Budget

The Legislature will either stay in Tallahassee past the May 2 deadline or come back later to get the job done. A key issue: tax cuts.

The bill released Monday included a one-time credit on annual vehicle registration fees and a three-year extension to an existing freeze on local cell phone and cable TV taxes.

A large number of proposals appear in both packages, but with different amounts of money.

The House budget is $4.4 billion less than the Senate's. Meanwhile, there are competing tax cut proposals and a vocal feud between Gov. DeSantis and the House.

House Speaker Daniel Perez has ordered an inquiry into agencies' finances. This is part of a broader effort to cut spending as they look to create a budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year.

Lawmakers face other differences, including issues related to state employees, tax cuts and whether to back away from spending decisions made in recent years.

The Senate on Friday released a proposed $117.36 billion budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year that includes $200 million directed toward the citrus industry.

The Florida Department of Management Services oversees such as government leases, vehicles and state employees’ health insurance.

President-elect Donald Trump and the new Congress plan to shrink the $900 billion-a-year government health insurance program, which covers 1 in 5 Americans.

The Senate passed bills Thursday calling for changes to the U.S. Constitution to create congressional term limits and requiring a balanced federal budget.

After previously voting down a property tax rate increase, city council members discussed Tuesday how to continue funding crucial city services through spending cuts and budget reallocations.

The move came after the USDA reduced a forecast for Florida orange production by 29 percent, grapefruit production by 10 percent and specialty fruits by 14 percent.