Legislative leadership says next year's state budget won't be complete by the end of the session.
Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, broke the news on Thursday afternoon, saying the chambers wouldn't be able to resolve their differences in time. The legislative session ends May 2.
That means the Legislature will either stay in Tallahassee longer or come back later to get the job done.
A key issue: tax cuts.
The House is calling for a smaller budget — by billions of dollars — and also an across-the-board permanent sales tax reduction. Albritton says that reduction could make it harder to fund critical services.
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"I’m just uncomfortable with a proposal I believe will likely lead to shortfalls, if not substantial shortfalls, in the out-years," Albritton said. "Cutting taxes now does little good if they have to be raised down the road."
He wants to see more targeted cuts, like on clothing purchases up to $75.
House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, took issue with Albritton's remarks.
"Today, the Senate president felt the need to go on his floor to publicly and unilaterally declare that, in his opinion, our tax cut is a danger to the state budget," Perez said later in the afternoon during his own floor remarks. "Respectfully, the real danger to the state budget is the habit of pathological overspending that is enshrined in the Senate's proposed budget."
He accused Senate leadership of being "patronizing," expecting the House to accept the opposing budget with little modifications.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has been in a public feud with the House, has meanwhile called for a one-time tax rebate that would return an average of $1,000 in property taxes to Florida homeowners.
Regardless of what's next in budget negotiations, lawmakers still have to pass any bills they're considering by the end of the regular session on May 2.
If you have any questions about the legislative session, you can ask the Your Florida team by clicking here.
This story was produced by WUSF as part of a statewide journalism initiative funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
