There won’t be a special session to work on the budget next week, legislative leaders announced Wednesday.
House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, and Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, sent separate memos to their members alerting them they won’t need to travel to Tallahassee next week.
When the regular session ended March 13 without a budget deal, “mid-April” was eyed as a likely time to return for lawmakers.
But discussions between the chambers on allocations – top line budget numbers – that are needed to embark on formal negotiations on the final spending plan, have so far failed to result in an agreement.
“While I believe we are making great progress, it will not be necessary for you to return to Tallahassee prior to the special session called by Governor DeSantis. We will share a schedule for that special session as soon as possible,” Albritton wrote in his memo.
Perez called “external speculation” of a special session next week “not accurate.”
“When we have an update on the timing of the budget, we will notify you,” Perez stated.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has already called a special session for the week of April 20 to redraw congressional districts.
During the regular session budget talks stalemated largely on the overall size of the spending plan. The House preferred a cut from the current budget and passed a $113.6 billion proposal, while the Senate passed a $115 billion plan.
A budget must be in place by July 1, the start of the fiscal year, to avoid a partial state government shutdown.
