Governor Ron DeSantis released his Freedom First proposal with recommendations for fiscal year 2022-2023. The Freedom First Budget totals $99.7 billion, with total reserves exceeding $15 billion. The Freedom First Budget focuses on preserving freedom and prosperity for Floridians with record funding for education, environmental resources and law enforcement. The budget also protects freedom and liberty by once again rejecting mandates and lockdowns.
“In Florida, we have put Freedom First – protecting Floridians’ freedom to earn a living, to operate businesses and to choose educational options tailored for their children,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “As a result of our commitment to freedom, Florida’s economy continues to thrive and Floridians are better able to provide for their families. Today, I am proud to announce my budget proposals that will build on our foundation of freedom by investing in priorities that matter to our residents. This budget puts Floridians and their freedoms first, keeps taxes low, and addresses key priorities – all while maintaining record budget reserves.”
The Governor’s budget gives Floridians the freedom to use their incomes to provide for their families, not grow government. The Freedom First budget recommends four tax holidays and the permanent elimination of a fee to allow hard working Floridians to keep more money in their pockets.
The Freedom First budget includes a Fuel Tax Holiday to provide a reprieve from increasing gas prices and save Florida Families over $1 billion.
Additionally, it proposes the elimination of fees charged for the issuance of a Florida Identification Card to save Florida families $14.7 million.
Florida’s economy has grown faster than the nation, enjoying 18 consecutive months of job growth, as a result of smart investments and policies that kept Florida open and businesses operating. Investments in rural communities and the tourism industry give Florida communities the freedom to elevate their regions for decades to come. The Freedom First Budget includes:
$105 million, an increase of $100 million over the current year, for the Rural Infrastructure Fund to support local rural infrastructure projects such as roads, storm, wastewater systems, and internet access for rural communities.
$100 million for the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund to support projects that create workforce training opportunities and invest in critical infrastructure.
$50 million in recurring funding for VISIT FLORIDA, Florida’s tourism marketing agency.
Investments in highways, bridges and ports give Floridians the freedom to open and operate businesses, knowing that their goods will swiftly travel through our ports and on our roads. The Freedom First Budget provides $9.27 billion for the State Transportation Work Program. The Freedom First Budget invests $25 million to maintain and restore the Freedom Tower, to ensure that the Freedom Tower continues to be a beacon of freedom and serve as a symbol of the democratic values we hold dear.
The Governor believes that children have a right to learn in positive learning environments and parental rights need to be preserved in making educational decisions for their children. Governor DeSantis is proposing record funding for K-12 education and prioritizes teachers and students. Included in the Freedom First Budget are:
A second round of $1,000 bonus checks for approximately 179,000 teachers and principals in Florida. He is also proposing $600 million – a $50 million budget increase over the past year – for teacher pay, continuing Florida’s efforts to reach a minimum teacher salary of $47,500.
An increase in per-student funding to raise this year’s budget to $8,000 per student. This will represent the highest amount of per-student funding in Florida’s history. The Base Student Allocation increase is $124 per student.
$421 million for school safety and mental health initiatives. That funding includes $210 million for the safe schools program – an increase of $30 million over the previous year, $140 million for mental health – a $20 million increase over the previous year, $42 million for school hardening grants, and $4 million for safety initiatives at Jewish Day Schools.To fully eliminate the Florida Standards Assessment and implement progress monitoring in its place, Governor DeSantis is proposing $15.5 million in recurring funding to provide progress monitoring tools to schools.
$500,000 to expand access to the Florida Civics and Debate Initiative into every school district in the 2022-2023 school year.
To make Florida the number one state for Workforce Education by 2030, $534 million in funding to support workforce education programs is included in the proposed budget.
