Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a $117.6 billion budget Monday after vetoing $800 million from the spending plan approved by the Florida Legislature.

“The reality is we paid down the government debt, we maxed out our rainy day fund…and we really set up for what happens in the future,” DeSantis said of the trimmed down budget.

He signed the budget during a press conference at Hillsborough College, the potential site for a new Tampa Bay Rays stadium.

The Legislature has earmarked $50 million for campus and infrastructure improvements and infrastructure upgrades at the college related to a stadium, but has not set aside anything for the facility itself.

“If that comes to fruition it will be a huge benefit to Hillsborough college,” DeSantis said.

The budget number cited by DeSantis includes what are called “back of the bill items,” or unspent money carried over from the current budget and funds transferred from one spending silo to another.

DeSantis vetoed a total of about $1.6 billion, including those back of bill items, and about $800 million in line item expenditures for the new budget cycle. He did not disclose the list of vetoes at the press conference, and his office has not yet released a veto list.

“I’m not trying to set a veto record but the budget had to be reduced,” DeSantis said, explaining that he trimmed the budget to ensure financial solvency for the future.

But he said he approved a $4 million bill to compensate families of the Groveland Four, the four Black men from Lake County falsely accused of raping a white woman.

State reserves will be about $18 billion and the rainy day fund will be at the maximum allowed of $5 billion, he said.

And Florida will still have about $16 billion to accelerate high priority transportation projects, continue Everglades restoration and provide $1.56 billion in teacher pay increases, including $200 million for teachers with 10 years or more experience, DeSantis added.

The budget also includes 4% raises for state law enforcement agencies, but no raises for the 100,000 or so rank and file state workers.

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