DeSantis axes funding for Central Florida flood prevention, Black history fest

Gov. Ron DeSantis axed funding on Thursday for Central Florida projects to stop flooding during the next hurricane, strengthen government cybersecurity defenses, celebrate Black history and tackle gun violence.

The governor’s nearly $511 million veto list included about $15.3 million in projects for Orange, Osceola, Lake and Seminole counties.

DeSantis defended his veto list as showing fiscal restraint in a $116.5 billion budget that makes “historic investments in education, public safety, infrastructure, and the environment.”

Democrats, though, blasted DeSantis’ veto decisions.

“Unfortunately, many good projects that would have relieved Florida’s taxpayers with everything from flood water mitigation to neighborhood resource centers were vetoed because the governor is disconnected from the needs of average Floridians,” said state Rep. Rita Harris, D-Orlando.

Republican state Sen. Joe Gruters also slammed DeSantis, saying in a statement that the governor “took it out on Sarasota County” because Gruters endorsed former President Trump in the 2024 GOP primary.

“It’s mean-spirited acts like this that are defining him here and across the country,” Gruters said, according to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

The veto list included money for projects to alleviate flooding in the Orlo Vista neighborhood in Orange County, the Midway community in Seminole County, Kissimmee and Osceola County, and Winter Park. The governor axed money to bolster Sanford’s cybersecurity defenses and fund a 1619 Fest and 5K race to celebrate Black history in Orlando.

State Sen. Linda Stewart, D-Orlando, said she was able to secure nearly $30 million in projects for Central Florida, including nearly $15 million for a nursing building at the University of Central Florida, $5 million for a building at Valencia College’s campus in Lake Nona and almost $800,000 for AdventHealth Type 1 diabetes research project.

Stewart said she appreciated those dollars but was disappointed more money wasn’t devoted to flooding. The state keeps a priority list of water projects, and she suspects the governor vetoed items that tried to move up on that list through legislative appropriations.

“We had more money than normal,” Stewart said. “Some of these projects could have easily been added to [address] what our individual cities and counties consider to be emergencies.”

Here is a list of Central Florida projects the governor vetoed.

Orange County Utilities – Orlo Vista Integrated Water Resources Project, flood mitigation for the Orlo Vista neighborhood: $2 million

Osceola County Buenaventura Lakes Drainage Improvements, project to remove 142 homes and businesses from repetitive flood risk: $1.8 million

Oviedo West Mitchell Hammock Water Treatment Facility – Tank Construction, construction of a new 2.5-million-gallon water tank: $1 million

Seminole County Midway Drainage Improvements, flooding mitigation projects for the Midway community: $1 million

Purpose Built Florida – Lift Orlando, funding to address the root causes of generational poverty in low-income communities: $1 million

Meet Us in the Middle Plaza and 8th Street Docks – City of Clermont: $1 million, construction of plaza and docks for 40 watercraft: $1 million

Central Florida Pilot Plant Project For Phosphogypsum Reclamation, initiative to convert waste into commercial products: $950,000

WUCF-TV, emergency backup transmitter: $625,000

Sanford Fire Department Station 40 Airpack Replacements: $540,000

WMFE-FM:, repair and refurbish failing sanitation life station: $508,431

Winter Park Stormwater Disaster Resiliency Project, flood mitigation for homes and businesses near Lake Mendsen: $500,000

Camp Thunderbird Commercial Kitchen Renovation, recreational program for adults with disabilities in Apopka: $500,000

Mount Dora Community Resource & Recreation Center, 26,000-square-foot center for low-income population: $500,000

Clermont Hartwood Marsh Fire Station Rebuild: $500,000

Community, Cops, Courts & State Attorney Violent Crime Intervention/Seminole County, initiative to reduce gun violence: $492,411

Sanford Station 40 New Engine: $367,500

Seminole County Sheriff’s Office Computer Aided Dispatch System, upgrades to improve emergency responses: $300,000

Kissimmee Master Stormwater System and Flood Mitigation Project: $250,000

Camp Thunderbird Septic to Sewer Conversion: $250,000

TechHealth Initiative – Orange County, a team of four health care workers to help the needy at no cost: $200,000

WMFE-FM, replace fire alarm system: $197,347

Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida Resource Center, program to assist small and mid-size businesses: $187,500

Sanford Cybersecurity Zero Trust Program, fortify city’s cyber defenses: $160,000

Black History Month Celebration – 1619Fest Orlando/Rebel Run 5K, a celebration of arts and culture from Africans in the Diaspora: $160,000

Community Scholars – Central Florida, a project to provide community service learning opportunities to students: $140,000

Planting Seeds of Prosperity in West Lakes – Orlando, community meetings and cleanup project: $125,000

Florida Recovery Schools of Central Florida, educational funding for teenagers in substance abuse recovery: $100,000

Adult Literacy League – Building a Thriving Central Florida through Literacy and Education, a project to provide tutors to adult learners: $25,000