Agencies told to plan on cuts
State urges plan to account for 8.5% reduction
“I think the question is, is how robust is the recovery from the coronavirus shutdown? And if it’s robust, that gives us more options. If it’s not, then we may have to make some more tough decisions.”
— Gov. Ron DeSantis
TALLAHASSEE — Getting ready for the possibility of a special legislative session to balance Florida’s budget, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration and top House and Senate appropriations staff have called on state agencies to draw up ways to slice 8.5 percent from their current budgets to address “the expected shortfall” as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The direction to look for reductions does not mean such cuts will be made in the fiscal year 2020-2021 budget, which took effect
July 1. It was included in annual budget instructions sent to state agencies in mid-July.
But it came after the pandemic caused tax revenues to plummet in April, May and June and after DeSantis vetoed $1 billion in spending from the 2020-2021 budget. DeSantis made the vetoes in hopes of conserving cash and aligning the budget, which lawmakers passed in March as the pandemic was starting to hit, with the economic realities stemming from business shutdowns and job losses.
Despite frequent requests from Democrats, DeSantis and Republican legislative leaders have shown no willingness to hold a special session before the November elections. But with the fiscal year running through June 30, they could be faced with making budget cuts at some point.
While DeSantis vetoed $1 billion, he signed a $92.2 billion budget into law that included high-profile issues such as $500 million to increase teacher pay, $625 million for the Everglades and other water-related projects and $100 million for the Florida Forever conservation program. He also approved 3 percent pay raises for state workers.
“We are using intelligently the CARES Act money in a way that I think will keep us whole,” DeSantis said during an appearance on the Preston Scott show on WFLA radio in Tallahassee.