DeSantis targets veto overrides by the Florida Legislature

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Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday called the Republican-controlled House’s decisions to override a series of budget vetoes “misplaced priorities.” In a video posted online, DeSantis said the overrides Wednesday would undo “millions of dollars in cost savings that I instituted back in June of 2024, when I signed the budget for this fiscal year.” The House unanimously voted to override four vetoes that totaled $4.74 million. During a special session in February, the House and Senate overrode a DeSantis veto of $57 million for “legislative support services” — the first time the Legislature had overridden a DeSantis veto during his six years as governor. In the video posted on X, DeSantis said that over the past two months, the House has “voted to undo more than $60 million in taxpayers’ savings, choosing to spend more in this fiscal year when we’re almost at the end of it anyways.” He also accused the House of failing to address “pressing Issues,” such as rising costs for condominium owners. “We need relief from the condo crisis. We need to enact permanent protections for medical freedom,” DeSantis said. “We need a universal E-Verify to strengthen our existing laws against illegal immigration. And we need a Florida-first tax package that will reduce the number one tax that is hurting Floridians, which is property tax.” The Senate has not indicated whether it will also override the four vetoes targeted Wednesday by the House. The four vetoes were $140,000 for the Florida Senior Veterans in Crisis Fund; $2.5 million for a Rockledge water-treatment project; $1 million for an automated staffing, time management and scheduling system; and $1.104 million for a sewer and water project in Baldwin. DeSantis vetoed nearly $950 million from the budget for the 2024-2025 fiscal year, which started June 30. After DeSantis vetoed $57 for legislative support services, the Legislature said it had to dip into reserves to avoid firing employees or shutting down operations.