TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed the state budget for Fiscal Year 2026-2027 on Monday. <\/p>\n
However, DeSantis vetoed nearly $810 million<\/a> worth of items, including cuts to security funding for Catholic schools. <\/p>\n According to DeSantis, this is the fourth year in a row of declining state spending while continuing to invest in things like education, infrastructure and public safety. <\/p>\n Among the line items vetoed were several projects in the Big Bend, including funding for the Florida State University College of Nursing and the Taylor County Animal Shelter. <\/p>\n The full list of local items nixed from the budget is below: <\/p>\n Florida State University – College of Nursing (HF 2891) (SF 1631) $2,500,000 ZeroEyes AI Firearm Detection – Franklin (HF 3642) (SF 1444) $15,000 Florida State University – Wakulla Springs Remediation Research and Education (HF 3645) (SF 1543) $850,000 FAMU-FSU College of Engineering – Cancer Drug Efficacy Screening in Microgravity (HF 1700) (SF 2708) $500,000FAMU-FSU College of Engineering – Immunotherapy Solutions for Tumors in Space Environments (HF 1699) (SF 2706) $1,000,000FAMU-FSU College of Engineering – Space Medicine Innovation Ecosystem (HF 1698) (SF 2703) $500,000Increasing Employee Retention at the Florida Department of Corrections (HF 1103) (SF 2674) $725,000Capitol Complex\/Area Drones as First Responders (DFR) Program (HF 3343) (SF 1535) $650,000Taylor County Animal Shelter (HF 3636) (SF 1569) $750,000Wakulla County Senior and Community Hunger Initiative (HF 3179) (SF 1428) $400,000Carrabelle Watermain Extension Oak Street to Carlton Ave (HF 3655) (SF 1548) $740,000St. Marks Water System Upgrades (HF 3633) (SF 1562) – $1,000,000Talquin Water and Wastewater Fire Flow Protection (HF 3620) – $300,000Leon County Storm Hardening for Emergency Staging and Operations (HF 2753) (SF 2915) $500,000<\/p>\n Despite the cuts, some projects around the Big Bend remained in the budget. <\/p>\n Those projects include but are not limited to, road improvements in Carrabelle and Perry, funding for renovations and remodels on FSU\u2019s campus and funding for schools district projects in several Big Bend counties.<\/p>\n To keep up with the latest news as it develops, follow WCTV on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, Nextdoor<\/a> <\/a>and X<\/a> (Twitter<\/a>).<\/p>\n Have a news tip or see an error? Write to us here<\/a>. Please include the article\u2019s headline in your message.<\/p>\n Be the first to see all the biggest headlines by downloading the WCTV News app. Click here<\/a> to get started.<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 WCTV. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n