Florida’s 2025-2026 Budget: What Got Left Behind
- David Washington
- Jul 1
- 4 min read
The Big Picture
On June 30, 2025, Governor Ron DeSantis signed off on Florida’s $117.4 billion budget—but the real story lies in what he cut. While the Florida Senate gave the plan a unanimous green light, only Reps. Angie Nixon (D–Jacksonville) and Dotie Joseph (D–North Miami) opposed it in the House. DeSantis then took a red pen to the legislature’s wishlist, vetoing $1.35 billion in spending—including $567 million in direct cuts. The result: a budget reshaped not just by consensus, but by a governor’s scalpel.
This budget is smaller than last year’s spending plan. While that might sound good for taxpayers, many programs that help regular Florida families got the axe. Let’s look at what didn’t make the cut and why it matters for your wallet.
What Families Wanted But Didn’t Get
Property Tax Relief – Still Waiting
The biggest disappointment for homeowners? No property tax relief made it into the final budget, even though DeSantis originally wanted property tax rebates for homeowners. With home values and property taxes rising across Florida, this was a missed chance to help families struggling with housing costs.
Legislative leaders say they’ll try again in 2026, but that’s cold comfort for families paying high property tax bills right now.
Local Projects That Help Communities
DeSantis cut millions in local projects that directly help people:
Flood Protection: $500,000 for Kissimmee stormwater improvements to reduce flooding got vetoed
Clean Water: $7.5 million to fix Orange County’s troubled Wedgefield water system was cut
Homeless Help: $400,000 for homeless veterans programs and $200,000 for job training for homeless people were eliminated
These cuts hit close to home. When your neighborhood floods or your water system breaks down, these are the programs that would have helped fix the problems.
Education: Better But Not Great
The budget does include some good news for schools. It provides $9,130 per student – the highest amount ever – which is $143 more than last year. Teachers also get pay raises.
But the increase is small – just 1.59%. With inflation and rising costs, many teachers and parents say it’s not enough to solve Florida’s education challenges.
What This Means for Your Wallet
Tax Cuts That Did Happen
The budget eliminates the business rent tax, which should help lower costs at stores and restaurants over time. There’s also $1.3 billion in total tax cuts, including permanent back-to-school shopping holidays.
Environmental Spending
The budget includes $1.4 billion for Everglades restoration and water quality projects. This helps protect Florida’s drinking water and tourism industry, but DeSantis cut $200 million meant to buy land for the Florida Wildlife Corridor.
The Political Fallout
What Matters to Voters
Property Taxes: Homeowners are still waiting for relief. If taxes keep rising, angry voters might blame the GOP.
Local Projects: Communities that lost funding for flood control, water systems, and homeless programs might remember come election time.
Education: While funding increased, it might not be enough to solve teacher shortages and classroom problems.
Fiscal Responsibility: The budget is smaller than last year, which appeals to voters who want less government spending.
Tax Cuts: Business tax cuts and shopping holidays are popular with voters.
Infrastructure: Billions still go to roads, bridges, and environmental projects.
What Got Cut That Voters Care About
Public Safety
DeSantis cut $3.1 million for public defenders and $1.75 million for police training centers. This could mean longer waits for justice and less-prepared officers.
Disaster Preparedness
While the budget includes disaster funding, many local flood control and emergency equipment projects were vetoed. With hurricane season every year, this could be a problem.
Community Services
Cuts to public radio ($1.3 million) and public television ($4.4 million) reduce educational programming, especially important in rural areas.
The Bottom Line
This budget shows Florida’s government trying to spend less while still providing basic services. But the cuts hit programs that directly help families with everyday problems – flooding, clean water, affordable housing, and quality education.
The real test will be whether Florida families feel these cuts in their daily lives. If your neighborhood floods because stormwater improvements were cut, or if your water bill goes up because system upgrades were canceled, you might remember this budget when you vote in 2026.
Both political parties face risks. Republicans might get blamed if property taxes keep rising and local problems get worse. Democrats might struggle to criticize a budget that includes teacher pay raises and tax cuts.
The 2026 elections will likely come down to this question: Did this budget help or hurt regular Florida families? The answer might depend on whether your local project got cut and how much your property taxes go up between now and then.
This analysis is based on official budget documents and news reports. Voters should research their local representatives’ positions on these budget decisions before the 2026 elections.
This blog post was in collaboration with the The Orlando Voice.
David Washington is CEO of J & Washington LLC, and Political Editor of The Orlando Voice, Orlando's decentralized, digital newspaper. Join the T8020 Community and discover how tokenized civic engagement is reshaping political participation. Learn more about The Orlando Voice and the T8020 token at T8020Orlando.com.
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