Amid a rift between the Republican Party of Florida and Gov. Ron DeSantis regarding November’s Amendment 1, Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Jolly says he backs the ballot item that would increase the amount of money that could be kept in the budget stabilization fund to 25%.
During a press availability Saturday, Jolly said “guardrails into how it’s used” are necessary, and that the money shouldn’t be a “slush fund for the Governor.”
But he believes that the state is on “stronger financial ground the more savings we have.”
“A rainy day fund is always great, and I support raising that cap. I appreciate those who say don’t do it, but it’s because they don’t trust our current Governor and they don’t trust the guardrails. So let’s raise the rainy day fund, let’s put strong guardrails in place, and let’s put ourselves on a strong financial footing.”
Jolly’s position on the proposal is the latest sign that it scrambles traditional partisan delineations.
The current Governor opposes the initiative that would raise the fund from today’s 10%.
“This is a foolish constitutional amendment proposal. We already have a maxed out rainy day fund and have run the largest surpluses in state history. Any additional revenue should be used for lower taxes, including assisting local governments with grants so that homestead properties can be exempt from local property tax. Surplus revenue could also be used to remove tolls once the property tax issue is settled,” DeSantis said last month.
Other opponents on the Democratic side include House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell and Rich Templin of the Florida AFL-CIO, who voiced concerns ahead of passage of the legislation.
Republican Party of Florida Chair Evan Power, meanwhile, says “Amendment 1 keeps Florida prepared for storms, emergencies, and downturns without raising taxes.”
Amendment 1 passed the Legislature via a joint resolution (HJR 5019) that the Governor does not approve or reject like most bills. The proposal passed the House 100-1 and the Senate 29-4.
If at least 60% of voters approve the proposal, the Legislature would be obligated to move to the fund the lesser of $750 million or the amount needed to reach the cap. This year, DeSantis vetoed an initial $750 million transfer.
A.G. Gancarski has been the Northeast Florida correspondent for Florida Politics since 2014. His work also can be seen in the Washington Post, the New York Post, the Washington Times, and National Review, among other publications. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter: @AGGancarski
October 3, 2026 at 11:04 pm
I early voted by mail. I voted NO on this issue for that very reason: it did not have enough guardrails in place and I have seen this administration and FL congress to use so many funds for willy nilly things that are not strictly emergencies. Hell, when they divery $10M from sick kids and won’t own up to it, what can we expect them to do with this money?
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