Florida Lawmakers Return for Budget Special Session with July 1 Deadline Looming
Negotiators will work through Friday on differences in education, health care and environmental spending before a budget vote planned for the week of May 25.
- On Tuesday, Florida lawmakers convened a special session to resolve a $1.4 billion difference between the House and Senate spending plans, following the regular session that ended March 13.
- The Senate's $115 billion budget and the House's $113.6 billion plan represent a 1.2 percent difference that House Speaker Daniel Perez and Senate President Ben Albritton could not finalize during the regular session.
- Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, attributed the stalemate to personality clashes rather than substantive disagreements. Negotiations continue through Friday, after which budget committee chairmen Rep. Lawrence McClure, R-Dover, and Sen. Ed Hooper, R-Clearwater, will oversee unresolved issues.
- House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell and Senate Democratic Leader Lori Berman, D-Boca Raton, proposed eliminating the 25.3 cent per gallon gas tax, citing the surge in gas prices sparked by the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran.
- With the special session scheduled to conclude by May 29, lawmakers planned a vote on the budget for the week of May 25, despite opposition from Driskell and other House Democrats regarding the lack of floor debate.
13 Articles
13 Articles
Tallahassee Reports
News Service of FloridaLawmakers Open Special Session to Resolve Budget Stalemate
By Gray Rohrer and Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida Lawmakers convened a special session Tuesday to resolve a $1.4 billion difference between the preferred spending plans of the House and Senate. The gap between the Senate’s $115 billion budget and the House’s $113.6 billion plan is 1.2 percent of the current budget, but House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, and Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, were unable to reach a deal during…
Florida lawmakers return for budget special session with July 1 deadline looming
Florida lawmakers are back in Tallahassee for a second special session, this time to complete the states only constitutionally required job: passing a budget before the new fiscal year begins July 1.The House and Senate gaveled in Tuesday with broad agreement on major spending areas, including health care, education and transportation. But legislative leaders still have a major divide to close: a roughly $1.4 billion gap between the Houses lower…
Florida Phoenix
Money, money, money: FY 26-27 budget special session is here
(Stock photo illustration via Getty Images)With billions on the line for Florida’s schools, the environment, and its neediest citizens, state legislators return to Tallahassee Tuesday to finally craft a new state budget. Republicans who control the Legislature were unable to piece together the state fiscal year 2026-27 budget during their regular session that ended in March. The standoff was largely due to a push by House Speaker Daniel Perez an…
Lawmakers Open Special Session to Resolve Budget Stalemate - Rick's Blog
By Gray Rohrer and Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida Lawmakers convened a special session Tuesday to resolve a $1.4 billion difference between the preferred spending plans of the House and Senate. The gap between the Senate’s $115 billion budget and the House’s $113.6 billion plan is 1.2 percent of the current budget, but
Money, money, money: FY 26-27 budget special session is here - Stateline Publications
(Stock photo illustration via Getty Images)With billions on the line for Florida’s schools, the environment, and its neediest citizens, state legislators return to Tallahassee Tuesday to finally craft a new state budget. Republicans who control the Legislature were unable to piece together the state fiscal year 2026-27 budget during their regular session that ended in March. The standoff was largely due to a push by House Speaker Daniel Perez an…
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