When it comes to the state budget, Florida lawmakers have a starting point when they being negotiations for a spending plan during the 2022 legislative session that starts January 11th.
According to the News Service of Florida, earlier this month Governor Ron DeSantis proposed a $99.7 billion budget that would funnel money to education, the environment and law-enforcement officers while giving motorists a temporary gas-tax break.
The proposal would be about $2 billion less than the current year’s budget, according to the governor’s office. The current year budget is the state’s first $100 billion budget, in part due to a huge influx of federal money tied to the coronavirus pandemic.
DeSantis’ proposal would continue to use such federal money to fund key issues, like a plan to eliminate state gas taxes for five months starting in July. Federal money would make up for about $1 billion in lost gas-tax revenue that ordinarily goes to transportation projects.
The budget proposal includes spending $980 million on Everglades restoration and other water projects. That amount includes $660 million related to the Everglades, with other money going to addressing issues such as blue-green algae, red tide and natural springs.