ATTENTION:  Why live in Florida?

 Because our state is financially healthy, in addition to having plenty of sun and tropical weather! 

Under Governor DeSantis' leadership, Florida has achieved record success, ranking #1 in education,

net in-migration, entrepreneurship, and new business formations, with 3.8 million new businesses created since 2019, all while saving taxpayers money. 

Florida has no state income tax! In addition, Governor DeSantis has delivered nearly $9.7 billion in tax relief for Florida families and businesses, including the full repeal of the commercial rent tax, saving small businesses $2.7 billion annually.

Governor DeSantis has approved a series of permanent and temporary sales tax holidays and exemptions to provide lasting tax relief for Florida families. 

- Permanent annual tax holidays now include back-to-school items and disaster preparedness supplies, along with new permanent exemptions for baby and toddler products, diapers, sunscreen and insect repellent, and admissions to Florida State Parks.

-In addition, the Governor has authorized temporary sales tax holidays for Freedom Summer recreation activities and skilled worker tools, as well as exemptions for impact-resistant windows and doors, appliances and gas ranges, firearms and crossbows and related accessories, camping supplies, and fishing supplies.

-The Governor's Budget also recommends a second consecutive Second Amendment Sales Tax Holiday, running September 7 through December 31, 2026, on:

Firearms and ammunition

Crossbows and accessories

Camping supplies

Fishing supplies

- Following the successful 2025 launch, the holiday expands to include additional items such as decoys and doubles the eligible price limit for fishing bait and tackle. If enacted, the holiday will save Floridians an estimated $35 million next year.

Commitment to Education

Florida has ranked #1 for Higher Education for nearly a decade , while also holding the line on tuition to provide a quality education at an affordable price. The Governor's Fiscal Year 2026-2027 Budget builds on Florida's success and ensures that Florida will continue to have the top education system in the country.

- The Floridians First Budget builds on Florida's record investments in education, providing a historic 30.6 billion in funding for the K-12 public school system. This will include the highest per student investment ever, providing $9,406 per student, an increase of $279 over last year. This investment will also cover the costs of nearly 476,000 students who are projected to participate in Florida’s school choice program - the Family Empowerment Scholarship.

Additional funding highlights for Florida's K-12 students include:

- 1.56 billion to provide salary increases for teachers and other instructional personnel, an increase of $200 million over FY 2025-2026.

- 1.71 billion for early childhood education, including $483.4 million for Voluntary Prekindergarten.

- $300 million for the Safe Schools Allocation, an increase of $10 million over FY 2025-2026.

- $17.5 million to support civics engagement programs, including $10 million for the Florida Civics Seal of Excellence Program.

Florida Leads the Nation for Higher Education.

Florida's rural communities are an important part of the success of our state, and the Floridians First Budget continues to provide our rural communities with the resources they need to thrive. This includes:

- $30 million for the Rural Infrastructure Fund to support local infrastructure projects that help attract jobs.

- $81.9 million for the Small County Outreach Program to assist small county governments in repairing infrastructure.

- $50 million for the HOMETOWN HEROES program to provide down payment and closing cost assistance for hard-working Floridian heroes, including law enforcement officers , firefighters , educators , healthcare professionals , childcare employees, and active military or veterans .

Ensuring Government Efficiency

- Florida state government continues to operate efficiently, maintaining the lowest number of employees per capita among the five most populous states. Following extensive budget reviews across state agencies, and ongoing DOGE efficiency efforts, the Governor's Budget proposes the elimination of 354 positions. Net position reductions under the Governor's tenure have reached nearly 1,000, even as Florida’s population has grown by just over 10 percent.

- These combined reductions, efficiencies, and related DOGE efforts equate to savings of $850 million. As stewards of taxpayer dollars, there is always a balance of ensuring government is delivering the actual goods and services that its citizens need and want.

