Here are the highlights from Gov. Ron DeSantis’ press release:
Sale Tax Exemptions
A permanent sales tax exemption for baby and toddler necessities
A permanent sales tax exemption for cribs and strollers
A permanent sales tax exemption for over-the-counter pet medications
A permanent sales tax exemption for gas stoves (Note: New “red meat” issue for his base)
Temporary holidays on children’s books, children’s toys, children’s athletic equipment, certain household items and clothing, disaster preparedness items, outdoor recreation items, dental and oral hygiene products, pet food, hand and power tools, energy star appliances, and natural gas.
Pay Raises
An across-the-board 5 percent pay increase for all state employees.
An additional 10 percent increase over the statewide average for certain “hard-to-hire” positions of importance for state government.
Economic Development
$100 million for the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund, which supports additional economic growth in Florida by providing local areas with funding for proposed public infrastructure and workforce training projects.
$100 million to continue the vital state marketing and promotion efforts of VISIT FLORIDA, the state’s official tourism marketing corporation and a source of travel planning for visitors across the globe.
Rural Communities
$100 million to support broadband initiatives to expand high-speed internet deployment and access to Florida communities.
$30 million for the Rural Infrastructure Fund to support projects such as roads, storm and wastewater systems, and telecommunications facilities.
Education
$1 billion, an increase of $200 million, in funding to provide salary increases for new and veteran teachers and other eligible instructional personnel.
$1.6 billion in funding for early childhood education, including more than $451 million for Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK).
Historic $26 billion in funding, of which $14.1 billion is record state funding for the K-12 public school system.
$1.5 billion in state operating funding for the Florida College System.
$3.1 billion in state operating funding for the State University System.
$100 million for the recruitment and retention of highly qualified faculty at state universities.
$15 million for the institutional overhaul and restructuring of the New College of Florida.
$1 million is maintained to continue expanding the Florida Civics and Debate Initiative, which creates and enhances existing speech and debate programs with a focus on civic education.
$3.5 million in funding to provide support to school districts for the improvement of civic literacy for Florida’s students using regional civics literacy captains and coaches, and $3 million for civics education curriculum.
No tuition or fee increases for Florida’s colleges and universities.
Workforce Education
Over $624 million to support workforce education program. This includes $20 million, an increase of $5 million, to develop the Teacher Registered Apprenticeship Program for the Governor’s Pathways to Career Opportunities Grant Program to establish or expand pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs for high school and college students.
Law Enforcement
The Governor reccomends $124.3 million to provide salary increases across various public safety agencies, including:
$107.2 million to increase the Department of Corrections’ (FDC) base rate of pay to $23 per hour for specified Correctional Officer, Correctional
Probation Officer, and Inspector positions;
$1.8 million to provide a four percent increase to Special Agents and Law Enforcement positions within the Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE);
$6.8 million for special pay adjustments based on salary ranges for all sworn law enforcement officers within FDLE, Department of Legal Affairs (DLA), State Attorneys, and State Courts (SCS); and
$8.5 million for an increase for years of service for sworn law enforcement officers within FDLE, DLA, State Attorneys, and SCS.
$3.4 million will provide a targeted retention pay plan for Correctional Officers, Correctional Probation Officers, and the Inspectors. This funding aims to increase retention rates by providing a $1,000 pay increase at two years of service, a $500 pay increase at five years of service, and a $1,000 pay increase at eight years of service.
$30 million is included to fund a second round of recruitment bonus payments for law enforcement officers who are new to the profession in the state, including those relocating from other states. This initiative will provide bonus payments of $5,000 to eligible law enforcement officers.
$20.7 million to support law enforcement efforts to combat the opioid epidemic affecting Florida’s communities.
$2 million for FDLE to provide body armor to local law enforcement agencies, with a focus on agencies within fiscally constrained counties.
$2.1 billion in federal and state funding is provided so that communities and the state can respond to and recover from major disasters or emergencies as well as mitigate against future disasters or emergencies.
Veteran, Military
$98 million to grow the Florida State Guard to aid during emergencies.
$6.2 million to fully support Florida National guardsmen seeking higher education degrees and to expand the program to allow a guardsman to transfer their unused education benefit to a spouse or child.
$2 million to give a one-time $1,000 bonus to guardsmen who renew their contract.
$1 million to give $1,000 bonuses to guardsmen who recruit new members into the Florida National Guard.
$14.7 million to support nursing home residents, medical and non-medical equipment upgrades, capital improvements, and the remainder of the staff needed for the Ardie R. Copas and Alwyn Cashe State Veterans’ Nursing Homes.
More than $2 million investment to assist veterans in training, networking, and mentoring throughout the state.
Health
$166 million in cancer research funding, with $20 million in funding to establish the Florida Cancer Innovation Fund to support groundbreaking cancer research.
Nearly $143 million to enhance services for pregnant and postpartum women and children, includes $3.8 million to support premiums for families who receive services through the Florida Healthy Kids program and were impacted by Hurricane Ian.
More than $96 million to support those served by the child welfare system.
More than $76 million for hospitals that provide in-patient services for acutely ill newborns and pediatric patients.
$334 million is recommended to increase access to treatment such as prevention services, medication assisted treatment, recovery support and continues research, and surveillance activities that seek to reduce overdoses, unemployment, and the incidence of hospitalization and homelessness.
Includes $147.4 million from the Opioid Settlement.
$1.5 million to provide services for victims of human trafficking, including individualized clinical treatment, behavioral supports such as cognitive behavioral treatment, and motivational interviewing.
$9 million to expand services provided by the 17 Memory Disorder Clinics and the Brain Bus to enhance diagnosis and prevention strategies for those impacted by Alzheimer’s disease and other related dementias.
More than $79.6 million in funding to allow an additional 1,200 individuals in crisis to be served through the Agency for Persons with Disabilities waiver program.