House & Senate Proposed Budget (SFY 2025 – 2026)

COUNTY FUNDING HIGHLIGHTS 

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES 

Shared County/State Juvenile Detention: The House and Senate proposed budgets estimate the counties’ portion of county/state cost-sharing for Juvenile Detention to be $76.8 million and $78.6 million, respectively.  

Community Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services: Funded at approximately $1.33 billion in the House proposed budget and $1.37 billion in the Senate’s proposed budget. 

Community Action Treatment (CAT) Teams: $41.5 million the House and Senate budget directed to the Department of Children and Families (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 health and/or substance abuse diagnoses.  

Public Safety, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Local Matching Grant Program: $9 million in the House and 20 million in the Senate for this grant program, which funds county services that support adults or youth in behavioral crises, or at risk of entering the criminal justice system.  

Crime Labs: The House and Senate proposed budgets allocate approximately $80.1 million and $81.2 million, respectively, in grants and aid to local governments for criminal investigations. 

Homeless Programs Challenge Grants: The House and Senate proposed budgets both allocate approximately $20 million to DCF for challenge grants, which are awarded to lead agencies of homeless assistance continuums of care. 

AGRICULTURAL & ENVIRONMENT   

Water Quality Highlights: 

• Septic-to-Sewer Improvements: The House and Senate budget proposals allocate $193.2 million and $505 million, respectively, to the Wastewater Grant Program, established in s. 403.0673, F.S., providing grant funding for projects to construct, upgrade or expand wastewater facilities, to provide advanced wastewater treatment, and to convert private septic tanks to public sewer networks. 

• Water Quality Enhancement and Accountability: The proposed House and Senate budgets allocate $10.8 million for increased water quality monitoring, the creation of a water quality public information portal, and for the establishment of the Blue-Green Algae Task Force. Funds may be used for administration and planning costs. The task force will support key restoration initiatives to expedite nutrient reduction in Lake Okeechobee and the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries. The task force will identify priority projects based on scientific data and build upon existing Basin Management Action Plans (BMAPs) to provide the greatest nutrient reductions in key waterbodies, as well as make recommendations for regulatory changes. The Senate budget specifically earmarks $4 million in nonrecurring funds to the Department of Environmental Protection to expand statewide water quality analytics for the nutrient over-enrichment assessment and water quality information portal. 

• Water Quality Improvement Grant Program:  

• The House and Senate allocate $50 million for reductions in harmful discharges to the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie Estuaries (Everglades) 

• The Senate allocates $50 million for water quality improvement projects within the proximity of the Indian River Lagoon. The House budget does not include funding for this purpose.  

• The House and Senate allocate $40 million and $20 million, respectively, for septic-to-sewer and advanced wastewater projects, to improve the water quality within Biscayne Bay. 

• Total Maximum Daily Loads: 

• The House and Senate allocate $50 million and $25 million respectively to DEP for innovative water treatment projects that demonstrate the ability to most rapidly achieve department verified phosphorous and/or nitrogen load reductions consistent with the nutrient load reduction goals and total maximum daily loads established by the department. The department may also provide cost-share funding for innovative nutrient removal projects. 

• Harmful Algal Blooms: The House and Senate allocate $15 million for innovative technologies and short-term solutions for addressing harmful algal blooms in fresh waterbodies; funds may be used for the red tide emergency grant program and to support local government efforts in cleaning beach and coastal areas. Funds may also be used to implement water quality treatment technologies, identified by the department, near water control structures in Lake Okeechobee. 

• Springs Restoration: The House and Senate proposed budgets allocate $50 million from the Land Acquisition Trust Fund for land acquisition to protect springs and for capital projects that protect the quality and quantity of water that flow from springs. 

• Alternative Water Supply: The proposed House budget allocates $60 million, while the Senate version allocates $50 million to the water supply and water resource development grant program to help communities plan for and implement conservation, reuse and other water supply and water resource development projects. The House includes language to provide priority funding to regional projects in the areas of greatest need and for projects that provide the greatest benefit. The department shall identify and research all viable alternative water supply resources and provide an assessment of funding needs critical to supporting Florida’s growing economy. 

