Florida House Approves the $70 Billion Budget in Party-Line Vote

The Florida House voted to pass the $70 billion budget on Friday night on an 80-37 party-line vote -- but it will take some time for the Senate to pass it. The Senate, which is currently debating personal injury protection reform, must still cast a final vote on the budget.

In his closing pitch for the budget, incoming Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, called for bipartisan support, but the Democrats remained opposed to the budget, which increased Florida spending on K-12 education by $1 billion for the next fiscal year. Democrats argued that the proposed budget made too many cuts to higher education and hurt government employees.