Florida Budget Deal Blown Up After Governor Veto Threat

Florida's 2025 legislative session has been extended after a tentative $115 billion budget deal collapsed, largely due to disagreements over proposed tax cuts and a veto threat from Governor Ron DeSantis. House Speaker Daniel Perez accused Senate President Ben Albritton of reneging on a commitment to bring the House's sales tax cut proposal to the Senate floor, following DeSantis' declaration that any broad sales tax cut would be 'dead on arrival' as it could undermine his property tax relief plans. The Senate favors more targeted tax relief measures, such as exemptions for families and seniors, instead of the sweeping sales tax reduction championed by the House. Lawmakers now face a tight deadline, with the budget needing to be finalized and passed by June 30 to meet constitutional requirements. Both chambers remain at odds, with the House pushing for a session extension through June and the Senate only agreeing to extend if necessary. The impasse leaves Floridians uncertain about the scale and form of tax relief they might receive in the upcoming fiscal year.