Lawmakers to tackle budget and tax holidays in special session
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Lawmakers are headed back to Tallahassee this week to make good on their sole constitutional obligation: the state budget.
Why it matters: Tens of millions of dollars in Tampa Bay projects are at stake — including a $50 million Hillsborough College campus overhaul that would make room for a new Rays stadium.
Driving the news: The Legislature will convene the special session on Tuesday, and it will last until May 29. The Senate has already refiled its $115 billion proposal, while the House has yet to do so.
- The budget proposal approved by the House during the regular session totaled $113.6 billion. Where the two chambers overlapped on Tampa Bay projects, the amounts often differed, sometimes by millions.
- Here's a look at what else is on the table.
💸 Sales tax holidays: Legislation filed in the House would, among other things, create a yearlong sales tax exemption on gun accessories such as holsters, magazines and grips.
- It would also create a sales tax holiday from September to December for hunting, fishing and camping supplies, including crossbows, fishing rods and reels priced at $75 or less, tents priced at $200 or less and more.
- The bill would also create a two-year exemption from the sales and use tax on the sale of home-hardening products, including impact-resistant doors, garage doors and windows, for eligible residential homes.
⚾️ Hillsborough College's new home: The Senate's budget proposal sets aside $50 million for the college's new campus, central to the effort to clear the existing buildings for a new Rays stadium.
- The previous House budget did not include funds for Hillsborough College's multimillion-dollar makeover because the college requested this funding only through the Senate.
- With Gov. Ron DeSantis in its corner, Hillsborough College has reason to feel good about its chances of being included in the final budget.
🏫 New College's takeover: House Bill 5601-E would hand USF's Sarasota-Manatee campus over to New College of Florida and require New College to assume its debt by Oct. 30.
- Current students at USF Sarasota-Manatee will have the highest priority for classroom space in any transferred properties until graduation, provided they remain continuously enrolled.
What's next: If an agreement isn't reached before the special session closes, state lawmakers have until July 1 to avoid a government shutdown.