The passage of the Florida 2025-26 fiscal year budget – the only legally mandated action to be taken by the Florida Legislature annually – is approved and will soon make its way to the Governor for review and his line-item approval or veto authority. This year’s deliberation by the Legislature was more contentious than any year in recent history as reflected in the time required to pass it. More than 100 days instead of the scheduled 60-day process.
The reasons are too many to enumerate. This Capitol Report – with its viewpoint on the health and welfare of the state’s children – will focus on what is believed to be the major fault line underneath the state’s bedrock of decision-making, lurking not to shake Florida to its knees in one massive eruption but to crumble over time until one day in the future, we look back and see the unmistakable damage.
Citizen Voice
The contentiousness between the chambers and the governor’s office in the preparation of Florida’s 25-26 budget had a common denominator: how to reduce revenue. This fight was seriously flawed.
In a widely reported June 3 poll by the University of North Florida, citizens in Florida’s largest city by population ranked housing costs at the top of their list of problems (25%), triple the few who cited property taxes (8%). The misalignment with the raging debate at the state capitol couldn’t be starker.
A few truths: (1) Florida is the fastest growing state in the country; (2) Florida ranks near the bottom in most every indicator of investment in our children, whether it’s education, physical, oral and mental health, child welfare, social justice, special needs … the list goes on. (3) According to the venerable Kids Count national report, Florida is falling further behind in the health and welfare of our children. (4) Today, nearly 50% of Florida families are living paycheck to paycheck. (5) In some areas of the state, 54% of our children live in rental units, due to the inability of parent(s) or guardians to save enough capital to purchase a home.
More holes than a soaker hose
Another truth: Does anyone truly believe the scrubbed budgets prepared for submission to the Governor’s office by executive branch agency heads, which are then scubbed again before sending to the legislature, are a true reflection of the needs of children and their families? Seriously? These budgets have more holes than a soaker hose gardeners stretch across their flower beds.
Rising food and insurance costs
As reported elsewhere, citizens are clearly stating they are being crushed by the costs of home insurance, car insurance and spiraling grocery prices.
Property tax reductions do nothing to help families who rent. By amount, they benefit the ownership class. The devastation to cities, counties, schools and children’s funding districts will be enormous. Sale taxes are undeniably regressive, gobbling up higher percentages of the family budget as overall family income moves downward. Any blips in the economy coupled with sales tax rate reductions will require painful state budget cuts and these will be felt hardest by programs and services for children and families. Regarding tax free holidays, it’s a boon for the retailers and big box stores. Far too often, prices are raised by the amount of taxes “saved” on the purchase and then promoted. Instead of going to the state’s coffers, the “reduction” goes to the retailers’ bottom line.
Of course, the home insurance market has “stabilized.” But rates have also doubled and even tripled. In fact, an investigation is underway to determine whether insurance companies hid profits while going bankrupt. A report into this “risky business” is underway to determine whether insurance companies justified premium hikes on policyholders to cover “losses” after executives allegedly distributed $680 million in dividends to shareholders and diverted billions more to affiliates.
Regardless of the outcome of this latest scandal, the struggle to pay these massive insurance premiums is real for most Floridians.
Florida is a growing state. More people equate to more needs and a bigger budget, not less. If the right questions are asked the right answers will rise to the top, like cream.
By time the legislature comes back in the fall, for the children and families of Florida to be truly helped, facts about their true needs and priorities should be considered. Maybe by making our children a priority, and the non-profit sector that struggles to serve them, the state budget could be completed on time and in the best interest of all everyday children and families, not the few.
We are not asking for perfection. We are asking, politely, and with good intentions, for progress.