Florida Forever: The proposed Senate budget allocates $100 million for the acquisition of environmentally endangered and unique/irreplaceable lands. The proposed House budget does not include funding for this program.  

Florida Recreation Development Assistance Grants: Senate $12.2 million. The proposed House budget does not include funding for this program.  

Beach Management Funding Assistance Program: The proposed House and Senate budgets allocate $50 million and $52.5 million, respectively, to the Department of Environmental Protection for beach and inlet management projects consistent with any component of the comprehensive long-term management plan developed in accordance with section 161.161, Florida Statutes. Funds may be used in accordance with section 161.101, Florida Statutes, for projects on annual ranked lists, storm repair projects, or projects on lands managed by the state.  

Resilient Florida programs: The House and Senate allocate $200 million and $100 million, respectively, to the Department of Environmental Protection for Statewide Flooding and Sea Level Rise Resilience projects. Additionally, the Senate allocates an additional $100 million toward a Resilient Florida revolving loan program.  

The House and Senate also allocate $20 million and $18 million, respectively, for Resilient Florida planning grants to fund preconstruction activities.  

Mosquito control programs: The House and Senate proposed budgets allocate approximately $3.2 million. 

TRANSPORTATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 

Affordable Housing:  

• State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) program: The House and Senate each appropriated $163.8 million for the State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP).  

• Affordable Housing Programs: The Legislature appropriated $235 million in the House and 385 million in the Senate for the Housing Finance Corporation (HFC) Affordable Housing Program. 

• Hometown Heroes Housing Program: The House allocated $50 million and the Senate allocated $150 million to the Hometown Heroes program, making homeownership affordable for eligible frontline community workers such as law enforcement officers, firefighters, educators, healthcare professionals, childcare employees, and active military or veterans. 

Job Growth Grant Fund: The proposed Senate budget allocates $25 million.  

Visit Florida: The proposed House budget allocates $30 million, while the Senate version allocates $80 million.  

Transportation Disadvantaged Grants and Aids: The proposed House and Senate budgets allocate approximately $64.3 million and $60.3 million, respectively, for improved service delivery for transportation-disadvantaged individuals.  

Small County Outreach Program (SCOP): The proposed House and Senate budgets allocate approximately $91.9 million.  

Small County Resurface Assistance Program (SCRAP): The proposed House and Senate budgets allocate approximately $27.4 million.  

Rural Economic Development:   

• Broadband: The House and Senate reappropriate $100 million for the state’s implementation of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program (BEAD), which funds broadband Internet planning, deployment, mapping, equity, and adoption activities with a goal of providing high-speed, reliable broadband Internet service access to all Florida communities.  

• Rural Infrastructure Fund: The House allocates $5 million, and the Senate allocates $8.5 million to support local rural infrastructure projects such as broadband, roads, storm and wastewater systems, and telecommunications facilities. 

GENERAL GOVERNMENT 

Library Grants and Library Cooperatives: The House and Senate proposed budgets allocate $19.3 million. 

Fiscally Constrained County Funding: Both the proposed House and Senate budgets allocate $73.8 million, to offset the impacts of previously approved constitutional amendments on fiscally constrained counties. 

Emergency Distributions: The proposed House and Senate budgets allocate $34.7 million and $34.9 million, respectively, in emergency distribution revenue sharing for small counties. 

Local Cybersecurity Grant Program: The proposed House budget allocates $15 million to provide technical assistance to local governments for the development and enhancement of local cybersecurity risk management programs. The proposed Senate budget does not include funding for this purpose.  

BACK OF THE BILL 

FRS Conforming Bill and Contribution Rates 

The House and Senate amended the employer contribution rates for the Florida Retirement System (FRS) in their respective conforming bills, HB 5007 – State Administered Retirement System and SB 7022– Retirement.  

The charts below show the revised employer contribution rates for 1) the normal plan costs, 2) the unfunded actuarial liability of the system.