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Florida Lawmakers Finalize Nearly $115 Billion Budget After Memorial Day Talks

The agreement tests whether closed-door compromise can settle chamber rifts before floor votes and the governor’s review.

Overview

  • Chief negotiators Rep. Lawrence McClure and Sen. Ed Hooper reached the deal late Sunday after Memorial Day weekend bargaining, setting a roughly $115 billion FY2026–27 spending plan that heads to floor votes later this week.
  • The package guarantees $514 million for Everglades restoration, provides $425 million for rural land easements and more than $60 million for Florida Forever while dropping funding for the Ocklawaha River project.
  • Lawmakers restored $75 million for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program, bringing back drugs such as Biktarvy and Descovy and keeping program eligibility at 400% of the federal poverty level.
  • Negotiators added a $4 million appropriation for the families of the Groveland Four, a $150 million targeted tax-relief plan that includes a three-year exemption for hurricane-grade windows and doors and a contested exemption for certain gun accessories, plus $50 million for Hillsborough College campus improvements tied to a proposed Rays stadium.
  • Key disputes remain unresolved, most notably one-year post-term security funding sought by the Senate, and the bill will enter a 72-hour cooling period before expected House and Senate floor votes and final action by Gov. Ron DeSantis.