The Governor’s Budget continues this progress by investing $800 million for workforce education programs, ensuring that Floridians can continue to access workforce education opportunities that lead to high-demand, high-wage jobs. This investment includes:

- $130 million for nursing education programs to help address nursing vacancies.

- $100 million for the Workforce Development Capitalization Incentive Grant Program to expand or establish career and technical education programs

- $20 million for the Governor's Pathways to Career Opportunities Grant Program to support pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs for high school and college students.

Bolstering Florida’s Record Economic Growth

Florida is the fastest growing state in the nation because, under the leadership of Governor Ron DeSantis, Florida has championed freedom-first policies and made continued investments that create opportunities for Florida families to thrive.

Florida has become the national leader for economic prosperity, with a nearly $1.8 trillion economy representing close to 65 percent growth during Governor DeSantis’ administration, making Florida the 15th largest economy in the world. In 2025, U.S. News & World Report ranked Florida as the #1 economy in the nation for the third consecutive year.

Florida’s infrastructure, workforce, and economy to ensure we meet the demands of our growing state.

To support Florida's transportation network and infrastructure, the Floridians First Budget invests:

- $14.3 billion for the state transportation work program to construct and maintain Florida’s transportation network.

- $4.9 billion for highway construction and maintenance to include 181 new lane miles, and $1.4 billion to resurface 2,622 lane miles.

- $155.5 million in seaport infrastructure improvements to ensure Florida’s ports continue to have capacity while the rest of the nation struggles from supply chain backups at seaports, and $388.8 million for aviation improvements.

To help create new jobs and support business development throughout the state, the Floridians First Budget invests:

- $50 million for the Job Growth Grant Fund to support local infrastructure and workforce training projects.

During Governor DeSantis' first term as Governor, he signed record investments to protect Florida's Everglades and support water quality, investing a record $3.3 billion. 

At the start of his second term, he called for a historic $3.5 billion investment over the next four years. The Governor's Budget recommends $1.4 billion for Everglades restoration  and water quality, bringing the total investment during the Governor's second term to $6 billion, and bringing the investment during the Governor's tenure to nearly $9.5 billion.

- Additional water quality investments include $50 million to restore Florida’s world-renowned springs and for land acquisition to protect springsheds as well as $65 million to improve water quality and combat the impacts of harmful algal blooms, including blue-green algae and red tide.

- The Floridians First Budget includes $60 million for the Alternative Water Supply Grant Program  to help communities plan for and implement vital conservation, reuse and other alternative water supply projects.

Conserving Florida's Natural Resources

- To support conservation lands and to protect the great outdoors for generations of Floridians to enjoy, the Floridians First Budget invests $70 million in Florida's State Parks  (Florida State Parks) for infrastructure improvements and resource management with the goal of maintaining Florida’s WORLD CLASS PARKS , which have won the NATIONAL GOLD MEDAL a record FOUR times.

The budget also includes more than $150 million to protect Florida's conservation lands and waterways to ensure Florida’s prized properties are accessible for future generations of Florida families.

-This funding includes $115 million for the Florida Forever Program, the state’s blueprint for conserving Florida's natural and recreation lands, including those located within the Florida Wildlife Corridor. 

- The Floridians First Budget also prioritizes the protection of Florida’s working agricultural lands and family farms, providing an annual appropriation of $200 million to the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program to enter into perpetual conservation easements.

- In order to preserve Florida’s iconic citrus industry, the budget invests more than $19 million for citrus research and the Citrus Health Response Program. This includes $7 million for research and additional advertising by the Department of Citrus.

To further protect Florida's rural areas and communities surrounded by Florida's beautiful forests, the Governor's Budget provides $4 million to support the replanting of trees and timber impacted by hurricanes and natural disasters, in addition to investing over $114 million in Florida’s efforts to effectively combat wildfires including equipment, and wildfire suppression activities, such as prescribed burning.

* Information provided by: DBPR, 2601 Blair Stone Rd, Tallahassee, FL 32399

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