Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican Presidential nod, has officially proposed a $115 billion budget for the Sunshine State.
Notably, the plan comes with $1.5 billion in tax breaks for Florida residents, including a permanent ban on sales tax for certain products like baby formula and gas stoves. Last year, when DeSantis first pitched the proposal, he called the tax cut package the "largest" the state has ever seen.
In September 2022, News 4 Jax reported that "items for toddlers, sports gear, pet food, and school clothes and supplies" were all mentioned in DeSantis's plan, which is reportedly intended to help working families.
At the time, DeSantis spoke of the state's budget reserves, saying, "We can do this tax relief, really, without breaking a sweat at this point."
Among the details of the 2023 Florida budget plan are sales-tax exemptions on certain household items that generally cost under $25, including laundry detergent, toilet paper, paper towels, hand soap, and trash bags.
In a report this week, the Orlando Sentinel shared that the budget plan also includes raises for teachers, firefighters, police officers, and corrections officers, plus a 5% pay increase for all state workers and a boost in government contributions to state employee retirement funds.
It is worth noting that only the Florida State Legislature can actually approve DeSantis's proposed budget.
On the surface, there is bipartisan support for the plan.
“As Senate Democratic Leader, I am glad to see bipartisan priorities in the Governor’s proposed budget, such as historic tax breaks for hardworking Floridians,” Sen. Lauren Book (D-Plantation) shared in a statement.
Book went on, however, to say that there will be negotiations to come in the State Assembly, “While we may see much common ground at first glance, the devil is in the details for issues like teacher pay and public safety."
What do you think about Governor DeSantis's 2023 budget proposal?
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