Florida House Speaker Danny Perez has appointed Rep. Michelle Salzman of Cantonment to lead the water programs workgroup that will review line-item vetoes from the current 2024-25 budget Gov. Ron DeSantis signed last year. Read Establishment of Combined Workgroups on Vetoed Budget Issues.
- The water programs group is one of four established by the Speaker that will review vetoes on budget issues concerning human services, justice services, water programs, and libraries, cultural and historic preservation.
- Rep. Mike Redondo will manage human services, Rep. David Smith will oversee justice services, and Rep. Susan Plasencia will lead libraries and cultural preservation initiatives.
Salzman’s workgroup combines members from the Agriculture and Natural Resources Budget Subcommittee—including Reps. Jon Albert, Robin Bartleman, Yvette Benarroch, and Meg Weinberger—with representatives from the Natural Resources and Disasters Subcommittee: Dean Black, Bill Conerly, Debbie Mayfield, Jim Mooney, and Debra Tendrich.
- Like most members of the Florida Legislature, Salzman endorsed DeSantis during the GOP presidential primary.
DIG DEEPER
This structured review process emerges amid heightened tension between the Legislature and Governor DeSantis following his decision to veto 30% of the Legislature’s operating budget—a $57 million cut affecting critical operations. In an unprecedented move, lawmakers have already overridden DeSantis’s veto of their operational funding, marking the first such override in his governorship.
Speaker Perez has directed Salzman’s group, along with the other groups, to systematically evaluate vetoed appropriations for potential reinstatement. These reviews will be integrated into every Floor Session leading up to the 2025-2026 House Budget deliberations, reflecting the Legislature’s determination to assert its constitutional role in Florida’s budget process.
Florida Politics broke this story last night. Read more.
MORE ON VETO
On the first day of the Special Session in January, the Florida Legislature nearly unanimously overruled DeSantis’ budget veto for the Legislature’s budget — the first time the Legislature has overridden DeSantis.
Speaker Perez claimed the $57 million veto funded various “backend operations,” forcing the Legislature to dip into reserves to avoid firing employees or shutting down operations.
“This veto was at best a misunderstanding of the importance of the appropriation or at worst an attempt to threaten the independence of our separate branch of government,” Perez said.
House members voted unanimously to override the veto, while the Senate voted 35-1. The only opponent was Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, a Spring Hill Republican and DeSantis ally.