Governor Ron DeSantis has released his proposed budget for Florida’s 2026–27 fiscal year, titled the “Floridians First Budget.” The plan totals $117.4 billion and includes $16.75 billion in reserves and a $250 million allocation toward reducing state debt.
The proposal continues the state’s emphasis on fiscal restraint, with an additional $250 million dedicated to recurring accelerated debt paydown. This initiative aims to retire more than half of Florida’s tax-supported debt by the end of the next fiscal year. The Budget Stabilization Fund, which was at $1.5 billion when Governor DeSantis took office, has now reached its constitutional maximum of $5 billion following this year’s investment.
“Since I became governor, we have run budget surpluses, reduced the state’s legacy debt by more than 50%, and enacted record tax relief,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “Today I announced the ‘Floridians First’ Budget, which will keep Florida on the course of fiscal responsibility and delivers on the priorities that have made Florida the greatest state in America.”
According to information provided by the Governor’s office, since 2019 nearly $9.7 billion in tax relief has been delivered to families and businesses across Florida. This includes eliminating the commercial rent tax, which is expected to save small businesses approximately $2.7 billion each year.
The budget also proposes several permanent and temporary sales tax holidays aimed at providing ongoing financial relief for families. These include annual holidays for back-to-school items and disaster preparedness supplies as well as new exemptions for baby products, diapers, sunscreen, insect repellent, and admissions to state parks. There are also temporary holidays covering recreation activities and tools for skilled workers.
A notable recommendation is a second consecutive Second Amendment Sales Tax Holiday from September 7 through December 31, 2026. This expanded holiday would cover additional items such as decoys and double the eligible price limit for fishing bait and tackle; if passed into law, it could save Floridians about $35 million next year.
To support property tax relief statewide, $300 million is set aside in the budget to ensure any future framework is stable across all counties.
Governor DeSantis’ proposal includes new safeguards against local environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing mandates and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) financial policies at local levels. Additional protections are suggested to prevent public funds from being used to finance DEI mandates or locally imposed ESG-related taxes.
The state government continues to operate with fewer employees per capita compared to other large states; this year’s proposal eliminates 354 positions after agency reviews—bringing total net reductions under Governor DeSantis’ administration close to 1,000 despite a population increase of over 10 percent since he took office. The resulting efficiencies are estimated to save taxpayers around $850 million.
Education remains a priority in the proposed budget with a record-setting allocation of $30.6 billion for K-12 public schools—translating into a per-student investment of $9,406 (an increase of $279 from last year). Nearly 476,000 students are projected to participate in Florida’s school choice program via Family Empowerment Scholarships.
For higher education institutions—including colleges and universities—the budget aims to maintain affordable tuition while continuing investments that have helped Florida rank #1 nationally for higher education over nearly ten years.
Workforce education receives an allocation of $800 million within this proposal; since 2019 more than $12 billion has been invested in workforce programs statewide as part of an effort for Florida to become best-in-nation by 2030.
Economic growth features prominently throughout the document: under Governor DeSantis’ leadership Florida’s economy has grown by almost 65 percent since he took office—reaching close to $1.8 trillion—and U.S. News & World Report ranked it #1 among U.S. economies for three consecutive years (https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/economy).
Infrastructure funding is included alongside support for rural communities and workforce housing initiatives intended to meet demands from continued population growth.
The proposal dedicates significant resources toward law enforcement support as well as military communities—citing their roles in public safety efforts including combating illegal immigration.
Environmental investments remain robust: during his first term Governor DeSantis signed off on record Everglades restoration funding ($3.3 billion), followed by another historic commitment ($3.5 billion over four years) at the start of his second term. The current budget recommends allocating another $1.4 billion toward Everglades restoration projects—including major contributions toward CERP (Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan), CEPP (Central Everglades Planning Project), EAA Reservoir construction/expansion efforts—as well as water quality improvements across key regions like Caloosahatchee/St Lucie Estuaries and Northern Everglades Protection Program areas.
Other environmental provisions include funding springs restoration ($50 million), combating harmful algal blooms ($65 million), alternative water supply grants ($60 million), upgrades within State Parks ($70 million), conservation land acquisition/protection programs ($150+ million), beach nourishment ($75 million), rural/family land protection ($200 million annually), citrus industry research/support (over $19 million), oyster reef restoration in Apalachicola Bay ($25 million), replanting hurricane-damaged forests ($4 million), wildfire suppression activities (over $114 million) including prescribed burning measures—and manatee care/management (over $12 million).
In health-related spending: there are recommendations supporting mental health resiliency/substance abuse treatment services; increased cancer research funding; enhanced food safety/testing initiatives with an added investment of $5 million targeting contaminants such as heavy metals/microplastics; increased foster/adoption care funding (+$36.6M); further support for seniors/veterans’ nursing homes (+$8.6M); expanded services for Floridians with disabilities (+$20M).
Governor DeSantis’ administration says these combined investments reflect continued stewardship focused on maintaining fiscal responsibility while delivering essential services aligned with growing population needs statewide.
