PENSACOLA, Fla. — Florida is setting aside an unprecedented amount of money for emergencies, according to the governor’s office.

Governor Ron DeSantis signed Florida’s new state spending plan on Monday. The total is $117 billion. Of that, $18 billion will go towards the state’s reserve fund.

The central question that’s plaguing Floridians — should we be saving that money for later or spending it now?

“I’d say that’s the most the state has ever had, outside of COVID dollars,” Rep. Alex Andrade said.

The funds can be used to cushion the state’s budget during events like natural disasters and economic decline.

Florida state officials last tapped into these dollars in 2008 during the Great Recession. Since then, the fund has grown exponentially.

Andrade says that’s a good thing.

“There’s always a risk,” he said. “Our sales tax numbers could come in way under what we anticipated. In those circumstances, we wouldn’t have to raise fees. We wouldn’t have to raise taxes to make ends meet.”

In addition to signing the $117B budget, DeSantis also vetoed billions of dollars in line item projects, including several in Northwest Florida.

Andrade says he’s not disappointed, because the governor only vetoed a fraction of the projects he backed.

“We’re trying to reduce as many liabilities as possible,” he said, “and be as well-prepared for any economic downturn that might ever happen as possible, so that we’re not creating more burdens for Floridians than we’re eliminating.”

Supporters say the reserve is necessary — giving the state one of its largest financial safety nets ever.

Critics argue some of that money should be spent on the state’s current problems instead.

“He keeps saving and throwing in this fund. What is it? Where’s it going and what’s it doing?” says Ronald Toole, president of the Niceville Exchange Club.

Toole sought $175,000 from the state’s budget to open a Panhandle chapter of “The National Exchange Club” — an organization that helps prevent child abuse. But the governor denied his request.

Staff at The Exchange intervene with families experiencing domestic issues.

“So it cost us $1,500 to work with those children or families,” Poole said. “It cost $105,000 to put that child in the end of foster care per year. So it saves the taxpayers of the State of Florida tons of money and it also keeps families together. It frees up the court system, which frees up a lot of different things.”

The new budget takes effect Wednesday.