DeSantis signs Florida budget in Tampa, touts restraint after $1.6B in vetoes

TAMPA, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Florida’s next state budget Monday in Tampa, putting the final stamp on a spending plan that takes effect July 1 and is likely to stand as one of his final major acts as governor.

The budget was initially pegged at roughly $114.5 billion according to the Legislature, though the final accounting runs higher when including “back of bill” spending moves. At the Tampa event, DeSantis said the budget he was signing has a top line of $117.6 billion— which included a veto total of about $1.6 billion via rerouted funds and line-item vetoes of about $800 million in spending.

Even at that number, DeSantis framed the plan as another year of fiscal restraint.

“The budget that I’ll sign today, after doing my line-item vetoes, will represent the fourth straight year in Florida that we’ve actually reduced our state budget,” DeSantis said. “Who else is doing that?”

The governor argued Florida is funding major priorities while keeping reserves high, limiting the size of government and paying down debt. He said the state expects to end the next fiscal year with about $18 billion in reserves, has a fully funded rainy-day fund, and holds an AAA credit rating from the major credit rating agencies.

DeSantis also pointed to the state’s debt reduction efforts, saying Florida has retired more than half of its taxpayer-supported debt during his time in office.

The budget includes money for public schools, teacher pay, health care, Medicaid, KidCare, rural health care, public safety, environmental restoration, clean water projects, citrus recovery, farmland preservation and raises for some state workers. That includes correctional officers, state law enforcement officers, firefighters and park rangers.

On education, DeSantis said Florida’s K-12 funding has grown from less than $22 billion when he took office to about $30 billion now. He also highlighted $1.56 billion in the new budget for teacher salaries, including $200 million aimed at educators with 10 or more years of experience.

The governor also touted transportation funding, saying the state’s transportation budget is nearly $16 billion and will help accelerate road projects across Florida, including work in Tampa Bay, Central Florida, South Florida, Southwest Florida, Northeast Florida and the Panhandle.

Environmental spending was another focus. DeSantis said Florida has now put more than $9 billion toward Everglades restoration and water quality improvements, along with more than $2 billion for the Resilient Florida program to help communities prepare for storms and flooding.

The Tampa location was also notable.

The signing took place at Hillsborough College, where state leaders have backed campus improvements tied in part to a proposed Tampa Bay Rays stadium district. Lawmakers included $50 million for campus upgrades connected to that broader redevelopment effort.

DeSantis said if the stadium proposal comes together, “no one’s going to benefit more than Hillsborough College,” calling it a chance to elevate the campus.

Still, the final budget did not come without political tension. DeSantis had previously warned that local projects could be vulnerable if they were backed by lawmakers who did not support his priorities, drawing criticism from Democrats and others who argued the veto pen should not be used as political leverage.

The governor’s office has yet to release the full list of budget vetoes.