Gov. Ron DeSantis used his veto pen to cut nearly $18 million in Northeast Florida projects the Florida Legislature included in this year’s state budget.
The cuts were part of nearly $810 million in local projects DeSantis vetoed from the state’s $117.6 billion spending plan for the 2026-27 fiscal year — his final state budget as governor.
Among the cuts were $1.75 million from restroom buildings at the new Jacksonville fairgrounds under construction on the Westside, sponsored by Republican Rep. Wyann Duggan in the House and Democrat Sen. Tracie Davis in the Senate. DeSantis allowed $3.5 million in last year’s budget for the fairgrounds’ second phase.
The governor also eliminated a total of $1 million for Edward Waters University’s Living, Learning, and Community Multiplex, which also received $2 million in support from the city earlier this year.
A pair of $750,000 vetoes also cut funding for an 11th and 12th Street Connector project and the Hogan Street Emerald Trail segment from Union to First streets in Jacksonville.
Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a news conference Aug. 12, 2025, in Tampa. | Chris O’Meara, AP file
During a news conference Monday, the governor touted his line-item veto record, which is about $10.6 billion total during his eight years in office.
“I’m not trying to set a veto record. I already did set that record,” DeSantis said. “But I did want to make sure the budget (was) reduced. And it didn’t have to be reduced by $5 billion, but it had to be lower. … Within that, we wanted to accommodate a lot of the priorities that the folks in the Legislature had.”
What survived
The governor left tens of millions of dollars for First Coast projects in the budget. The state will invest $2 million in the city of Jacksonville’s push to get the Culinary Institute of America to bring its Southeast U.S. campus to the Downtown riverfront.
The final state budget also keeps $1.25 million for the Jacksonville Museum of Science & History’s proposed $131 million new Downtown Northbank facility.
There’s also $5 million for fencing, bollards, lighting, and landscaping around the east side of Downtown Jacksonville to improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety around the $2 billion Pearl Square neighborhood, currently under construction.
Here is the list of local project funding from the Legislature that survived in the final budget:
In the budget: Jacksonville and Duval County
Jacksonville Regional Corridor — Interstate 295 to U.S. — $8.1 million
Jacksonville — Wigmore Street Vehicle Overpass — $5 million
Improving Safety & Security in Downtown Jacksonville — $5 million
Jacksonville Classical Academy Expansion — $3 million
Culinary Institute of America — Downtown Jacksonville Campus — $2 million
Jacksonville University Accelerated Nursing Programs — $2 million
Jacksonville University Entrepreneurism, Policy, Innovation, and Commerce Program — $2 million
UF Health Jacksonville operating support — $1.5 million
University of Florida (Jacksonville) — $1,276,630
Jacksonville Museum of Science & History Genesis — $1.25 million
Jacksonville — McCoys Creek Park — $1 million
Jacksonville — Baymeadows Road Crosswalk Improvements — $972,000
Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office — Drone First Responder Program — $610,000
Her Song Jacksonville — Survivor Care for Victims of Human Trafficking — $500,000
Women’s Center of Jacksonville: Sexual Assault Forensic Exam Program — $461,710
Jacksonville Zoo and Botanical Gardens Lion’s Camp Education Center — $400,000
Jacksonville School for Autism Supportive Transition & Employment Placement Program — $300,000
The Arc Jacksonville — IDD Family Support & Navigation Pilot — $300,000
Jacksonville Sports Foundation — Florida Sports Workforce Apprenticeship Initiative — $250,000
Virtual Tutoring Support Program for Duval County Public Schools — $250,000
The Jacksonville History Center — $225,000
Jacksonville Arts & Music School (JAMS) — What A Leader (W.A.L.) Program — $200,000
The LJD Jewish Family & Community Services — Duval County Mental Health — $200,000
Atlantic Beach — Sailfish Drive Multi-Use Path — $195,000
NAMI Jacksonville — PEER Link — Peer Navigation and Mental Health Support — $150,000
St. Augustine and St. Johns County
Lower St. Johns River Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Restoration Project Phase 2 — $2 million
St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office Detox Program — $1.3 million
St. Augustine Beach Mickler Outfall South Adaptation/Resiliency Improvements — $1,016,025
St. Johns County – State Road 16 Phase 2 — $1 million
St. Augustine Beach Mickler Outfall North Resiliency/Adaptation Improvements — $828,000
St. Johns County School District — Therapeutic Learning Center for Children at The Arc
of the St. Johns – Charter School Expansion — $500,000
St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum World War II-Themed Education Building (– $500,000
St. Johns County Police Athletic League Diamond of Dreams — $500,000
St. Augustine Youth Services – Intensive In-Home Therapeutic Programs — $300,000
St. Augustine Teen Center Boys & Girls Club — $200,000
Trinity Rescue Mission – St. Johns Facility Improvements — $150,000
St. Johns County Career and Job Readiness — $132,500
Nassau County
Nassau County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit Regional Training Facility — Public Safety Training Complex — $500,000
Nassau County Thomas Creek Basin Flooding Mitigation — $500,000
Nassau County Affordable Housing — $500,000
Nassau County Courthouse Redesign and New Courtroom — $500,000
Nassau County Youth Alternative to Secured Detention — $125,000
Clay County
Clay County School Readiness and Early Learning Services — $7.466 million
Clay County Voluntary pre-kindergarden program — $4.743 million
Expand County Road 218 to Four Lanes — $2 million
First Coast project funding the governor cut from the budget include:
Vetoed: Jacksonville and Duval County
Jacksonville Fair Restroom Buildings Phase 3 — $1,75 million
Program for All Inclusive Care for the Elderly, 200 New Slots — Duval County — $1.39 million
Jacksonville — 11th and 12th Street Connector — $750,000
Jacksonville — Hogan Street Emerald Trail from Union Street to 1st Street — $750,000
Edward Waters University — Living, Learning, and Community Multiplex — $666,300
Springfield Preservation and Revitalization Council Inc. — Drew Rehabilitation — $350,000
Edward Waters University — Living, Learning, and Community Multiplex — $333,700
Historic Eastside Community Preventive Health and Wellness Initiative — $136,538
Atlantic Beach — Sailfish Drive Multi-Use Path — $195,000
Northeast Florida Builders Association Workforce Education Expansion Operations — $100,000
Planned to A.T. Financial Literacy Curriculum Expansion in Duval County Public Schools — $100,000
St. Augustine and St. Johns County
St. Augustine Design, Construction of Resilient Structure on Anastasia Blvd — $1.5 million
Anastasia Island Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety — $1.25 million
St. Augustine Wastewater System Planning & Design — $1 million
St. Augustine Beach Mizell Outfall Resiliency Improvements — $776,250
The Arc of the St. Johns — Transportation Maintenance Facility Expansion and Modernization — $750,000
St. Johns County School District — Therapeutic Learning Center for Children at The Arc of the St. Johns — Charter School Expansion — $500,000
Green Cove Springs — St. Johns River Trail Design Phase II — $356,250
Nassau County
Nassau County CR 107 Widening & Intersection Improvements — $500,000
Clay County
Clay County Fairgrounds Improvements — $250,000
Clay County Utility Authority OT, SCADA and Cybersecurity Improvements — $750,000
Clay County Utility Authority OT, SCADA and Cybersecurity Improvements — $250,000