www.thecentersquare.com – By Steve Wilson | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-05-09 10:05:00
Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez announced that the Senate will not vote on tax relief, derailing a budget deal and potentially extending the legislative session until the end of June. The impasse stems from disagreements with Senate President Ben Albritton over tax relief and budget size. The House proposed a $5 billion sales tax cut, while Albritton prefers a smaller package due to concerns about revenue loss during an economic downturn. Originally $4.4 billion apart on spending, both chambers struggled to finalize the budget. Perez expressed disappointment over the Senate breaking its commitment and emphasized the House’s dedication to a fiscally responsible budget.
(The Center Square) – In a letter to members of Florida’s House of Representatives, Speaker Daniel Perez says the Senate won’t hold a vote on tax relief, thus blowing up a budget deal.
The Miami Republican blamed Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, for the impasse.
It means the session, which was supposed to be concluded in early June, could continue until the end of the month instead.
The two sides couldn’t agree on a budget deal, typically the last thing lawmakers finish before leaving Tallahassee after the 60-day session concludes. Originally, the two sides were about $4.4 billion apart in spending, with the House seeking a smaller budget than either of those offered by the Senate or Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Also the manner and amount of tax relief is a source of disagreement between the two chambers. The House wants a $5 billion cut in the state’s sales tax.
Albritton, repeatedly indicating he’s concerned about reducing the state’s tax revenues in case of an economic downturn, wants a smaller package.
The extended session was supposed to start on Monday.
“I apologize for the lateness of this update, but circumstances have changed significantly from when we were together last Friday,” Perez said in his letter. “The Senate president informed me this week that he is breaking his commitment to the House that he publicly announced from the Senate rostrum. I was disappointed when the Senate president informed me of his decision to no longer bring the House’s historic tax proposal to the Senate floor. As I’m sure you can appreciate, this blew up the framework for the budget deal we had negotiated.”
He also said the House will meet on Tuesday to pass a concurrent resolution that will extend the session through June’s end. He also said the Select Committee on Property Taxes will meet that day and negotiations on dates for an extended session with the Senate will be conducted.
“While the circumstances leading to this conference are less than ideal or even expected, as members of the Florida House, our responsibilities do not change,” Perez said. “We will deliver a fiscally conservative budget that cuts government waste and puts Florida on the best possible trajectory for long-term success.”
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Right
This article largely presents a factual account of the budgetary disagreements between Florida’s House and Senate, as well as the disagreement over tax relief proposals. The content doesn’t advocate for one side explicitly but does reflect a position that aligns with fiscal conservatism, particularly through Speaker Daniel Perez’s comments. His criticism of the Senate and his emphasis on delivering a “fiscally conservative budget” signal a lean towards smaller government and tax reduction. While it reports on the actions and positions of the involved parties, it subtly frames the House’s stance as more aligned with conservative fiscal policies, particularly in terms of budget cuts and tax relief. This portrayal suggests a mild center-right lean without overt partisan bias.
www.news4jax.com – Jenese Harris, Ben Schubert – 2025-05-09 16:32:00
SUMMARY: First Lady Estelle W. McKissick, beloved church mother of Bethel Church in Jacksonville, Fla., passed away at 96 on May 7. She supported her late husband, Pastor Rudolph McKissick Sr., during his 47-year tenure, while nurturing their congregation and community. A dedicated educator for 50 years in Duval County, she implemented impactful programs and was a 77-year member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. Their son, Rudolph McKissick Jr., now leads the church. Remembered for her singing and motherly spirit beyond her family, her profound legacy of love and service endures in the church and city she cherished.
A $2.8 billion tax cut deal between Florida Senate President Ben Albritton and House Speaker Daniel Perez to close the 2025 session collapsed, stalling budget progress ahead of the July 1 deadline and risking a government shutdown. The dispute centers on Perez’s push for a permanent sales tax cut, which Albritton withdrew support for after Governor DeSantis opposed it, favoring property tax relief instead. Albritton cited concerns the sales tax cut was too small, unsustainable, and could limit future property tax reform. The Senate and House remain divided on tax relief size, complicating budget negotiations amid a $4.4 billion spending gap.
A $2.8 billion tax cut deal reached between Senate President Ben Albritton and House Speaker Daniel Perez last week to help bring the 2025 regular session to a close is now off the table.
The breakdown means legislators are nowhere near coming up with a new budget, which needs to be in place by July 1 or the state risks a government shutdown.
The Friday morning announcement from legislative leadership came as Gov. Ron DeSantis continued to tour the state attacking the House, and Perez by extension, for pushing a reduction in the state’s sales tax rate instead of backing the governor’s two-step plan to provide property homeowners relief.
