Ron DeSantis just got blindsided by one budget move that has Florida Democrats fuming

Florida lawmakers finally wrapped up one of the most contentious legislative sessions in recent history.

But the final budget deal delivered a crushing blow to working families.

And Ron DeSantis just got blindsided by one budget move that has Florida Democrats fuming.

Florida lawmakers approve massive tax cuts for big business while families get crumbs

After 105 days of bitter political infighting, Florida lawmakers finally passed a $115 billion state budget that exposes the Republican Party’s true priorities.

The marathon legislative session dragged on for 45 extra days beyond its scheduled end, turning into a bitter fight between House Speaker Daniel Perez and Governor Ron DeSantis over competing tax cut proposals.

But when the dust settled, it became crystal clear who really won – and it wasn’t Florida families.

The final budget includes a staggering $1.3 billion tax cut package that overwhelmingly benefits big corporations at the expense of everyday Floridians.

The centerpiece of the deal eliminates Florida’s business rent tax, handing corporate interests a massive $904.8 million annual windfall.

Senate budget chief Ed Hooper defended the corporate tax breaks by claiming they would boost employment.

“Local businesses create the jobs families need to thrive, and communities need to grow,” Hooper said in a released statement.

House Speaker Daniel Perez defended the business tax cuts as beneficial for job creation.

“You’re helping small businesses create jobs, grow, and help their communities,” Perez said. “We’re allowing these businesses to not just maintain their success today, but grow into the future.”

But Democrat leaders weren’t buying the trickle-down economics fairy tale.

House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell challenged the Republican priorities.

“If we can help them, why can’t we also do things to help consumers?” Driskell asked. “We can do both things at the same time. I think it is a false choice to suggest that’s the only way we can help.”

Working families get table scraps while corporations feast

While businesses celebrate their $904.8 million tax cut bonanza, Florida families are left fighting over the crumbs.

The budget does include some token gestures toward working families, but the numbers tell the real story.

The permanent Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday will save families an estimated $167.7 million – less than one-fifth of what corporations are getting from the business rent tax elimination alone.

Hurricane supply tax exemptions will save consumers just $113.9 million, while other small exemptions on items like sunscreen and life jackets add up to a measly $13.4 million.

Senate Democratic Leader Lori Berman didn’t mince words about the Republican priorities.

“This budget doesn’t do nearly enough to address Florida’s affordability crisis,” Berman stated. “Very little of that tax relief is going to the average Floridian — instead, we’re giving handouts to huge corporations.”

The math is brutal and undeniable – for every dollar in tax relief going to Florida families, big businesses are getting more than five dollars.

DeSantis gets humiliated as his signature property tax cuts get axed

The budget battle also delivered a stinging political defeat to Governor Ron DeSantis, who saw his signature property tax rebate proposal completely eliminated.

DeSantis had pushed for giving homeowners an average $1,000 property tax rebate by having the state backfill school funding.

Instead, the final budget actually increases property tax revenue for schools by $674.5 million – the exact opposite of what DeSantis wanted.

The Governor’s humiliation was complete when lawmakers relegated his property tax cuts to a mere study funded with less than $1 million.

“Property tax cuts remain on the table, albeit for next year,” Senate President Ben Albritton said, essentially kicking DeSantis’s flagship proposal down the road.

The defeat exposes the limits of DeSantis’s political influence as he becomes a lame duck governor with his presidential ambitions in ruins.

House Speaker Perez made it clear that the legislature wasn’t going to rubber-stamp the Governor’s agenda.

“Our goal was to be a co-equal branch of government, have an opinion that matters, an opinion of value,” Perez told reporters. “I do believe now more than ever that the House’s opinion matters.”

Democrats warn of disaster ahead for Florida families

The Republican budget priorities become even more alarming when considering the challenges facing Florida families.

The state is already grappling with an affordability crisis that has priced many working families out of housing and basic necessities.

Democrat lawmakers warned that potential federal funding cuts to programs like food stamps and Medicaid could devastate vulnerable Floridians.

But Republican leaders showed little concern for these looming threats to working families.

Senate President Albritton dismissed the concerns, saying they would address federal cuts “when it gets here.”

“We don’t know what those numbers are going to be yet, so our budget does not contemplate what they could be,” Senator Jay Trumbull added.

The cavalier attitude toward programs that provide lifelines for struggling families reveals the true Republican mindset – corporate profits matter more than people.

Meanwhile, Rep. Anna Eskamani summed up the lost opportunities in the prolonged budget battle.

“There was just so much time spent on conflict and controversy, that a lot of issues that would benefit working families got left behind,” Eskamani explained.

The 2025 Florida legislative session will be remembered as a prime example of Republican priorities in action – massive corporate tax cuts while working families get left behind.

Governor DeSantis now has line-item veto power over the budget, but with less than two weeks before the July 1 deadline, his options for major changes are limited.

The budget battle exposed deep fractures within the Republican Party and raised serious questions about whether Florida’s leaders actually represent the interests of their constituents.