DeSantis unveils budget to cut government jobs, bolster education, debt repayment

MARCO ISLAND, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis held a press conference Tuesday to unveil his proposed $114.4 billion “Focus on Florida’s Future” budget for 2024-2025.

The upcoming budget is less than the previous year, DeSantis said. Last year, the Framework for Freedom Budget totaled $116.5 billion.

The governor said his proposed budget would induce a surplus of $16.3 billion. Lawmakers will consider his recommendations during the 2024 Legislative Session.

DeSantis said the amount always ends up higher, because “the economy here does better than in other parts of the country.”

Under the budget, $455 million would be pledged to the Accelerated Debt Repayment Program.

Over 1,000 positions will be eliminated throughout the state government to “help us realign resources to focus on efficiency,” the governor said.

DeSantis said the budget provides more than $1.1 billion in tax relief, including a new tax relief initiative.

Also, $431 million would be used to reduce the cost of homeowners insurance.

There will be six sales tax holidays which will save taxpayers more than $475 million, including two back to school sales tax holidays, a three month Florida freedom summer sales tax holiday, and a disaster preparedness tax holiday, a seven day tool tax holiday.

The governor expects $170 million in small business tax cuts.

DeSantis said they will make over the counter pet medications permanently tax free in the state.

He announced the “highest amount of funding ever” for K-12 schooling of $27.8 billion.

Around $1.25 billion would go teacher salary increases, DeSantis said, which is a $200 million increase over the current budget.

Additionally, $10 million would be set aside to recruit veterans and first responders to join the teaching profession.

“That’s something I think is going to be meaningful to a lot of students to have teachers with that type of experience,” he said.

“The state is in really good fiscal shape,” he said.

DeSantis said the state has cut taxes every year since he has been governor and paid off 25% of the state’s total debt that its accumulated for all of its history.

There will be $900 million in the budget to support workforce programs, including Career & Technical Education programs statewide.

The governor said $200 million will be used to create new CTE subjects and programs, and $20 million to expand apprenticeship programs for high school and college students under the Pathways for Career Opportunities Grant Program.

DeSantis said some of the things that have happened on college campuses “with respect to antisemitism – is unacceptable.”

He said the state has “done a lot in Florida to ensure and we’re fighting now with the Students for Justice for Palestine, which were delisting, because they’re common cause with Hamas.”

“I don’t have time for that. We’re not going to deal with that,” DeSantis said.

Around $1.35 million will be dedicated to the Florida Holocaust Museum and funding for the Florida Holocaust Task Force and the Holocaust Memorial in Miami Beach.

“We want the students, we want everybody, but particularly some of these ignorant college students to understand why we say ‘never again,’” DeSantis said.

About $20 million will be used for bonuses for law enforcement recruits. DeSantis said there will be a $5,000 signing bonus per person.

“That’s our way of telling young people that serving in law enforcement is a noble cause, that it’s an important part of our community,” he said.

DeSantis said $630 million will be for phase two of the Moving Florida Forward Initiative, that will “expedite another 20 projects to relieve traffic congestion.”

“There’s some spots in like Central Florida, where you just get stuck. So we’re going to work to get that and alleviate that traffic, it’s very, very important,” he said.

The governor said $157 million will go to support the resiliency of the coastline and $50 million will be for beach renourishment. $20 million will be used for infrastructure including water quality impairments and coral reef restoration in Biscayne Bay along with another $22.8 million for coral reef protection and restoration.