Lawmakers to vote on $114.5 billion state budget that would bring millions to South Florida

Added: 2026-06-01

[00:00:00]All right, so happening today, Florida lawmakers, they're going to vote on this new state budget that is nearly 115 billion dollars.

[00:00:07]>> Yeah, so we're bringing in CBS News Miami's Morgan Vina. She's your reporter in Miami with what this budget means for you and your families. Good morning, Morgan.

[00:00:15]>> Good morning. So, if this budget is passed as is, money will come here to South Florida in countless different ways. For example, this budget sets aside a million dollars for an AI program here in Miami-Dade that helps detect when there is a gun on school grounds. This budget also sets aside money for the school voucher program.

[00:00:35]Broward public schools will get 8 and 1/2 million dollars and Miami-Dade schools will get nearly 19 million to offset the deficit of losing thousands of students. 514 million dollars will go towards Everglades restoration. There's also money budgeted for a new juvenile detention center in Broward and a Pembroke Park community center. There's even money budgeted to stop a Broward ordinance that would require big retailers to collect and recycle lithium batteries known to cause garbage fires.

[00:01:06]Broward Commissioner Steve Geller, who was a state lawmaker for 20 years, got that ordinance through.

[00:01:13]>> When people throw away lithium batteries and they get crushed and broken open in the garbage truck, if they come into contact with liquid, they burst into flames and cause the entire garbage truck to burn. If they don't do a study, they're going to try and preempt it again next year, but now we're warned.

[00:01:33]And candidly, people need to start contacting, you know, the large retailers.

[00:01:42]>> Now, there's a lot that didn't make it into this budget. For example, citing political violence, some lawmakers wanted to fund security for Governor Ron DeSantis and his family for up to up to a year after he leaves office. This budget would fund his last few months in office and bleed into the next administration. I'm live in Miami, Morgan Riner, CBS News Miami.