Perez had championed a permanent reduction in sales taxes and last week Albritton said he was backing it. But in a memo to House members, Perez said Albritton has told him “he is breaking his commitment to the House that he publicly announced.”
Speaker Daniel Perez via Florida House
“I was disappointed when the Senate President informed me of his decision to no longer bring the House’s historic tax proposal to the Senate floor,” Perez wrote. “As I’m sure you can appreciate, this blew up the framework for the budget deal we had negotiated.”
Albritton sent his own memo to his members shortly thereafter explaining that he was backing away from the agreement with Perez for an across-the-board sales tax cut because the governor had indicated the bill would be “dead on arrival.”
Three concerns
Albritton’s letter outlines three main concerns he heard from senators about the $2.8 billion tax agreement, of which $2.5 billion would be recurring.
“An across-the-board sales tax cut of one quarter of one penny is not meaningful, felt, or seen by families and seniors when compared with other available options. A $2.5 billion recurring tax cut is not sustainable when combined with the projected budget shortfalls already on the horizon. A $2.5 billion recurring tax cut may constrain options for the major property tax reform the Governor, House, and Senate, and most importantly – the Floridians we represent – are asking us to put forward.”
Senate President Ben Albritton (photo via Florida Senate)
Albritton continued:
“Throughout the entire course of negotiations with the House, the Senate has been and remains committed to tax cuts that offer broad-based and meaningful tax relief for families, seniors, and small businesses. As negotiations move forward, [Appropriations] Chair [Ed] Hooper and I will continue seeking your advice and feedback.
“It is important to me that we develop a tax relief package that is sustainable for the long term and leaves room in our balanced budget for the voters to consider meaningful property tax relief on the ballot at the next general election. We will continue to work towards a final budget and tax relief package the House, Senate and Governor can support.”
The two sides need to reach a deal on the size and scope of tax cuts in order to reach a deal on budget “allocations” that determine how much money will be included in the final appropriations act.
The Senate and House on May 2 voted on a resolution (HCR 1631) that lists 16 bills the chambers will consider in an extended session. Included in the list is Albritton’s priority legislation to infuse $200 million in infrastructure in areas of the state that are less developed. Albritton has dubbed the bill “Rural Renaissance.”
Albritton said that day that the chambers had reached an agreement for a budget that included $2.8 billion in relief, which he noted is “the most historic tax relief package in the history of our state.”
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.
SUBSCRIBE
The one must-pass bill
Nearly 2,000 bills were filed in the House and Senate for consideration during the 2025 session. Most of them didn’t pass — indeed, just 255 made it across the legislative finish line before the session adjourned.
But there’s just one bill the Legislature is required to pass each year and that’s the state fiscal year budget, officially known as the General Appropriations Act.
The chambers passed drastically different proposed spending plans for state fiscal year 2025-26 with a $4.4 billion gap between the two blueprints.
Perez has championed rolling back the state’s sales tax by 0.75%, to 5.25%. The speaker’s plan would roll back all other sales tax rates by the same amount — commercial rent from 2% to 1.25%; electricity from 4.35% to 3.6%; new mobile home purchases from 3% to 2.25%; and coin-operated amusement machines from 4% to 3.25%.
The Senate floated a more modest $2.1 billion plan centered around a permanent elimination of the sales tax on clothing and shoes costing $75 or less. Other parts of this plan include a permanent reduction in the business rent tax from 2% to 1%, a one-time credit for vehicle registration fees, and several sales tax holidays.
Meanwhile, DeSantis has pushed for elimination of property taxes, a proposal he has continued to champion this week at press events across the state, appearing Friday in Jacksonville.
YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.
SUPPORT
Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Centrist
The article provides a detailed account of the political struggles surrounding tax cuts and budget negotiations in Florida, specifically focusing on the disagreements between Senate President Ben Albritton, House Speaker Daniel Perez, and Governor Ron DeSantis. The content presents the views of the various parties involved without overtly favoring one side over another. While some of the language used reflects a critical stance toward the breakdown in negotiations, the overall tone remains neutral, primarily relaying facts about the political deadlock and the positions of key figures. No strong ideological bias is evident, as the article reports on the factual developments of the situation.
SUMMARY: Palm Bay has suspended its school zone speed camera program for the rest of the school year due to concerns about its accuracy, reliability, and transparency. This marks the second pause this year after complaints about glitches causing incorrect violations. The cameras, supplied by RedSpeed USA, detect vehicles exceeding the speed limit by more than 10 mph in active school zones and issue $100 tickets after review by a traffic officer. The city aims to improve the system to meet community standards before resuming. Violators can pay fines online, request hearings, or contact RedSpeed directly for assistance.
