DeSantis Watch Statement on Ron’s Cruel Budget Vetoes

TALLAHASSEE — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis signed Florida’s budget while issuing close to $1 billion in vetoes to vital local projects that would protect public safety, confront the climate crisis and preserve our environmental treasures, expand access to health care for Floridians in need, and provide vital educational opportunities for students and families throughout the state.

In response, DeSantis Watch Communications Director Anders Croy released the following statement:

“In a year when the Governor’s office highlighted the fact that the state had a $14.6 billion surplus in the state’s rainy day fund, Ron DeSantis’ cruel budget vetoes put public safety at risk and show his misplaced priorities by targeting those Floridians most in need of relief due to the ongoing affordability crisis that he created.

“For Floridians paying nearly five times the national average for property insurance as we are ground zero for the climate crisis, our teachers who are next to last nationally in pay, the more than half a million children who have been kicked off their health care, and the families impacted as our state leads the nation in mass shootings, it is raining every day. But the Governor has chosen to slash programs that would help make our communities safer, expand access to care for families in need, allow our state to deal with impacts from climate change, and provide crucial support for education programs and training opportunities, rather than using money already approved by the legislature to improve the lives of his constituents.

“While Ron DeSantis remains focused on his own political ambitions instead of the real issues confronting the people he was elected to serve, workers and seniors throughout Florida deserve leaders who will focus on raising wages, lowering costs, and creating a brighter future for all of us.”