TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV/Gray Florida Capital Bureau) – Day 10 of a special session brought no signs of progress on the state budget as negotiations moved behind closed doors.
Public meetings on line items ended last week. A small group of lawmakers is now trying to hash out the differences and close a $1.4 billion gap.
House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell said lawmakers are left in the dark near the end of week two.
“It’s almost hard to talk about it because there’s been such a lack of transparency in the process,” Driskell said.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said last week that most members have no idea what is going on.
“Now, these members probably have no idea either what’s going on,” DeSantis said.
Driskell said it is time to move on.
“Right now, things are just too up in the air. Personally, for my taste, I’d like to see us get this budget done and move on and do the work of the people of Florida,” Driskell said.
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DeSantis last week compared waiting for a budget to waiting for a new pope.
“I mean, it’s like, it’s kind of just like a little cabal of people that kind of like decided. And it’s like, it’s almost like, you know, is there like white smoke coming out of, yeah, it’s just, and so do we have a budget?” DeSantis said.
There has been no update on what is holding up the budget. The House has been hard on cuts, leaving very little wiggle room in the Senate.
DeSantis is encouraging lawmakers to get their only constitutional requirement done.
“So I would just encourage everybody that’s a part of that in the legislative, get it done, show how it’s done, show how Florida gets it done. We have a great track record. I don’t think you want to fritter that away now over really, I think, pretty minor disagreements,” DeSantis said.
Driskell said she is not sure if the budget vote will happen next week.
“It’s Thursday the 21st, and we still have not heard what day we’re coming back next week. If we’re coming back next week,” Driskell said.
The budget special session is scheduled to wrap up next Friday. The fiscal year starts July 1.
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