Officially, the Florida legislature is set to wrap up its 2025 session this Friday, May 2nd .
“Not going to happen. There’s too much tension going on between the Florida House, the State Senate, and the Governor’s office, so no, the session will not end as scheduled,” one legislative aide told Florida Daily.
Tax Relief
One of the hurdles is the difference in tax cut proposals between the House and the Senate. The House wants to cut the general rate of sales tax, currently at 6%, to 5.25%. The sales tax reduction would also apply to the commercial rent tax, the electricity rate, the rate on sales of new mobile homes, and the rate on coin-operated amusement machines.
The Florida Senate’s tax plan is popular, but it is much lighter than the House’s proposal. Senate leaders like extending sales tax holidays, including the Back-to-School Tax Holiday, and permanently eliminating the sales tax on clothing and shoes priced at $75 or less.
Observers note that Senate President Albritton is being a little careful when addressing tax relief for Floridians. “Cutting taxes now does little good if they have to be raised down the road,” he said.
Budget Proposals
The difference between the two chambers on the state’s budget is around $3 billion. Reports indicate that the negotiations between the House and Senate have not been very positive.
“The Senate’s expectation seems to be that the House should adopt the Senate budget with only slight modifications; that position is not only unacceptable, but it is patronizing,” said Florida House Speaker Danny Perez.
“This year’s budget negotiation process has differed greatly from years past,” said Casey Cook, Chief of Legislative Affairs at Florida League of Cities.
Cook said that typically top-line budget allocations are negotiated during the seventh week of session, and budget chairs will meet and negotiate between chambers during the eighth week. This year, top-line allocations are still in dispute.
“Budget negotiations will most likely involve policy exchanges, making it difficult to determine which bills are truly alive or dead,” said Cook.
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