Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Florida lawmakers appear to be heading for overtime
Leaders say extra time needed for state budget
TALLAHASSEE — Legislative leaders said Tuesday they likely will need extra time to approve a state budget for next year, as they continue to clash over issues including the fate of Florida’s tourism-marketing agency.
Senate Appropriations Chairman Rob Bradley while the Senate is making progress with the House in behind-the-scenes budget negotiations, “there is a good possibility that we may need to extend the session.”
A short time later, House Speaker Jose Oliva was even more blunt, telling his chamber it is “inevitable” the legislative session will run into overtime.
“The extent of that extension is yet unknowable,” Oliva, R-Miami Lakes, said. “But we are confident, we’re working closely with our partners in the Senate, to bridge the gaps between us. … But as of this moment, we are extending at the very least a day or two.”
The 60-day annual session is scheduled to end March 13. But to adjourn on time, the House and Senate would have to finish the budget by March 10 because of a legally required 72-hour “cooling off ” period. The budget is the only bill lawmakers are required to pass each year.
Before they can reach an agreement, House and Senate leaders will have to make “allocations,” which essentially determine how much money will be provided to each area of the budget, such as education, health care and criminal justice. Conference committees then will hold negotiating sessions before final decisions are made by leaders.
Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters Tuesday that extending the session a few days “is not the end of the world.”
“What I told both leaders is, do a good job. Let’s just do a good job,” DeSantis said. “I think we have a lot of great stuff in the pipeline here, I think we have the chance to exceed on what we did last session. I think the people in Florida want to see us doing big things on education, environment and economic development.” Senate President Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, told reporters an extension could resemble last year, when lawmakers added a day to the session to complete the $90.98 billion spending plan for the current fiscal year, which ends June 30.
This year, the House has offered a $91.37 billion budget, while the Senate proposal came in at $92.83 billion.
Among key issues is the House’s desire to use affordablehousing money for other parts of the budget; a disagreement about how much money to spend on the Florida Forever land-preservation program; differences on pay raises for teachers and state employees; and a House push to eliminate the tourism-marketing agency Visit Florida.
The Senate has pushed a bill (SB 362) intended to keep Visit Florida operating through Oct. 1, 2028. The House wants to close the agency, which receives $50 million in state money this year.