TALLAHASSEE — On June 17, Florida TaxWatch released its 2025 Budget Turkey Watch Report, an annual independent review of the state budget to promote oversight, integrity, and transparency in the appropriations process. This year’s review of Florida’s $115.1 billion budget for FY2025-26 identifies 242 items totaling $416.1 million that qualify as “Budget Turkeys.” These are appropriations that bypass or violate established budget procedures or legislative and public scrutiny.

In addition to projects that qualify as Budget Turkeys, the report highlights other areas in the budget that contain numerous member projects that, while they do not strictly meet Florida TaxWatch’s Budget Turkey criteria, certainly merit extra scrutiny and close gubernatorial review. These additional projects total $799.5 million.

Florida TaxWatch President and CEO Dominic M. Calabro said, “Since 1983, the term ‘Budget Turkey’ has become synonymous with Florida TaxWatch, and our report has an enviable acceptance by Republican and Democratic governors these many decades and helps provide our state’s taxpayers with a final check and balance in spending their hard-earned money. It is a privilege to develop this annual list of potential state-funded projects that have not undergone the thorough review process that Florida’s taxpayers demand. It is also important to note that the Budget Turkey label does not signify judgment of a project’s merit, value, or need. When considering the budget, we strongly encourage Gov. DeSantis to assess each project we flagged – Turkey or otherwise – and determine whether its funding is counter to good budgeting practices; it addresses a core state government function; and/or it was selected through a fair process that promotes the best interests of taxpaying citizens across the state.”

The FY2025-26 budget includes approximately 1,600 local member projects worth more than $2 billion. The last three budgets have all funded at least $2.8 billion worth of member projects, and this budget may approach that threshold. With only 160 legislators, the average is 10 projects and $17 million per member. Of course, some legislators receive far more than others.

These member projects do not qualify as Budget Turkeys, but Florida TaxWatch notes they should be subjected to a statutorily defined competitive review and selection process, ensuring they are prioritized, competing fairly for limited dollars, and funded with a coordinated, statewide vision that allows for important issues – like attracting and retaining a talented workforce in education, manufacturing, and various other industries – to be addressed. 

Florida TaxWatch Executive Vice President and General Counsel Jeff Kottkamp said, “While we commend the Florida Legislature for constructing a smaller budget than last year’s by approximately $3.5 billion, Florida TaxWatch encourages Gov. DeSantis to provide ‘especially close scrutiny’ to the $799.5 million in specific line-items identified in our report. Moreover, while a project may be worthwhile, items identified as Budget Turkeys tend to serve a limited – not statewide – area, are often not core functions of state government, are more appropriately funded with local or private dollars, and circumvent well established budget procedures, competitive selection, oversight and accountability. Florida TaxWatch will never stop advocating for the hardworking taxpayers of Florida, which is exactly what we are doing with today’s report.”

The principle behind the Budget Turkey Watch Report is simple: taxpayer dollars should be allocated through a transparent, accountable, and deliberative process. All appropriations, especially projects requested by individual legislators, should be subject to rigorous review. This is especially important since these are typically projects that are local rather than statewide in scope and are often outside the core functions of state government. 
Florida TaxWatch Senior Vice President of Research Kurt Wenner said, “The lack of a systematic review and selection process in some areas of the budget has become a glaring problem. Member projects are peppered throughout the budget, but there are several line-items where numerous projects end up, and the number of projects that are funded in these line-items is increasing. Not that long ago, funding for some of these types of local projects was rare. Funding them through the state budget has now become standard. Florida TaxWatch recommends that, if the Legislature is going to fund such projects, it must create a competitive review and selection process in statute for each of these areas.”

A longtime advocate for the elimination of the Business Rent Tax (BRT), Florida TaxWatch commends the Florida Legislature for taking this final step on behalf of entrepreneurs across the state. This, along with the permanent Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday in the month of August, and sales tax breaks in disaster preparedness is meaningful tax relief that will help Florida families and businesses thrive.

Florida TaxWatch is providing this report to assist the Governor in his budget deliberations, recommending that he not only consider the value and efficacy of a project, but also if it meets Budget Turkey-criteria, if it addresses a core state government function, and if it was selected through a fair process that promotes the best interest of taxpayers statewide. The Florida TaxWatch Budget Turkey criteria are clearly defined. Appropriations must violate sound budgeting practices in at least one of these ways to be designated as a Budget Turkey:

• A project that circumvents established review and selection processes or has completed the established process but is funded ahead of much higher priority projects (as determined by the selection process);
• Appropriations that are inserted in the budget during conference committee meetings, meaning they did not appear in either the final Senate or House budgets;

• Appropriations from inappropriate trust funds; duplicative appropriations; and appropriations contingent on legislation that did not pass; and/or
• Appropriations that may have been in the House or Senate budget, but were removed by agreement in conference, only to be added back at the last minute through the supplemental appropriation (“sprinkle”) lists.

Please click here for more information and to access the full 2025 Budget Turkey Watch Report.

About Florida TaxWatch
As an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit government watchdog and taxpayer research institute, and the trusted “eyes and ears” of Florida taxpayers for more than 45 years, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) works to improve the productivity and accountability of Florida government. Its research recommends productivity enhancements and explains the statewide impact of fiscal and economic policies and practices on taxpayers and businesses. FTW is supported by its membership via voluntary, tax-deductible donations and private grants. Donations provide a solid, lasting foundation that has enabled FTW to bring about a more effective, responsive government that is more accountable to, and productive for, the taxpayers it has served since 1979. For more information, please visit www.floridataxwatch.org.