ICYMI: DeSantis Announces Largest Budget Surplus in Florida’s History

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) has a no-nonsense, confrontational style that hasn't earned him much praise from Washington's ruling class. Yet his determination to keep schools open, uphold medical freedom and guide his state's economy through the darkest days of the pandemic have catapulted him to stardom.

As Time magazine noted in its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world:

Florida continues to see record population growth, unemployment remains below the national average, the private sector is growing, and Florida remains a national leader in school choice.

Shortly after joining the exclusive list of influential names, DeSantis announced the state budget surplus for FY 2021-22: $21.8 billion — the largest in state history.

The Hernando Sun reported:

“And part of that is because we have had the state free and open,” DeSantis said during a July 8 press conference in Cape Coral. “We've done very well economically – we've outpaced the nation in jobs and labor force growth.”

DeSantis' triumphant pronouncement follows the latest piece of evidence that Florida's economy continues to have serious momentum. Job growth there has doubled the national average.

The state also accounts for 45% of America's international tourism, surpassing pre-pandemic levels.

The paper continued:

“A lot of the reason that we have this surplus is (that) we're cutting taxes, but we have this money coming in because the people from other states and the foreigners that come to visit are paying the sales tax,” DeSantis said.

…

Meanwhile, Florida's total private-sector jobs grew by 459,500 jobs or 5.9 percent between May 2021 and May 2022 beating the national private-sector job growth rate of 5.1 percent over the year, and the state's private-sector job growth rate exceeded the nation's for 14 consecutive months since April 2021.

A recent press release from the governor's office breaks down the surplus numbers:

• $2.7 billion in Florida's Rainy-Day Fund (Budget Stabilization Fund) – the highest in state history.
• $15.7 billion in unallocated General Revenue.
• $2.8 billion in unallocated trust funds.
• $499 million in the newly created Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund.

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