DeSantis vetoed $10.2M in Escambia and Santa Rosa projects. See what was and wasn't cut:

Escambia and Santa Rosa counties weren't spared from Gov. Ron DeSantis' veto pen Thursday when the governor signed the $109.9 billion state budget and vetoed $3.1 billion in projects.

DeSantis' veto pen struck $10.2 million from projects in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, with both counties losing five projects each and one project that would've gone to both counties.

"We're making sure we're protecting your money," DeSantis said during a press conference Thursday.

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Escambia County lost $2.6 million to the governor's veto. The biggest project was the Beulah Pedestrian Bridge.

Rep. Michelle Salzman and Sen. Doug Broxson sponsored the $2 million appropriations to help fund the project. Local officials have worried that conditions are unsafe for students having to cross busy Nine Mile Road to get to Beulah Middle School.

Salzman told the News Journal last year the Florida Department of Transportation was already working on a feasibility study for the project and her bill this year was an attempt to secure funding to fast track it through the FDOT process.

Salzman told the News Journal in a text message on Friday that she would continue to support the project as it moves forward in the FDOT process.

"The project was supported by all of the agencies and we were surprised to see it vetoed," Salzman said.

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Gov DeSantis' 2022 budget veto list

Other Florida projects vetoed:

Other Escambia County projects vetoed include $355,000 for a permanent restroom at Veterans Memorial Park in Pensacola, $150,000 for an "autism playground" at Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola, $80,000 for a study of the old Escambia County jail and $62,500 for a virtual reality training simulator for officers at the Escambia County Sheriff's Office.

Santa Rosa County took a $6.8 million hit from the governor's line-item veto.

The largest project is a $4 million storm hardening project for the Baptist Healthcare’s Gulf Breeze Hospital sponsored by Broxson and Rep. Alex Andrade.

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Another $1.9 million was vetoed for student dorms at the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences West Florida Research and Education Center in Milton sponsored by Broxson and Rep. Jayer Williamson.

Other projects vetoed include a $300,000 allocation to fund a master plan for Bray-Hendricks Park in Jay, $500,000 to expand the Milton Community Center and $100,000 to conduct a drainage study for Pine Blossom Road.

One project sponsored by Broxson would have spent $750,000 in both counties with funding going to West Florida Historic Preservation Inc. to help fund the ongoing preservation of 30 historic sites in both Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.

Despite the vetoes, both counties got multiple projects approved in this year’s budget.

Escambia County saw $17.1 million in appropriations in the budget, while $4.9 million in appropriations were approved in Santa Rosa County.

Additionally, another $4.6 million were allocated for programs in both counties, a $495,000 oyster restoration grant was approved for the Pensacola and Perdido Bays Estuary Program and a $4.1 million paving project for all Pensacola State College campuses was approved.

Projects for the University of West Florida accounted for $8.5 million of the spending in Escambia County and will replace roofs, HVAC systems and fire alarm systems on the UWF campus.

Another $5 million was appropriated for improvements to the entrance of The Bluffs Industrial Campus, a 6,349-acre industrial park along the Escambia River.

Santa Rosa County's largest appropriation was $1.5 million for a new fire station in the Holley-Navarre Fire District sponsored by Williamson.

Another large appropriation in the county was $1 million to help fund research and development for regenerative medicine at the Andrews Institute in Gulf Breeze sponsored by Broxson and Andrade.

Santa Rosa County also received $500,000 for the North Santa Rosa Regional Water Reclamation Facility in Milton, $500,000 for planning and design for a Public Safety Consolidated Dispatch Center and $500,000 for planning and design for the District 1 Medical Examiners office that will relocate from Pensacola to Milton.

Jim Little can be reached at jwlittle@pnj.com and 850-208-9827.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Gov. DeSantis vetoes Beulah Pedestrian Bridge, more Florida projects