Florida’s food banks could be set to feast on additional funding courtesy of the Senate’s proposed budget.

Senate appropriators are offering $38 million to set up a grant program for charities that produce fresh food products in Florida. Another $12 million would fund grants to expand the state’s food banks.

“Florida’s farmers, growers, and ranchers produce hundreds of different commodities every year. Fresh from Florida is more than just a slogan – it’s a way of life for those who feed our state and nation,” said Senate President Ben Albritton, a Wauchula Republican, in a release highlighting the allocation. “No matter how prosperous our state is, unexpected and unplanned things happen that can cause food insecurity for families.

“I don’t want any Floridian, especially children, to go to bed hungry every night, not knowing where their next meal will come from. That’s not something I’m willing to live with. Florida does a lot to help struggling folks back onto their feet and food is a part of that effort. We’re running to this fight to connect hungry families across our state with Florida farmers who produce fresh, wholesome food. This is a much-needed hand-up for families and farmers across our state. As I travel the state, attacking food insecurity unites Floridians like nothing else can. Food matters.”

The Senate’s proposed budget begins the process that will likely run until near the end of the 60-day Session. Alongside Wednesday’s announcement on food bank funding, the Senate is also offering $200 million to aid the state’s citrus industry.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) would administer the $38 million as part of a competitive grant program to promote food grown or produced in Florida.

To be eligible, recipients must submit monthly reports to FDACS detailing “the amount of food purchased by commodity type, purchase location, purchase date, delivery date, and distribution location,” per a Wednesday release summarizing the budget allocations.

Wednesday’s Fiscal Year 2025-26 budget proposal comes from the Senate Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment and General Government, which Senate President Pro Tempore Jason Brodeur chairs.

“Food insecurity is without a doubt a real problem that some families in our state face,” Brodeur said in a statement.

“This funding will help expand food bank and pantry infrastructure to make fresh, healthy food available to families in need. I can’t think of a more conservative, more compassionate way to help these struggling families. This funding will be a win for Florida families and a win for Florida agriculture.”

The $12 million pool of money would be part of a joint effort between FDACS and Feeding Florida to better serve areas in need, with an emphasis on rural communities.

“The funds may be used to equip new locations, expand distribution routes, purchase transportation equipment, or provide necessary training to onboard pantry staff,” Wednesday’s release said.

When asked, Robin Safley, the Executive Director of Feeding Florida, said, “We applaud the Commissioner Simpson, the Senate President, Senator Brodeur and House leadership for recognizing the importance of food security and the role it plays in keeping Floridians healthy —especially when that fresh food comes from our state’s own bountiful harvests.”

Feeding Florida is the association representing Florida’s nine largest foodbanks which work closely with the Florida agriculture community and local farmers to bring Florida-grown food from the fields and into to the hands of those in need. Additionally, the networks work closely with Hope Florida and the Florida Department of Commerce to help families get job training and other resources they need to thrive.

“Florida’s farmers have a deep connection to our state and its people, going back in many cases for generations. Rain or shine, they are responsible for putting food on grocery shelves across the state and are our first and best line of defense against food insecurity,” said Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson.

“Expanding our food bank infrastructure will help connect more families across Florida with fresh, healthy, seasonal crops and produce grown right here in the Sunshine State.”

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House Speaker Daniel Perez wants Florida to become the only state in the nation to permanently reduce its sales tax, proposing on Wednesday a 0.75% cut to bring the state sales tax from its current 6% to 5.25%. 

“This will not be a temporary measure; a stunt or a tax holiday. This will be a permanent, recurring tax reduction,” Perez said during remarks to the House Chamber. 

The decrease is expected to save Floridians $5 billion per year, according to Perez. 

Perez said it would be the largest tax cut in state history. 

“We have forgotten a fundamental truth – this money isn’t ours. Tax dollars don’t belong to the government, they belong to the people,” Perez said. 

He made the point that while the Legislature in recent history has “justifiably called out local governments for misspending and mismanagement,” lawmakers “have been reluctant to turn our gaze on ourselves and hold state government to those same standards.” 

Pointedly, he said the state has a spending problem.

“More importantly, we have a recurring spending problem,” Perez added, noting that while member projects — often referred to as budget turkeys — “gain the most attention” because of vetoes, they don’t impact the state’s overall budget growth. He called such projects “irrelevant and incidental” to the state’s overall budget process in the long-term. 

“Our problem is not that we buy too many non-recurring projects, it is that we cannot resist spending every single dime of recurring revenue,” Perez said. “We pile more money on programs that can’t even manage to spend the money they already have. The beneficiaries of the state budget are the endless string of lobbyists and vendors who always have some shiny new thing for the state to buy that won’t actually improve the lives of Floridians.”

