Florida Labor Letter – A Budget Breakdown (Week of 5/8)

Daniel Diaz |

Welcome to another edition of the Florida AFL-CIO’s weekly Florida Labor Letter for the week of 5/8. With a week of quiet on Florida’s Capitol Hill between special sessions, there is still plenty going on across the state. As Lawmakers prepare to return next week, let’s get into what we can expect, and more!

🏛️Legislative News

Florida Legislature To Reconvene (Again) For Budget Work

Following the legislature’s quick and dirty 3 day redistricting ram through of new congressional maps ahead of the mid-terms in Special Session “D” last week, the legislature sped home last Wednesday to let the courts deal with the fallout and resume their waiting on news of when they could reconvene to finish passing the only bill that they are required to- The General Appropriations Act A.K.A The State Budget. This week, legislative leadership in both chambers sent out memos to members filling in the gaps since their announcement several weeks ago that they had finally agreed on top lines and were now ready to do the actual work of negotiating how it is spent. For reference, those top lines are below.

With a due date of July 1st before the current budget expires (risking a partial government shutdown), Senate President Albritton and House Speaker Perez announced to members that members should expect to return to Tallahassee next Tuesday May 12th, where they will participate in budget conferencing via joint committees created for each of the above categories. Here is, in brief, how the budget work- well, works:

A Brief Run Down of the Budget Process

Unlike a regular session committee, Florida’s Appropriation Committees are composed of members from both chambers in order to negotiate over differences in their preferred budgets. Most negotiations are done in between committee appearances by lawmakers behind closed doors, and committees are noticed as short as an hour in-advance in order to update the public as to what progress has been made, and which issues have yet to be resolved. The public, for their consideration, also still receives updated numbers frequently via conference committee reports to track how money is being allocated and is permitted to attend these committees like with all other bills.

All issues not resolved by the committees become bumped to the overall Senate and House Appropriations Committee chairs, who make the final calls on the budget before laying it on the table. For 72-hours, the budget “cools off” to allow for public review before the chambers take their final vote and pass it along to the Governor, who’s line item-veto allows him to carve out specific appropriations at his sole discretion, that would need 2/3 of the legislature to vote to overturn. This happened as you may recall last year, when the Governor’s office vetoed funds essential to both chambers being able to operate, and was the first and only time the majority overturned the Governor.

Why the state civics lesson? Well, partially because all Floridians deserve to know how their money is being moved and spent, but also because in the wake of all the political drama surrounding the Governor’s final session and the approaching mid-terms, the budget process serves as the final place where the political rivalries of the session come due. With the line-item veto,the Governor may (and has historically) punish representatives who have opposed him through cuts to projects in their districts or counties. Things like arts, public works, public schools, and infrastructure funding are all fair game in the final tit for tat politics of the budget. As a result, we will be keeping a close eye on the budget process next week and advocating for workers, to ensure that you are informed and to make sure that working families don’t suffer at the hands of petty personal politics and egos.

🍊Florida Labor News

FEA Files Suit Against State Over School Funding

Educators made headlines again this week when the Florida Education Association (FEA) filed suit against the State of Florida over education funding. Following last week’s teacher misinformation rally and signing of the anti-worker SB 1296 on May Day of all days, our teachers have responded this week by going on the offensive.

As reported by WCTV’s Cody Butler, FEA President Andrew Spar:

pointed to several areas, including the money in the universal school choice program, with different transparency requirements. He said Florida ranked 41st on per-student spending and last in average teacher pay, forcing many to leave.

According to the lawsuit, approximately $5 billion a year of public tax dollars are taken away from public schools to charter and voucher systems. Nearly a quarter of the state’s education budget goes to voucher programs.

The FEA said Florida ranks 50th in the nation in average teacher salary, and over 60% of education staff professionals make less than $35,000 a year, forcing many to leave.

“That’s a disruption in learning. That’s way too common in the state of Florida. Too many students, hundreds of thousands are impacted by this constant churn and by the teacher and staff shortage,” Spar said.

The suit also reflects the ongoing resilience of our teachers and educators statewide who refuse to show fear or back down in the face of continued attacks by our legislature and state leaders. No matter the attempted spin by the Governor or Education Commissioner, the truth is in the facts, and the facts are clear: our educators deserve better!

✊Solidarity Spotlight

National Letter Carrier’s Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive Arrives!

Though it’s been “On The Horizon” for the last several weeks, this Saturday marks the 2026 Annual National Association of Letter Carrier’s “Stamp Out Hunger” Food Drive! For over 30 years, letter carriers and NALC have proudly led what’s become the largest one-day food drive in America by heading out on their routes every second Saturday of May in order to collect donations of non-perishable food items to benefit local food pantries!

We are proud to support this amazing day every year and part of the achievement is in how easy it is for anyone to participate in! This Saturday, all you need to do to help is place a bag of nonperishable food next to your mailbox, where a letter carrier will come by and handle the rest! It is important to note though that NALC Branch and Post Office participation in the food drive is voluntary, so to ensure that your donation will be received you can contact your local post office or use this NALC branch lookup tool to make sure your home and mailbox are covered! If your home isn’t covered, you can also look up your nearest regional food drive to donate as well. All collections stay and contribute to your local community, so if you’re looking for an easy way to make a difference this weekend, we encourage you to participate and spread the word!

🗓️On the Horizon

  • Statewide
    • May 12th – May 29th: Budget Special Session “E”
      • As the legislature’s redistricting effort (and AI/Vaccine re-attempt) concluded earlier this week, the way is paved for the legislature to finally pass the only bill that they constitutionally must: the State Budget.
      • With a brief break before the Budget work begins, we will see what role the House speaker’s defiance against the governor has on redistricting negotiations with the executive and Florida Senate.
    • June 13th – June 14th: 2026 Florida AFL-CIO COPE Endorsing Convention
    • First Monday of every Month: FLARA Monthly Meetings:
      • The Florida Alliance of Retired Americans (FLARA) invites any and all to attend their monthly zoom meetings. FLARA meets on the first Friday of every month at 10 AMEST, and features guest speakers and relevant information for retirees from national and state governments as well as important information on demonstrations, partner activities, etc.
      • Those interested in attending FLARA meetings should contact tammy@flara.org in order to get the monthly.
  • Nationwide

🛠️Business Board

📸Bonus Bulletin – In Memoriam

This week, the FL AFL-CIO joins the Central Florida Labor Community in remembering the life of the beloved community fixture, brother William H. “Bill” Barnes, who passed away this week.

Bill began his union tenure as a stagehand at Walt Disney World before leading a life and career spanning decades and across venues such as on Broadway productions and Orlando’s famous Bobb Carr Theater, before turning to teaching at Jones High School. Within his IATSE Local 631, he was elected to a number of executive positions, most recently as their Secretary-Treasurer, and was known as a passionate advocate for working families and under-served communities wherever they could be found, as well as a humorist, with a love of puns, and Hawaiian shirts.

Bill is survived by his wife, Carol; his brother, Bradley, and a large extended family, who have asked that in lieu of flowers, donations in Bill’s memory be made to The Orlando Pet Alliance and Shelter or online to IATSE mutual aid. We extend to his family our deepest condolences.

That concludes this week’s roundup! Thank you for reading and as always, In Solidarity!

Got any tips, actions, or messages you’d like to see in this email?

Please email Daniel Diaz at ddiaz@flaflcio.org

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