DeSantis signs budget and issues vetoes.
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a $117 billion state budget yesterday. But he also vetoed over $1.6 billion in programs and projects approved by the state legislature. We reviewed the 18 pages of vetoes and found ones related to Brevard County:
DeSantis vetoed $1.350 million for advanced composite equipment for Florida Tech.
The Freedom 7 elementary school in Cocoa Beach lost $67,000 to replace its primary playground.
$1.75 million for the Brevard Program for All Inclusive Care for the Elderly was vetoed by DeSantis.
I Love My Island, Inc. lost $62,000 in funding for a program for seniors.
Satellite Beach law enforcement won’t be getting $750,000 for in-car and body cameras.
$450,000 earmarked for the City of Palm’s police training building was vetoed.
The Brevard Zoo won’t be getting $2.5 million for its Indian River Lagoon Wastewater System and Education Hub.
A riverside fishing pier in Indialantic lost $450,000 in funding.
A half million dollars for the widening of Babcock Street is gone.
Palm Bay thought it was getting $750,000 to improve a traffic with an intelligent transportation system.
One million dollars to harden the Eastern Central Florida Emergency Shelter was vetoed.
Palm Bay thought it was getting $1.65 million for a network for utilities. Nope. Vetoed by the Governor.
The budget does include funding for Everglades restoration, the State Guard, and a $1.5 billion allocation for teacher pay raises.
120 new laws start July 1.
More than 120 new laws kick in tomorrow, July 1st. Penalties for child abuse and domestic violence will get harsher, the state will be able to designate foreign and domestic terrorist organizations, and it will be much easier to shut down teacher, nurse, and government worker unions. And another law effective tomorrow will require that Florida students be able to demonstrate proficiency in cursive writing before advancing to middle school.
Randy Fine isn’t fine with Irish dance competition.
US Representative Randy Fine has written to the governing body for Irish dance. He demanded that the organization, based in Ireland, stop a transgender girl from competing in an Orlando dance competition. The North American Irish Dance Championships start this week in Orlando. And Fine wrote that biological males do not belong in girls’ dance. Florida’s Attorney General Jame Uthmeier jumped on the issue, threatening legal action if the transgender girl is allowed to compete. The championships officially allow dancers to compete in divisions that align with their gender identity, not just their biological sex.
Brevard school test scores are up.
The latest Florida Statewide Assessment scores for districts and schools around the state have been released. WFIT’s Terri Wright shares the results.
More than 60% of Florida students met or exceeded grade-level benchmarks on state testing. Brevard schools overall had a score of 63%, up from 58% last year. The district's highest-scoring schools were Spessard Holland, West Melbourne Elementary, Freedom Seven Elementary, and Indialantic Elementary. For a complete list of Brevard Schools’ scores, Florida Today.com
