolt against the voters that sent them there," DeSantis said.
DeSantis' total spending plan sits at $115.6 billion, exceeding the House's by $2.6 billion (though the Senate's proposal surpasses both). To end this year's legislative session on schedule, lawmakers will have to conclude budget negotiations by April 29.
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