Lawmakers must return to Tallahassee soon to resolve deep spending disagreements and finalize a multi-billion dollar state budget.
Indecision has a price. At least, it does for Florida taxpayers.
Last year’s extended session that featured a lengthy standoff between the Florida House and Florida Senate over spending and taxes cost slightly more than $259,000, according to figures compiled by the Office of Legislative Services and obtained by the Phoenix.
That’s the second highest total associated with a special or extended session since 2018. A special session in May 2021 to ratify a gambling deal with the Seminole Tribe cost more than $131,000.
Legislators will likely have have to spend a fair amount of extra money this year, as well.
The Florida Legislature ended its regular 60-day session earlier this month, but lawmakers left town before finishing a new state budget as disagreements over spending once again left legislative leaders unable to agree.
There’s already a late April special session planned for mid-decade redistricting and Gov. Ron DeSantis has floated the idea of a special session for property taxes.
Legislators set aside money in the budget for the normal operations of the House and Senate, but there are costs associated with extended sessions and special sessions because legislators and some legislative staff remain in Tallahassee instead of returning home to their districts.
The latest numbers showed that the extended session from May 3 to June 16 of last year cost as much as it did, primarily due to duration. The daily average cost was $2,130.
Special sessions held in 2021 and 2022 ranged anywhere from nearly $6,800 a day to nearly $23,500 a day. Three special sessions held in early 2025, centered on immigration, did not incur additional costs because legislators were already scheduled to be in town for committee meetings.
This article originally appeared here and was republished with permission.The post by Florida Phoenix appears on South Florida Reporter.
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