The 2025 Florida Legislative Session started on March 4th. February was a very busy month with a third special session, the resignation of Florida’s lieutenant governor, the swearing in of a new attorney general, the creation of House budget workgroups and preparation for the 2025 session.
SPECIAL SESSION
After two special sessions on immigration during the week of January 27th, the Governor and Legislature agreed to a third special session the week of February 10th to pass a version of the legislation acceptable to both the Governor and legislative leadership. The Senate passed SB 2C on February 13th by a vote of 27-10 and House vote of 85-30. The bill was presented to the Governor, and he signed it that same day. The bill is different from the one (SB 2B) passed by the Legislature, and vetoed by the Governor, the previous week. Among the changes is the creation of a State Board of Immigration Enforcement, which will provide bonuses and grants for law enforcement officers and efforts. Additionally, judges will be made aware of defendant’s immigration status that may be used to deny bail, and future transport of illegal aliens will be done at the direction of the federal government with reimbursable state costs.
GOVERNOR’S BUDGET PROPOSAL
Governor Ron DeSantis released his proposed Fiscal Year 2025-2026 budget, entitled “Focus on Fiscal Responsibility” on February 2nd. His proposal totals $115.6 billion, which is approximately $3 billion less than the current year, but $1.2 billion over his previous year’s proposal. State economists currently do not forecast a deficit for Fiscal Year 2025-2026, but expressed caution moving forward.