California is staring down a $35 billion annual deficit starting next year.
Florida just cut spending for the fourth straight year and has $18 billion sitting in reserve.
Ron DeSantis signed a budget that makes every Democrat in the country look incompetent.
What Eight Years of Conservative Governance Actually Looks Like
DeSantis signed the Fiscal Year 2026–2027 state budget – a $117.6 billion spending plan – following nearly $810 million in line-item vetoes.
This is not a governor who signs whatever the legislature sends him.
The rainy-day fund sat at $1.5 billion when DeSantis took office in 2019 and now sits at $5.0 billion – maxed out at the constitutional limit.
Total state reserves have grown to nearly $18 billion.
Every major credit rating agency gives Florida a AAA rating – a rating that currently exceeds the federal government's own credit score.
https://twitter.com/theblaze/status/2084298400237838395?s=20
More than half of all state debt accumulated since Florida's statehood has been paid back ahead of schedule.
Meanwhile, California's Gavin Newsom is out there bragging about his economy while his state's unemployment rate climbs to 5.2 percent.
Florida's economy has grown to nearly $1.8 trillion – representing 65 percent growth since 2019 – and U.S. News and World Report named Florida the number one economy in the nation for the third year running in 2025.
The Part They Won't Tell You on CNN
DeSantis cut more than 1,300 government positions while Florida's population grew by more than ten percent, giving the state the lowest number of state employees per capita among the nation's largest states.
Illinois, California, and New York grow their governments faster than their tax bases – and their residents are fleeing to Florida to escape the consequences.
Floridians received nearly $9.7 billion in total tax relief under DeSantis, including the complete repeal of the commercial rent tax – saving businesses approximately $2.7 billion every single year going forward.
The new budget adds a Second Amendment Sales Tax Holiday running from September through December 2026 on firearms, ammunition, camping supplies, and fishing gear.
Tell me one blue state doing that.
K-12 education funding hit a record $30 billion, with per-student spending reaching $9,338 – the highest in state history – and teacher salaries got another $1.56 billion boost, a $200 million increase over the prior year.
And Florida did all of this while leading the national charge against ESG investing schemes and unconstitutional DEI mandates.
This Is the Blueprint
The Left has been telling you for years that you can't cut spending and invest in your state at the same time.
Florida just proved them wrong for the fourth straight year.
Florida poured nearly $9.5 billion into Everglades restoration – more than any state has ever committed to a single environmental program – accelerating projects years ahead of their original schedules.
No state had ever used signing bonuses to recruit police officers before DeSantis tried it in Florida, and more than 10,000 officers have since taken the deal.
https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/2071581563029225539?s=20
3.8 million new businesses launched in Florida during DeSantis's tenure.
The $127.5 million Casey DeSantis Cancer Research Program is bankrolling clinical trials and experimental treatments at Florida's top cancer centers.
It all happened because the government got smaller and smarter – and got out of the way.
Every Republican governor who wants to win in 2028 should be memorizing these numbers.
Sources:
- Executive Office of the Governor, "Governor Ron DeSantis Signs Florida Fiscal Year 2026-2027 Budget," Florida Governor's Press Office, June 29, 2026.
- Fitch Ratings, "Fitch Ratings Announces Florida's AAA Credit Rating Ranks Higher than the Nation," Florida Governor's Press Office, August 17, 2023.
- U.S. News and World Report, "Best States Economy Rankings," U.S. News, 2025.
- The Center Square, "Agencies Discuss What to Cut as State Deals with $35B Deficit," The Center Square, April 27, 2026.
- California Legislative Analyst's Office, "The 2026-27 Budget: Overview of the Governor's Budget," LAO, January 12, 2026.
