State budget takes shape

TALLAHASSEE — Legislative leaders said they reached a state budget deal Wednesday, but they continued to keep details of the $83 billion spending plan a secret.

Although many particulars remained a mystery, some pieces of the agreement began to trickle out Wednesday after two days of private negotiaThey tions.

Senate President Joe Negron, R-Stuart, said he and House Speaker Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’Lakes, have a budget deal, but they want to extend the 60-day legislative session by three days until Monday.

The overtime is needed because lawmakers failed to meet the deadline that would have allowed them to adjourn the session on time today. The budget is the only law they are required to pass each year.

The extension, which still must be approved by both chambers, gives them more time. Negron said the plan would be to give lawmakers the weekend off and have them return Monday to vote on budget-related items only.

The Senate agreed to a $1.3 million reduction to the office budget of Orange-Osceola State Attorney Aramis Ayala. will likely steer that money to prosecutors who take on capital-punishment cases transferred to them since her declaration that she would never seek the death penalty.

The Senate originally wanted to restore $569,000 to Ayala’s budget to sustain a human-trafficking division.

The chambers have agreed to spend $200 million to entice