A new University of Florida campus in Jacksonville, an extensive overhaul of the historic Hotel Ponce de Leon at Flagler College in St. Augustine, replacement of cranes at Jacksonville's port, road projects in St. Johns County and expansion of the University of North Florida's business college are among the big-ticket items that state lawmakers added to the proposed state budget.
Other proposals would help pay for buying out houses in St. Johns County that have been continuously jeopardized by coastal erosion and also put state dollars into curbing the persistent flooding problems in downtown St. Augustine.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said his office will review the budget line by line after the Legislature sends it to him. The member-sponsored projects are not the biggest part of the state budget in terms of impact on government services, but they get the most scrutiny by governors and typically result in line-item vetoes of some projects.
Read the rest of this story at the Florida Times-Union, a WJCT News partner.