Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday he is continuing to review parts of a record $101.5 billion budget proposal as he prepares to sign it before the July 1 start of the fiscal year.
“We’re going to be signing that budget, hopefully within the next couple weeks. There’s just a lot of provisions we have to go through. We’re working on it,” DeSantis said during a news conference at Baker County Middle School in Macclenny.
DeSantis teased the budget signing as he touted $1,000 bonuses for teachers and principals that were included in the spending plan approved by lawmakers last month.
The state plans to use $216 million in federal stimulus money to provide the bonuses. The governor said about 174,000 teachers and principals are expected to receive the one-time checks.
The bonuses will come on top of $550 million that lawmakers included in the budget to continue a plan to raise average minimum salaries for teachers. DeSantis, who has not formally received the budget from lawmakers, has line-item veto power.