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Florida Governor Signs Budget

Clint Thompson Florida

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday signed a $92.2 billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year, but not before he actually cut $1 billion in an effort to address revenue shortfalls caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

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Governor Ron DeSantis

According to the News Service of Florida, in addition to vetoing more than 500 spending proposals by lawmakers, DeSantis pointed to other steps he and lawmakers have taken to shore up the state’s finances. That includes bolstering reserves and looking to money from a federal stimulus law known as the CARES Act.

While DeSantis slashed many areas of the budget, he also approved high-profile issues, including $625 million for the Everglades and other water-related projects and $100 million for the Florida Forever conservation program. He also approved 3% pay raises for state workers and $500 million to increase teacher pay.

The budget will take effect Wednesday, July 1, the start of the state’s 2020-2021 fiscal year. Lawmakers passed the $93.2 billion version in March, as the coronavirus began to force businesses to shut down or dramatically scale back and caused the state to start losing expected tax revenues.