Lawmakers convened a special session Tuesday to resolve a $1.4 billion difference between the preferred spending plans of the House and Senate.
The gap between the Senate’s $115 billion budget and the House’s $113.6 billion plan is 1.2 percent of the current budget, but House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, and Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, were unable to reach a deal during the regular session that ended March 13.
Major differences on education, health care and environmental spending exist, but for Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, it hasn’t been substantive disagreements that produced the budget stalemate.
“Candidly, I think the problems with respect to the budget have not been about serious and impossible-to-bridge differences between the House and the Senate,” Gaetz told reporters. “Until now it’s been personality, it’s been old grudges and that sort of thing that’s kept us apart. But I think those days are gone. I think there’s a view that we’re going to all lay our swords done and we’re going to get a budget done, get the people’s business done.”
The House and Senate passed a slate of bills to set up formal negotiations between the chamber, to take place throughout the rest of the week. The bills were identical to the legislation passed by each chamber during the regular session, so there was no debate, but House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell of Tampa wanted more discussion on the floor.
“I would contend that the underlying assumptions for the budget in the bills are not necessarily the same,” Driskell said. “There have been conversations that have been going on for weeks that we haven't been privy to. And perhaps it would behoove not only this chamber, but also the public, for us to have an opportunity for us to have questions and debate, which is what we would do with any other bill.”
Driskell was joined by seven other House Democrats in voting against advancing the proposed budget from the regular session into conference talks: Rep. Lindsay Cross of St. Petersburg, Rep. Anna Eskamani of Orlando, Rep. Rita Harris of Orlando, Rep. Yvonne Hinson of Gainesville, Rep. Dotie Joseph of North Miami, Rep. Angie Nixon of Jacksonville and Rep. Rashon Young of Orlando.
Driskell and Senate Democratic Leader Lori Berman, D-Boca Raton, also called for lawmakers to include a cut to the gas tax in one of the bills.
In light of the surge in gas prices sparked by the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran, Berman wants to eliminate the 25.3 cent per gallon tax through the end of the summer.
“That will be significant relief for the people of the state of Florida if we suspend that tax,” Berman said.
Negotiations between House and Senate committees will take place through Friday, then unresolved issues will be subject to talks between budget committee chairmen Rep. Lawrence McClure, R-Dover, and Sen. Ed Hooper, R-Clearwater.
Perez and Albritton sent memos to members last week outlining a plan to vote on the budget the week of May 25. The special session is slated to last until May 29.
