General Overview

On Thursday, January 28, Governor Ron DeSantis released his recommended budget for the State Fiscal Twelvemonth (SFY) 2021 - 2022. The Governor's recommended state budget serves as an important starting point for both the Florida House of Representatives and the Florida Senate as they begin work on developing their own proposed state budgets. The Florida Legislature is constitutionally required to pass a country upkeep, officially titled every bit the General Appropriations Act, during the annual regular session.

The Governor'south proposed budget for State Fiscal Year 2021 - 2022 totals approximately $96.6 billion, and represents a iii.6% increase from the electric current land budget for SFY 2020 - 21. The chart beneath summarizes a comparison of the current SFY 2021 budget and Governor's proposed SFY 2022 budget.

Wellness and Human Services received the largest portion of funding, totaling approximately $42.five billion. This represents a vii.85% increment in appropriations from the current year. All educational programs and services combined received the 2nd largest amount of funding, totaling approximately $27 billion. This represents an increase of approximately 1.five% from the electric current fiscal year.

Finally, Natural Resources, Environmental Issues, Growth Management and Transportation Expenditures correspond the third largest portion of the SFY 2022 budget with funding equaling $14.6 billion, which represents a one.26% decrease from the current financial year.

Proposed general revenue expenditures for SFY 2022 equal approximately $35.eight billion and trust fund expenditures total approximately $lx.8 billion. The nautical chart below compares expenditures between SFY 2021 and the proposed SFY 2022 budget by fund type.

Canton Funding Highlights

Agricultural & Environment

Water Quality Highlights

  • Septic-to-Sewer Improvements: $100 1000000 provided for a grant plan (up to 50% lucifer) to local government agencies making wastewater and stormwater improvements, including septic conversion and remediation.  This detail is in line with the Blue-Light-green Algae Task Strength consensus findings.
  • Water Quality Improvement Grant Program: $l 1000000 recommended for reductions in harmful discharges to the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie Estuaries
  • Total Maximum Daily Loads: $45 1000000 recommended for TMDLs and to advance implementation of food pollution reduction projects in BMAPs and other restoration plans, including green infrastructure and land acquisition projects. This item is in line with the Bluish-Green Algae Task Force consensus findings.
  • Harmful Algal Blooms: $10.6 million for innovative technologies and short-term solutions for addressing harmful algal blooms in fresh waterbodies; funds may too be used for the red tide emergency grant program and to support local authorities efforts in cleaning beach and coastal areas.
  • Springs Restoration: $50 million from the Land Acquisition Trust Fund for springs restoration projects and land conquering to protect springs.

Florida Forever: $fifty meg recommended

Beach Management Funding Assistance Program:$50 million for grants and aids to local governments and non-country entities for beach direction assistance, which is consistent with the current year funding level.

Resilient Coastline Initiative: $10 1000000 to assist local governments with sea level ascent planning and coastal resilience projects, including storm resiliency as well as coral reef restoration and monitoring.

Resilient Florida program: $12.1 million to close the gap for statewide bounding main level rise/vulnerability assessments. These funds would let DEP to grant upwardly to $100,000 to all remaining coastal counties, and inland counties who take not completed vulnerability assessments.

Mosquito control programs: $two.6 million, which is equal to the current yr funding level.

Transportation and Economic Development

Affordable Housing:

  • State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) programme: Recommended $296.half dozen million. This particular includes proviso language directing local governments receiving Send dollars to prioritize hurricane housing recovery before using the funds for other projects.
  • Country Apartment Incentive Loan Programme (Canvass): Recommended $126.7 million
  • The Governor'south Upkeep Recommendations do include a sweep of $225 million from the Local Government Housing trust Fund to Full general Revenue

Job Growth Grant Fund: Recommended at $26 million, an increase of $6 million over the current year.

Visit Florida: $50 million recommended, which would match funding from the current fiscal year.

