In late night budget negotiations Friday, lawmakers reached agreements on targeted raises for some state workers, money for an emergency response fund and a boost in spending on citrus research.
As part of the deals, there won’t be an across-the-board 3 percent raise for state workers as the Senate preferred, but corrections officers, state law enforcement officials and firefighters will receive a 4 percent raise.
State officials have struggled to recruit and retain prison guards in recent years and in addition to the raise for corrections officers there will be a 1.5 percent cost of living adjustment (COLA) to their pensions.
“We’ve heard, especially in the corrections world that retention is really tough,” Senate budget chief Ed Hooper, R-Clearwater, told reporters. “COLA is one more tool in the tool box.”
The talks were part of a flurry of meetings as House and Senate leaders try to meet a Tuesday deadline to complete the budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Lawmakers must finalize the spending plan by then to meet the 72-hour “cooling off” period required by the constitution before they can vote on it Friday, the last scheduled day of the special session on the budget.
A dispute over the overall level of spending meant lawmakers were unable to complete the budget during the regular session that ended in March, requiring the special session. The House insisted on a $1.4 billion cut to the current year spending of $115 billion, while the Senate preferred essentially level funding.
“It’s always easier to spend the taxpayers’ money, that’s always the easier option,” House budget chief Lawrence McClure, R-Dover, told reporters. “Instead, we’ve embraced this other way, which is being stewards of the taxpayers’ dollars.”
“As to why it’s taking so long – there’s 160 of us up here that come from different parts of the state, one of the most diverse states in the country,” he added.
The chambers also agreed to put $250 million into an emergency fund that Gov. Ron DeSantis used to pay for immigration enforcement operations after declaring a state of emergency on the issue. The House had preferred $100 million.
House GOP members criticized some of the spending, and the Legislature passed SB 7040 during the regular session, which puts new rules on how the emergency funds can be spent. Under the bill, DeSantis must get approval from the Legislative Budget Commission for spending on “manmade” emergencies.
The bill hasn’t been sent to DeSantis desk yet, and the funding is contingent on DeSantis signing the bill into law.
The House also came closer to the Senate preference for more than $200 million for citrus research, agreeing to $164.5 million. The issue was a priority for Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, a citrus farmer.
The Senate also won funding for a DeSantis priority in the Florida State Guard. The House, which didn’t want to fund it at all, agreed to carry $20 million already set aside for the State Guard in the current year budget that will be unspent, as well as an additional $12 million.
Another area where the House budged was on the Job Growth Grant Fund, used by DeSantis to pay for job training and infrastructure projects. The House initially had no funding for the program but agreed to $40 million for the fund. But it required half of the funding to be reserved for DeSantis successor, who will take office in January.
One area where the House didn’t budge was on security for DeSantis after he leaves office. The Senate wanted to provide security for the First Family for one year after DeSantis’ term ended, but the House wouldn’t go along. The chambers did agree, though, to provide security to the Republican and Democratic nominees for governor after the Aug. 18 primary.
