FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, August 17, 2026
CONTACT: Christina Johnson
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) released The Taxpayers’ Guide to Florida’s FY2026-27 State Budget, providing an overview of Florida’s Fiscal Year 2026-27 state budget. The 2026 Legislature appropriated a total of $113.9 billion for the new fiscal year, a reduction of $926 million (0.8 percent) from FY2025-26 spending. This is the second year in a row that the bottom line of the budget has decreased.
The House and Senate budget proposals totaled $113.6 billion and $115.0 billion, respectively. After a prolonged budget conference, the two chambers compromised on a $114.5 billion spending plan. Although the new budget has a smaller published bottom line, it spends $1.5 billion more in General Revenue (GR) than in the current year. The Budget Guide also details $4.5 billion in appropriations, technically for FY2025-26, that are not included in the budget total.
Florida TaxWatch President and CEO Jeff Kottkamp said, “Florida TaxWatch is proud to present its comprehensive annual Budget Guide, which provides detailed and historical information on this year’s state budget to better understand where and how our hard-earned tax dollars are being spent. Drawing on our 47 years of experience analyzing our state budget—this unparalled resource provides information and insights available nowhere else.
“Despite the call for a leaner budget, legislators requested more hometown projects than ever before. The budget includes nearly 2,000 of those local member project, which is not sustainable, particularly with potential general revenue budget shortfalls on the horizon.”
In addition, the Florida TaxWatch annual Budget Turkey Watch report identified 631 appropriations totaling $829.7 million that qualify as “Budget Turkeys.” These are appropriations that bypass or violate established budget procedures or legislative and public scrutiny. Moreover, the report highlighted $441.1 million in projects that, while not meeting the strict Budget Turkey criteria, certainly merited extra scrutiny and close gubernatorial review. These two groups of appropriations are almost entirely member projects. The Governor vetoed 342 projects that were identified in the Budget Turkey Watch report, worth $229.7 million.
The Governor’s vetoes lowered the budget total by $660.0 million. He also vetoed some budget transfers and trust fund sweeps which are not appropriations and do not reduce spending. Adding $91.4 million in FY2026-27 appropriations made in general bills and the back of the bill (see pages 26-28) brings the net total of the new budget is $113.9 billion.
This Budget Guide, along with an extensive portfolio of research and analyses, can be found on FTW’s Florida Budget Hub.
About Florida TaxWatch
As an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit government watchdog and taxpayer research institute, and the trusted “eyes and ears” of Florida taxpayers for more than 47 years, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) works to improve the productivity and accountability of Florida government. Its research recommends productivity enhancements and explains the statewide impact of fiscal and economic policies and practices on taxpayers and businesses. FTW is supported by its membership via voluntary, tax-deductible donations and private grants. Donations provide a solid, lasting foundation that has enabled FTW to bring about a more effective, responsive government that is more accountable to, and productive for, the taxpayers it has served since 1979. For more information, please visit www.FloridaTaxWatch.org.
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