Florida lawmakers ended the annual state legislative session, March 8, after passing a $117.46 billion budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Budget highlights include $439.6 million in tax break “holidays” and tax credits on some property insurance policies, a $1.8 billion increase for the Florida Education Finance Program, which funds public schools, a three percent pay raise for state workers, and an eight percent increase in Medicaid funding.
Throughout the 60-day session, lawmakers passed bills on issues including restricting kids use of social media, deregulation of public schools, loosening child labor restrictions, and a legislative package aimed at increasing access to medical care by growing the state’s healthcare workforce, among others.
Hundreds of other bills didn’t pass this year including a proposal to lower the age limit to purchase certain firearms, a proposal to prevent the removal of historic monuments, a measure to impose term limits on county commissioners, and a bill that would have made it easier for public officials to file defamation lawsuits.
We’ll take a closer look at what passed, what didn’t, and what it all means for Floridians going forward in a conversation with associate professor and Assistant Director of the University of Central Florida’s School of Politics, Security and International Affairs, Aubrey Jewett, Ph.D. and Sun Sentinel Opinion Editor and veteran reporter on Florida government and politics Steve Bousquet.
