Florida Legislature Extends Budget Talks Past Session Deadline

House Speaker Perez says budget negotiations will continue beyond the scheduled end of the regular session.

Published on Mar. 9, 2026

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The Florida Legislature will not complete the state budget by the end of the scheduled 60-day session this Friday, requiring ongoing negotiations between the House and Senate to continue past the regular session deadline, according to House Speaker Daniel Perez. The House and Senate have a "fundamental disagreement" on the overall budget amount, with the House proposing a $113.6 billion plan and the Senate proposing $115 billion.

Why it matters

This is the second consecutive year the Florida Legislature has been unable to finalize the state budget by the end of the regular session, underscoring the challenges in reaching agreement on spending priorities between the two chambers. The inability to complete the budget on time could delay funding for state programs and services.

The details

House Speaker Daniel Perez announced that the House and Senate will continue budget negotiations beyond the scheduled end of the regular session this Friday. The House has proposed a $113.6 billion budget, about $1 billion less than the current fiscal year, while the Senate's plan is $115 billion. Perez said the two chambers have a "fundamental disagreement" on the overall budget amount, with the House wanting to spend less and the Senate wanting to spend more.

  • The new fiscal year begins on July 1, 2026.
  • The 2025 legislative session also required an extra 45 days to complete the budget.

The players

Daniel Perez

The Republican Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives.

Ben Albritton

The President of the Florida Senate.

Ron DeSantis

The Governor of Florida.

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What they’re saying

“As it is abundantly clear to all of you, we will not complete the 2026-2027 state budget by the end of this week.”

— Daniel Perez, House Speaker (sun-sentinel.com)

“The House believes we should spend less money. The Senate believes we should spend more money.”

— Daniel Perez, House Speaker (sun-sentinel.com)

What’s next

Governor DeSantis has already called for a special legislative session the week of April 20 to address congressional redistricting, and another special session is anticipated on a constitutional amendment to reduce taxes on some homesteaded properties.

The takeaway

The inability of the Florida House and Senate to reach agreement on the state budget by the end of the regular legislative session for the second year in a row highlights the ongoing partisan divide over spending priorities in the state. This could lead to delays in funding for important state programs and services as negotiations continue.