Small County Outreach Program (SCOP):$88.5 million recommended; a $7.v meg decrease over the electric current twelvemonth funding.

Small County Road Help Program (SCRAP):$38.ii million recommended; a nearly $9.four meg decrease over the electric current year funding.

Rural Economic Development:

  • Rural Broadband: $1.6 1000000 recommended for grants to local governments to Florida rural communities to assist them with expanding broadband capability and availability.
  • Rural Infrastructure Fund: $5 million for the to support local rural infrastructure projects such as broadband, roads, storm and wastewater systems, and telecommunication facilities.
  • Rural Community Development Revolving Loan Programme: $i.17 one thousand thousand for the to provide local governments with access to financial assistance to further promote the economic viability of Florida'southward rural communities.
Health and Human Services

Shared County/State Juvenile Detention:The proposed budget estimates the counties' portion of total Shared County/State Juvenile Detention to be $61.viii million. This represents an estimated increase of about $4.2 1000000 from the current year budget and 48% of the total Juvenile Detention funding ($127.4 million).

Customs Substance Abuse and Mental Wellness Services: Funded at approximately $889 million for all programs, which represents a $38 1000000 increase from the electric current year.

Boosted Customs Transitional Beds: $6.five million for boosted forensic community transition beds, to divert individuals from the state mental health treatment facilities into community-based settings.

Community Action Treatment (Cat) Teams: $thirty.5 one thousand thousand, directed to DCF to contract with providers throughout the state for operation of Cat teams, which provide community-based services for children (aged 11 to 21) with mental wellness and/or substance abuse diagnoses. This is equal to the electric current yr funding.

Public Rubber, Mental Health, and Substance Corruption Local Matching Grant Program:$9 million for the program, which supports canton programs that serve adults or youth who are in behavioral crisis and at take chances of entering the criminal justice system. This is equal to the current year funding.

Crime Labs:Approximately $3.i million in grants and aids to local governments for criminal investigations

Full general Government

Library Grants and Library Cooperatives: $19.five million recommended

Fiscally Constrained County Funding:$31.1 1000000, to outset the impacts of previously approved constitutional amendments

Emergency Distributions: $25.1 million in emergency distributions revenue sharing for small counties

Implementing & Befitting Bills

Appropriations Implementing and Befitting bills brand certain changes to substantive law in order to implement the proposed General Appropriations Act. Implementing and Conforming Bill topics include:

Tax Breaks:

  • An eight-day Back-to-School Sales Revenue enhancement Holiday to Save Florida Families $56 1000000—The vacation covers clothing upwards to $60, school supplies up to $15, and computers priced at $1,000 or less
  • A ten-twenty-four hours Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday to Salve Florida Families $9 Million – The holiday covers items needed during disasters including generators priced at $750 or less

Juvenile Detention Costs:

The Governor's Proposed Implementing bill provides in section 37 that the Department of Juvenile Justice is required to review county juvenile detention payments to ensure that counties fulfill their financial responsibilities required in south. 985.6865, Florida Statutes. If the Section of Juvenile Justice determines that a canton has non met its obligations, the department shall straight the Section of Acquirement to deduct the corporeality owed to the Department of Juvenile Justice from the funds provided to the canton under s. 218.23, Florida Statutes. The Department of Revenue shall transfer the funds withheld to the Shared County/Land Juvenile Detention Trust Fund.

Resilient Florida:

The Governor's upkeep includes $25 million from existing Documentary Stamp Revenue enhancement revenue for the Resilient Florida plan, and recommends increases each year by $25 million until reaching $100 one thousand thousand by the 2024-2025 fiscal year. Taking reward of historically low involvement rates, these funds are provided as debt service to bond more than $i billion in total program funding for grants. The Governor proposed several conforming bills necessary to implement this budget recommendation.

FRS Contribution Rates:

The Governor recommended the following employer contribution rates for the Florida Retirement System (FRS):