Florida Governor Ron DeSantis had to veto $1 billion from the state budget due to a revenue loss from the coronavirus pandemic.

The $92.2 billion state budget was signed by DeSantis at the Florida Capitol on Monday, where he vetoed from programs for affordable housing, education, and social services in Florida.

The veto was done in what was supposedly a $93.2 billion budget, said a report from Orlando Sentinel.

Millions of dollars have been spent by the state to fight the coronavirus pandemic, causing a loss of revenue from sales tax collections and tourism.

The governor held a news conference shortly after signing the budget.

"This budget reflects a steadfast commitment to Floridians by safeguarding important investments in key areas including education, the environment, infrastructure, public safety and more," DeSantis said during the news conference.

The governor's goal was to try and proctect "historic achievements that [they] were able to do while also realizing historic savings", reported WPTV.

DeSantis said this move will help Florida move forward on a more stable economic foundation.

He also believes Florida would have around $6.3 billion to safeguard the state from the revenue losses because of the vetoes, the $800 million reverted back by agencies, the budget stabilization fund, and the trust fund balances.

The said amount could help them "weather any storm that the economic recovery may throw our way going forward," he said.

The full veto list released shortly afterward showed that $225 million cut from the State Housing Initiative Partnership suffered the biggest single cut. The initiative is designed to help low to moderate income families in housing.

In essence, this veto essentially moved the money back into the Sadowski fund that is used for affordable housing. Now, the budget can be used for expenses from the coronavirus pandemic.

WPTV noted an increase of 5,226 in coronavirus cases in Florida on Monday, with 28 reported deaths.

The number of coronavirus cases in Florida jumped this month, but DeSantis stressed that the surge was due to increased testing in the state.

A news report from Bradenton Herald noted that South Florida was hit the most in the cuts. Sectors such as education, criminal justice, environment, and transportation were affected in South Florida.

The governor also issued a veto on $4 million budget for the Miami Center for Mental Health and Recovery, an under-construction treatment center aimed to provide mental health services as alternative to prison. Even though Miami-Dade funds will be enough for the construction of the center, the budget was to subsidize its operations when it opens sometime in 2021.

Judge Steve Leifman, primary advocacy of the center, called the move a setback. He said the state dollars would have been significant as it expects about $10 million annual budget.

"This would have helped us get off to a good start. But look, we're in the middle of a pandemic," Leifman said.

A budget of $2 million was cut from the construction of a five-mile stretch of Miami's Baywalk. The project could harden seawalls and waterfront walkway in Biscayne Bay.

The budget highlights can be found here.

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