Perez applauded work by subcommittee chairs to “find real savings,” and said results of their work will be published Friday in the proposed House General Appropriations Act, which he said will likewise be historic.

“Our budget will not only be lower than the Governor’s proposed budget, it will also be lower than the budget passed by the Legislature last term. For the first time since the Great Recession, we will roll out a budget that actually spends less money than we did in the prior fiscal year,” Perez said. 

A Senate spokesperson said President Ben Albritton was made aware of the House plan prior to Perez’s announcement and that he “looks forward to reviewing the House proposal and budget in more detail later this week.”

“The Senate budget prioritizes broad-based tax relief, debt repayment, and reserves, while reducing per capita spending. The President has tremendous respect for the Speaker and looks forward to partnering with the House on a significant, broad-based tax relief package to make sure Florida families can keep more of the money they earn.”

Gov. Ron DeSantis proposed a $116 billion budget and called for fiscal responsibility. Already, his budget, entitled “Focus on Fiscal Responsibility,” calls for an aggressive array of tax savings, though most are not recurring. He proposes the usual back-to-school tax holiday and tax holidays for disaster preparedness and “Freedom Month,” which provides tax breaks on summer outdoor activities and items, along with various events, museums and movie theater attendance. He also proposes a new “Second Amendment Summer” tax holiday on guns and ammo. Additionally, DeSantis wants to begin phasing out the state’s commercial rents sales tax, by dropping it to 1% in 2026 and then eliminating it altogether in 2027. 

“We often talk about how to improve affordability in Florida, and our strategies usually involve spending money on more government programs. But this year, we’ll try a novel concept – and make Florida more affordable by giving the people of Florida their own money back to them,” Perez concluded in his remarks. 

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The Florida Legislature is making notable strides toward improving information technology interoperability and coordination across state agencies — a move welcomed by the Florida Technology Council (FTC) as a key step toward a more connected, efficient, and modern government.

As digital needs continue to grow across all corners of government, the Legislature’s recent attention to IT collaboration and shared service models reflects a strong recognition of what agency leaders and technologists have long understood: to deliver modern, secure, and cost- effective public services, agencies must be empowered to work together — without sacrificing their independence.

Key to success: Flexibility, funding, and federated control

Florida is a federated state. Each agency has distinct missions, responsibilities, and operational structures. Recognizing this, the Council emphasizes that any statewide IT initiative must embrace flexibility at its core. Optimization at the enterprise does not require shifting from a federated approach to a consolidated form of government where the central authority holds all power and agencies are subordinate. Florida has the ability to empower — not constrain — while embracing enterprise initiatives.

Equally important is incentivizing participation — a concept that must go far beyond simple compliance. For state agencies, incentivization means receiving the tools, support, and resources needed to make meaningful engagement not just feasible but advantageous. This includes technical and staffing support that enables agencies to operate more efficiently, not less; investments that reduce, not increase, workloads; and solutions that lower long-term operational costs rather than introduce new financial burdens.

Participation in statewide IT initiatives must feel like an opportunity — not an obligation. Sustainability is more likely to be achieved when agencies are engaged and benefits are clear: enhanced capabilities, reduced duplication, easier access to enterprise tools, and the freedom to redirect saved time and resources toward mission-critical goals. In short, incentivizing participation means designing enterprise strategies that help agencies do their jobs better, faster, and more effectively — without disruptions, delays, or financial drain.

Toward a modern enterprise: Shared services and app optimization

The Council supports the Legislature’s growing interest in empowering our State CIO to deliver shared services, application optimization, and standardized best practices across the enterprise. When implemented correctly, these efforts can reduce costs, improve security, and accelerate innovation — while avoiding duplication of effort.

Clear authority and measurable progress

For any new enterprise approach to succeed, agencies need clear statutory authority and responsibility to act, required assessments, and regular progress reporting. Success hinges on defined goals, proper funding, and measurable outcomes.

Importantly, this effort must be approached as a multiyear initiative. Meaningful transformation takes time. A phased rollout allows thoughtful design, testing, and iteration to ensure long-term success without disrupting critical services.

The Florida Technology Council commends the Legislature for its forward-thinking leadership and pledges its continued support in helping Florida lead the nation in public sector IT modernization. By staying committed to agency flexibility, necessary funding, and long-term planning, Florida can build a more interoperable, resilient, and responsive state government for all, which is genuinely the goal our Legislature is seeking to achieve.

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James Taylor is CEO of the Florida Technology Council.

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