State lawmakers brief West Palm Beach on 2025 budget, tax proposals and local appropriations

Florida State Representative Javonte Edmonds and State Senator Mac Bernard gave a joint update to the West Palm Beach City Commission on July 21 about the 2025 Florida legislative session, recapitalizing state budget decisions, bills of local interest, and appropriations affecting West Palm Beach. "We passed a record breaking budget of a $117,000,000,000," Representative Javonte Edmonds told the commission. He urged local leaders to track several tax packages and property-tax proposals likely to return in the next session.

The session and why it matters: The lawmakers said the 2025 session ran longer than usual and centered on a tax package that produced a multibillion-dollar compromise and changes affecting business taxes and local funding. "We put about $15,000,000,000 away in reserves," Edmonds said, and he flagged that the state will need to manage revenue reductions tied to proposed property-tax changes and the gradual elimination of the business rent tax. Senator Bernard added that he expects property-tax reform to again be a primary issue in the next legislative cycle.

Local appropriations and vetoes: Bernard summarized final appropriations and vetoes that affect West Palm Beach. "We ended up getting $15,000,000 for District 24," he said, and he broke that allocation into multiple city projects. The commission and the legislators listed projects funded in the enacted budget and those the governor later vetoed: funded items include more than $9 million for West Palm Beach projects, including an allocation for the Fern Street Crossing (about $3 million), $1,000,000 for the Cox Science Center and Aquarium expansion, $600,000 for YMCA of the Palm Beaches commute center, and $853,999 for Roosevelt Elementary enhancements (the governor vetoed $21,000 of that amount). The downtown traffic organization upgrade Phase 2 received $1,500,000 and an item listed as PBAU received $2,000,000 in the budget as described in the update. The county Australian Avenue project and the city’s digital-twin public-safety project were among items the governor vetoed; Senator Bernard said the team will seek remedies and revisit those requests.

Policy highlights discussed: Edmonds and Bernard summarized other session outcomes and bills of local interest: Edmonds described a proposal to allow renters to use a universal credit report (not enacted this year), theMy Safe Florida Home grant program (a $10,000 homeowner grant Edmonds said would reopen August 4) and a My Safe Florida Home condo pilot (a $275,000 pilot for condo associations that began July 1). On education, Edmonds said K–8 schools will ban cellphones statewide with a pilot for high school exemptions and that school districts will be allowed to set exemptions for students who are caretakers or have health conditions; he also noted a requirement passed this session that every school have an automated external defibrillator (AED).

On insurance, Edmonds said substantial reforms did not pass this year but mentioned proposals that did not reach final approval, including protections against insurer nonrenewals immediately after hurricanes. Bernard described three bills he filed that became law this session (three signed, one vetoed by the governor) and noted the governor vetoed one parole-related bill he had sponsored. Bernard also described a successful claim bill (Jacob Rogers) that provided a $10,800,000 award to an injured person.

Regulatory timing and permitting: Edmonds pointed to Senate Bill 1080 (as described during the update) that sets timelines for local review of applications for variances or rezoning — notifying receipt within five days, 30 days for initial completeness review and 180 days to approve or deny — and warned some rural jurisdictions may be challenged to meet those timelines.

Next steps and local asks: Both lawmakers asked the commission and city staff to continue advocacy in Tallahassee, particularly on property-tax proposals they said will dominate the next session. "Really the discussion will be about property taxes," Senator Bernard said. They encouraged city leaders to continue to make the case for local needs and to work with the city's lobbying team to preserve home-rule interests.

What the commission said: Commissioners thanked the legislators for bringing funding and expressed concern about ongoing property-tax proposals and potential impacts to municipal budgets and public safety funding. Several commissioners also asked the legislators to continue defending community redevelopment authorities and other local mechanisms the city uses for redevelopment financing.

Ending: Edmonds and Bernard said they will return to Tallahassee to press for funding on vetoed projects and to continue work on property-tax and insurance reforms. No formal commission action resulted from the update; it was received as an informational legislative report to the commission.