One last time: Legislative Budget Commission meets to discuss immigration, long-term outlook

Florida's Legislative Budget Commission meets Friday to sign off on mid-year budget adjustments and the state's annual Long Term Financial Outlook, a three-year forecast required by the state constitution. The preliminary numbers show a $7.1 billion surplus for 2027-28 shrinking to $3.4 billion the following year and flipping into a $1.02 billion deficit by 2029-30.

The outlook credits this year's spending cuts with improving the numbers, while also flagging a state employee health insurance deficit that could hit $1.8 billion. At the same meeting, legislators are being asked to move an additional $240 million into the Emergency Preparedness and Response Trust Fund, which has already paid $1.6 billion over three years for disaster response and immigration enforcement, including the now-shuttered Alligator Alcatraz detention center.

A second amendment would let the Division of Emergency Management spend $250 million on outstanding obligations, including nearly $188 million tagged for what the state calls the illegal migration appropriation category. Gov. DeSantis maintains Florida will eventually be reimbursed by the federal government for these costs.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.