MARCO ISLAND, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday unveiled the state budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year.
The governor discussed the budget proposal during a news conference in Marco Island.
He said he will submit a $114.4 billion budget to the Legislature, which is “actually less than our current fiscal year 2023-2024 budget.”
“And yet, even with an overall reduction in spending, as you’ll see, we’re going to be making key investments and things that really matter like education, and infrastructure and transportation with our budget we will have a surplus reserve amount that is $16.3 billion,” the governor said.
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During the news conference, the governor said $14.5 billion would go toward the state’s transportation network and $380.2 billion would help create new jobs and support business development.
DeSantis recommended $1.1 billion would be tax relief for families, which includes reducing the cost of homeowners insurance and sales tax holidays. He also said $109 million would go into supporting the state’s property insurance market.
For the state education system, $27.8 billion would go into the K-12 public school system. There will be an investment of $8,842 per student and the ability to cover the costs of over 274,000 students who will participate in Florida’s school choice program, the Family Empowerment Scholarship.
Other breakdowns include:
- $1.25 billion to provide salary increases for teachers and other instructional personnel, an increase of $200.6 million over FY 2023-2024.
- $1.6 billion for early childhood education, including $450 million for voluntary pre-kindergarten programs.
- $290 million for the Safe Schools Initiatives, an increase of $40 million over FY 2023-2024.
- $52.8 million to support civics engagement programs, including $45 million for the Florida Civics Seal of Excellence Program.
The governor also recommended $10 million toward enhanced security at Jewish Day Schools.
“We’ve done a lot to make sure that doesn’t happen in Florida, but you see what’s going around in the country right now. It’s really really sad to see some of the some of the outpouring of hate regarding our Jewish community,” DeSantis said.
He also recommended $1.7 billion for the Florida college system and $3.7 billion for the state university system.
Other areas of the budget include support for law enforcement and the military, Everglades restoration and water quality improvement, disaster response and recovery, and the health of Floridians for mental health services, substance abuse and cancer research.
Budget Highlights by News 6 WKMG-TV on Scribd
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