Senate appropriations committee advances $18 billion transportation, tourism and economic development budget

The Appropriations Committee on Transportation, Tourism and Economic Development on Oct. 12 approved a proposed fiscal year 2025–26 budget for the committee’s portfolio totaling approximately $18,000,000,000 and adopted motions to allow technical staff adjustments and to transmit the proposal as a recommendation to the full Senate appropriations committee.

The committee’s draft budget includes a $15,000,000,000 Department of Transportation work program; $403,800,000 for affordable housing initiatives; $80,000,000 for Visit Florida; $58,400,000 for library, cultural and historical initiatives; $7,600,000 for additional Highway Patrol equipment; and $3,100,000 to address driver license backlog in Miami‑Dade and Broward counties. The package also lists more than $217,900,000 in local funding initiatives and a $7,200,000 tuition assistance program for the Florida National Guard.

Chair Disigley invited senators to review the proposal closely and to direct questions to the committee staff director, Sarah (last name not specified in the record). Senator Graw moved to allow staff to make technical adjustments; the motion was adopted without objection. Senator Avila moved that the committee accept the Appropriations Committee on Transportation, Tourism, and Economic Development fiscal year 2025–26 Senate budget proposal as a recommendation to the full Senate appropriations committee; that motion was adopted without objection.

The committee’s action was procedural: staff were permitted to make non‑substantive, technical edits, and the package was approved to move forward for consideration by the full appropriations committee. No roll call showing recorded opposing votes on those procedural motions was placed in the record.