The Point

The Point, June 17, 2025: Lawmakers pass $115.1B budget

WUFT | By WUFT News

Published June 17, 2025 at 8:00 AM EDT

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Today's Florida stories

House Speaker Daniel Perez (left) and Senate President Ben Albritton (right) took part in a traditional hanky-drop ceremony marking the end of the legislative session. (Tom Urban/News Service of Florida)

• News Service of Florida: Lawmakers pass $115.1 billion budget, end contentious session six weeks after deadline "The budget, which will take effect with the July 1 start of the 2025-2026 fiscal year, remains subject to DeSantis vetoes. But it would be about $3.5 billion smaller than the budget for the current fiscal year and is less than a $115.6 plan that DeSantis proposed in early February."

• Mainstreet Daily News: Florida Highway Patrol searches for semi driver in fatal I-75 hit-and-run "Gainesville man killed walking southbound near Williston exit ramp Sunday morning."

• The Alligator: Florida football releases freshman following arrest"Gators’ 17-year-old defensive lineman Stephon Shivers was dismissed from the Florida football team Monday following an arrest June 1. Shivers faces a third degree felony charge of false imprisonment."

• WCJB: ‘She didn’t hear about it at all:’ Parent surprised after sleepover policy change at Camp Crystal Lake "Uthmeier is claiming victory on Monday after the school district sent a response announcing a policy change at Camp Crystal Lake."

• Bay News 9: Citrus County scalloping businesses expecting busier than usual scallop season "Scallop season is just around the corner, and an unprecedented number of the small mollusks are already being reported. This has Nature Coast businesses preparing for what should be a busy season."

• New York Times: A billionaire island where Bezos and Kushner live is fighting over sewage "Indian Creek Village, the 'Billionaire Bunker' near Miami, couldn’t get approval to discharge its waste into a neighboring town’s sewer lines. So the village quietly persuaded state lawmakers to come to the rescue."

• Tampa Bay Times ($): When Florida hospitals don’t provide costs up front, patients often face big bills "A December 2024 report by PatientRightsAdvocate.org found that most hospitals in Florida are not complying with the federal rule requiring them to publish their discounted cash prices and all negotiated rates by insurance plan for all services. Now, Florida’s attorney general announced he is launching an investigation to ensure hospitals provide patients with transparent pricing for medical services."

• WLRN-Miami: Scammers posing as Border Patrol agents to steal personal info, money over phone, says feds "Federal immigration authorities say scammers are calling and targeting people with threats of deportation or being tied to drug traffickers in order to get money or Social Security numbers. The feds advice: Hang up the phone."