Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed a budget plan that would see the sunshine state state spend $101.5 billion dollars in the up...
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed a budget plan that would see the sunshine state state spend $101.5 billion dollars in the upcoming fiscal year.
DeSantis's 'Florida Leads' spending plan includes awarding $1,000 checks to first responders, more than 175,000 classroom teachers and 3,000 principals.
It will go into effect on July 1, and will cut taxes by a total $169 million in the already low-tax state.
DeSantis touted the state's success based on revenue projections during the bill signing at a New Smyrna Beach, Florida restaurant
The budget will cut taxes by a total $169 million in the already low-tax state
The budget, an increase of about $9.2 billion over the current fiscal year, includes $8.8 billion that Florida is slated to receive from President Biden's American Rescue Plan.
The GOP governor criticized the federal aid as a modest amount compared to what he called 'lockdown' states with higher unemployment.
'We had lower unemployment, so Florida got a lot less,' he said in a Wednesday press conference.
California, New York and Texas are among the states receiving the most money from Biden's plan.
State Democratic lawmakers called DeSantis's bill signing ceremony a 'victory lap'
Also included in Florida's budget is a hefty $100 million for community projects to combat rising sea levels and the effects of worsening hurricane seasons, which weather experts and Democrats have ascribed to climate change.
DeSantis touted the state's success based on revenue projections - chiefly driven by tourism - during the bill signing at a New Smyrna Beach, Florida restaurant, after a year where many state and even national economies suffered the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
'A lot of people were trying to tell me to close restaurants like this last summer. We didn't do it. We kept business open, we got kids in school,' DeSantis said. 'The result was our economy really started to rebound.'
The budget also increases the minimum wage for government employees to $13 per hour, above the $8.65 minimum for private employees within the state.
DeSantis's $101.5 billion spending bill comes after he vetoed $1.5 billion that state lawmakers wanted to allocate toward emergency relief funds and local projects.
$1 billion of the rejected funds were federal dollars that DeSantis criticized over their requirements.
Florida Senate Democrats found little to criticize in DeSantis's budget, but complained he didn't give credit to Biden
The Florida Senate's Democratic minority found little to criticize in DeSantis's spending allocations, but complained he didn't give credit where credit was due.
'Thanks to President Joe Biden and Democrats in Congress passing the American Rescue Plan, the Governor can tout a state budget that helps Florida recover from the pandemic,' Democrat lawmakers said in a statement. 'Unfortunately, as he took his victory lap to hand out the bonuses, and brag about the many programs rescued as a result of the federal help, the governor never once directed thanks to those who made this possible.'
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