Latest news with #Albritton
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Florida budget talks extended, final plan still pending
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — The end of Florida's 2025 legislative session may finally be in sight, but not without another extension. 'When all is said and done on the 16th, I think we'll have a balanced budget our constituents will be proud of,' said Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula. WATCH: Osceola Sheriff Marcos Lopez arrested on racketeering charges House and Senate members returned to the floor Thursday to extend the budget deadline, for a third time. While leaders say they're making headway, lawmakers still haven't even gotten their hands on the budget yet.'We don't have any information, no idea what the budget looks like,' said State Rep. Dianne Hart, D-Tampa. Budget cuts are expected, but there's just no clarity yet on where those cuts will fall. 'That's a sad place to be, knowing that you're going home and you can't really talk to constituents about the budget because we don't know what's in the budget,' said Hart. Speaking publicly for the first time since lawmakers have been back in Tallahassee, Senate President Albritton and House Speaker Danny Perez. 'We don't have a final product yet, but we both have the same goal,' Perez said. According to both leaders, the goal of this year's budget is to provide long-term stability and recurring relief for Floridians.'We're making decisions today that are going to be super helpful in the future,' said Albritton. Albritton highlighted tax holidays like back-to-school and hurricane preparedness — saying they are still a part of the budget. 'What we are trying to do is stop that from happening into the future. The only way you can do that is by tying up some of the savings,' said Perez. It continues to be a waiting game, and from here on out, it will be up to the budget chairs to finish the job. Lawmakers are expected to return the week of June 16th, with Senate leadership saying he's 90% positive the budget will be passed on time. 'It was a bumpy road, and I believe we are better for it,' said Albritton. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Florida state budget talks resume with $2.25B tax cut 'framework' in place
Armed with a new 'framework' for a deal, Florida House and Senate negotiators met June 3 to resolve their differences over a 2025-26 state budget. After blowing past their original deadline to pass a budget due to an impasse between House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, and Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, over tax cuts, the chambers spent the day trading offers on spending for health care and environmental programs. While some disagreements were resolved, the details on the main source of the dispute – tax cuts – aren't likely to be unveiled for several days. Under the latest framework for a deal reached between the chambers, though, there will be $2.25 billion in recurring tax cuts. That will include eliminating the tax that Florida businesses pay on rents and exempting some items from sales taxes. Exactly which items will be exempt remains to be seen, though a memo announcing the deal last week from Albritton said the exemptions would be 'targeted towards Florida families.' Another plank of the agreement is to put more money – $750 million per year – into a key reserve fund. That move will require lawmakers to put a measure on the 2026 ballot. The House and Senate are poised to take up that measure Thursday. Lawmakers were supposed to pass a budget by May 2, the last day of the regular session, but the dispute led them to extend the session to June 6. The first outline of a broad deal between Perez and Albritton included an outright reduction in the state sales tax, from 6% to 5.75%. The across-the-board sales tax cut was a priority for Perez, who wants to restrain spending by drastically cutting back the amount of revenue available to the state. Albritton was wary of such a move, but he was willing to compromise to pass his top priority – an infusion of resources to rural areas to boost education, health care and transportation programs and projects, dubbed the 'Rural Renaissance.' Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has pressed lawmakers to move forward with cuts to property taxes, threatened to veto any tax cut bill with an overall sales tax reduction. He feared a major sales tax cut would make it harder to pass his preferred property tax reductions. Albritton opted to drop his Rural Renaissance priority to reach a deal with Perez. Now, rank-and-file members will hammer out the details in the coming days. The clock is running: The state's budget year runs July 1 to June 30, and failing to come up with a budget by the end of June could force a partial state government shutdown. Lawmakers also have to build in time for DeSantis to review their plan for any line-item vetoes before he signs it into law. Gray Rohrer is a reporter with the USA TODAY Network-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at grohrer@ Follow him on X: @GrayRohrer. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Sales tax exemptions, reserves part of Florida budget talks
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Florida Legislature reaches budget agreement
A memorandum from the Florida state Senate says lawmakers have agreed on a joint budget allocation with the House. The budget conference is scheduled to begin Tuesday. According to the statement, Senate President Ben Albritton says the negotiated agreement includes $2.25 billion in recurring revenue reductions, including the elimination of the business rent tax ($900 million), permanent sales tax exemptions targeted toward Florida families ($350 million), and debt reduction ($250 million). Albritton says lawmakers will also make joint resolution to amend the Florida Constitution to raise the cap on the Budget Stabilization Fund from 10% to 25% and require an annual payment of $750 million into the fund until the cap has been reached. The $750 million will be held in reserve for the next two fiscal years and will be automatically transferred to the Budget Stabilization Fund upon adoption of the amendment, he said. The memo continues: 'In total, the framework set forth in these allocations provides for a fiscally responsible, balanced budget that reduces state spending, lowers per capita spending, and reduces the growth of state bureaucracy. The budget authorizes early payoff of state debt, accounts for significant, broad-based tax relief, and builds on historic state reserves for emergencies. New reporting requirements throughout the budget will safeguard taxpayer dollars and improve accountability, transparency, and oversight of government spending.' Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
With time running out, Florida's GOP-led Legislature forges budget deal
TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Florida legislative leaders said late Friday they have forged a budget deal that will guarantee $2.25 billion shifted into tax cuts and reserves while also establishing a path for legislators to avoid a potential shutdown of state government this summer. The agreement does not include a permanent reduction in the overall sales tax rate, which at one point had been a top priority of state House Speaker Daniel Perez but had come under fire by Gov. Ron DeSantis amid a bitter feud between Sunshine State Republicans. The deal announced late Friday by Perez and Senate President Ben Albritton is on top-line level spending levels that will be used to hammer out a final budget in June. In a memo to senators, Albritton said the plan is for lawmakers to start budget conference meetings Tuesday, with the goal to work over the next two weeks and vote out the budget no later than June 16. 'The framework set forth in these allocations provides for a fiscally responsible, balanced budget that reduces state spending, lowers per capital spending, and reduces the growth of state bureaucracy,' Albritton wrote. Albritton and Perez have been at odds for weeks over the size and scale of potential tax cuts, as well as a disagreement on how much spending should be authorized in the coming year. Perez had maintained that the Republican-controlled Legislature and DeSantis had spent too much the last several years. The state House and Senate on Friday evening did not release all the details of the proposed deal, including the amount of state tax dollars that will be allocated to specific areas such as the environment, health care and education. A spokesperson for Albritton said those numbers would be released Monday. But the agreement calls for the Legislature to reduce 'recurring revenue' by $2.25 billion including the elimination of sales tax charged on commercial leases and what is being billed as 'permanent sales tax exemptions targeted toward Florida families.' This was not explained further, but Albritton earlier in the year had proposed the permanent elimination of sales taxes on clothing and shoes valued at less than $75. The $2.25 billion, however, also includes $750 million for the state's main budget reserve while also setting aside $250 million a year to pay off outstanding debt — another top priority for DeSantis. Legislative leaders also announced that they would ask voters to increase the size of the Budget Stabilization Fund mandated in the state constitution. The fund is currently capped at 10 percent of the net revenue collected for the state's main budget account. Lawmakers want voters to increase the amount authorized for the fund to 25 percent and to require the state to set aside $750 million a year until that cap is reached. The proposed amendment would go on the November 2026 ballot. Perez and Albritton have promised to keep $1.5 billion in reserves over the next two years before the ballot measure goes before voters. During their regular 60-day session, the state House and Senate initially pushed out starkly different spending plans that had a $4.4 billion spending gap as the House proposed a massive $5 billion permanent reduction in the state's sales taxes. The session was supposed to end earlier in early May, but lawmakers were forced to extend it beyond the normal 60 days due to their budget disagreement. On what was supposed to be the final day of the session, Albritton and Perez said they had agreed to slash taxes by $2.8 billion, including a permanent reduction in the state sales tax rate. But that deal blew up after DeSantis threatened to veto the sales tax plan, saying it would undermine efforts to cut property taxes the governor has been championing. Albritton earlier this month stated in a memo that many senators were also concerned about the impacts of such a large cut. Perez reacted harshly, saying Albritton had broken his promise.
Politico
31-05-2025
- Business
- Politico
With time running out, Florida's GOP-led Legislature forges budget deal
TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Florida legislative leaders said late Friday they have forged a budget deal that will guarantee $2.25 billion shifted into tax cuts and reserves while also establishing a path for legislators to avoid a potential shutdown of state government this summer. The agreement does not include a permanent reduction in the overall sales tax rate, which at one point had been a top priority of state House Speaker Daniel Perez but had come under fire by Gov. Ron DeSantis amid a bitter feud between Sunshine State Republicans. The deal announced late Friday by Perez and Senate President Ben Albritton is on top-line level spending levels that will be used to hammer out a final budget in June. In a memo to senators, Albritton said the plan is for lawmakers to start budget conference meetings Tuesday, with the goal to work over the next two weeks and vote out the budget no later than June 16. 'The framework set forth in these allocations provides for a fiscally responsible, balanced budget that reduces state spending, lowers per capital spending, and reduces the growth of state bureaucracy,' Albritton wrote. Albritton and Perez have been at odds for weeks over the size and scale of potential tax cuts, as well as a disagreement on how much spending should be authorized in the coming year. Perez had maintained that the Republican-controlled Legislature and DeSantis had spent too much the last several years. The state House and Senate on Friday evening did not release all the details of the proposed deal, including the amount of state tax dollars that will be allocated to specific areas such as the environment, health care and education. A spokesperson for Albritton said those numbers would be released Monday. But the agreement calls for the Legislature to reduce 'recurring revenue' by $2.25 billion including the elimination of sales tax charged on commercial leases and what is being billed as 'permanent sales tax exemptions targeted toward Florida families.' This was not explained further, but Albritton earlier in the year had proposed the permanent elimination of sales taxes on clothing and shoes valued at less than $75. The $2.25 billion, however, also includes $750 million for the state's main budget reserve while also setting aside $250 million a year to pay off outstanding debt — another top priority for DeSantis. Legislative leaders also announced that they would ask voters to increase the size of the Budget Stabilization Fund mandated in the state constitution. The fund is currently capped at 10 percent of the net revenue collected for the state's main budget account. Lawmakers want voters to increase the amount authorized for the fund to 25 percent and to require the state to set aside $750 million a year until that cap is reached. The proposed amendment would go on the November 2026 ballot. Perez and Albritton have promised to keep $1.5 billion in reserves over the next two years before the ballot measure goes before voters. During their regular 60-day session, the state House and Senate initially pushed out starkly different spending plans that had a $4.4 billion spending gap as the House proposed a massive $5 billion permanent reduction in the state's sales taxes. The session was supposed to end earlier in early May, but lawmakers were forced to extend it beyond the normal 60 days due to their budget disagreement. On what was supposed to be the final day of the session, Albritton and Perez said they had agreed to slash taxes by $2.8 billion, including a permanent reduction in the state sales tax rate. But that deal blew up after DeSantis threatened to veto the sales tax plan, saying it would undermine efforts to cut property taxes the governor has been championing. Albritton earlier this month stated in a memo that many senators were also concerned about the impacts of such a large cut. Perez reacted harshly, saying Albritton had broken his promise.
