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House, Senate reach deal on nearly $50B in budget allocations

Agreeing on budget silos is a critical step toward finalizing the budget, and time is ticking.

Just one day before budget conferences are set to start in the Legislature to iron out a past-due budget, legislative leaders have reached an agreement on budget allocations, a critical step before negotiating the finer details.

The allocations total $49.96 billion, with the largest allocation going toward health and human services, at $17.5 billion.

Behind that is the state pre-K-12 education allocation, at $16 billion. The allocations also slot $6.5 billion for higher education and another $6.5 billion for criminal and civil justice. Lawmakers would also provide $1.5 billion for agriculture and the environment, with $675 million for general government, $553 million for transportation, tourism and economic development, and $527 million for administered funds and statewide issues.

The allocations will be part of a broader budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year, which begins July 1.

Gov. DeSantis signs bills bolstering property rights for hotels and commercial businesses

New laws will make it easier for law enforcement to remove squatters in commercial buildings and freeloading hotel guests.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed two measures adding new protections for commercial property owners and hotels dealing with unwanted squatters.

“Property rights are really important. If you don’t have private property rights, you cannot have a free society,” DeSantis said as he signed SB 322 and SB 606.

The measures make it easier for law enforcement to remove squatters in commercial buildings and hotel and motel guests who aren’t paying but won’t leave.

DeSantis signed the legislation during a press conference in Sarasota.

“Under current law, the remedies to remove unauthorized applicants or occupants of a commercial property can, unfortunately, be lengthy and time consuming, which then incentivizes people to take advantage of the situation. And we’re not going to allow that to happen,” DeSantis said as Florida expands “anti-squatter” legislation from last year that targeted residential properties.

A top DeSantis aide could become Florida’s next education commissioner

A key aide to Gov. Ron DeSantis with little public profile could soon rise to the nationally prominent post of Florida’s education commissioner.

Anastasios I. Kamoutsas, one of DeSantis’ four deputy chiefs of staff, has emerged as one of the most frequently mentioned choices to replace Manny Diaz Jr., who becomes the University of West Florida’s interim president in July. If selected, he would follow other top aides into high-level posts, including James Uthmeier as attorney general and Alex Kelly as commerce secretary.

Though relatively unknown outside the governor’s inner circle, Kamoutsas, known informally as “Stasi,” has had a lengthy involvement in education issues, having served as general counsel and chief of staff in the Department of Education before joining the governor’s staff two years ago.

“If it’s education policy in the state of Florida over the last seven years, Stasi’s fingerprints are there,” said Richard Corcoran, a former education commissioner who currently leads New College of Florida.

Florida leaders look at merging NASA, Space Force operations at Cape Canaveral

As Florida leaders call for moving the nation's space agency headquarters to Brevard County, Space Florida is launching a study about how NASA and U.S. Space Force operations could be merged at Cape Canaveral.

Space Florida President and CEO Robert Long on Wednesday told board members of the state aerospace agency that a "unified model" would support the ongoing growth of commercial space operations and ensure government missions can be more efficient and sustainable.

"We think that it's time that we ask ourselves as a nation, what is the optimal model to carry the world's most active and capable spaceport into the future and enable America to continue to lead in space," Long said.

How that looks will be up to a "new Cape Canaveral Spaceport master plan," which Long said will include participation from NASA and the Space Force.

Under Acting Administrator Janet Petro, NASA is looking to consolidate or relocate operations to streamline the organization.