BUDGET CONFERENCE: SENATE, HOUSE SPLIT ON HOW TO HANDLE MOUNTING COURT PRESSURES

Florida lawmakers are split on how to handle the state’s growing criminal justice demands, with the Senate and House taking markedly different approaches in their opening budget offers this week.

The Senate wants to expand the judiciary itself, proposing 29 new judgeships at a cost of nearly $6 million, plus two dozen positions for case processing and four more tied to technology upgrades.

Senators also want to set aside $13 million for the 6th District Court of Appeal, continuing a judicial expansion push the Legislature has been building on for several years.

In all, the Senate proposed spending about $837.6 million on the state court system in its first cross-rotunda offer of the ongoing budget Special Session.

The House came in lower, at around $815.3 million, and aimed its money at the other side of the bench.

Rather than creating more Judges, the lower chamber is focusing on the prosecutors and public defenders who would need to keep pace in the expanded court system. Its offer included 40 positions and nearly $4.4 million for State Attorney Offices and eight positions costing about $1.79 million for Public Defenders.

The Senate’s initial counteroffer Thursday morning didn’t include either of those items, while the House’s offer included none of the Senate’s judicial considerations.

The House also sought targeted resources for specific prosecution challenges: cybercrime, traffic and vessel homicide cases, body-camera evidence review and public records management — none of which appeared in the Senate’s offer.

The disagreement reflects real pressures building across Florida’s criminal justice system as the state’s population continues to grow and new laws add further complexity to already strained courts, prosecutors’ offices and Public Defender operations.

For years, Judges and court officials have pointed to rising workloads and the expansion of problem-solving courts, while lawyers on both sides of the aisle have warned about the growing burden of digital evidence and discovery demands.

Public Defenders and prosecutors have also warned of staffing shortages, high lawyer turnover and increasingly complex caseloads.

Last year, lawmakers passed legislation (SB 2508) to create new judgeships across the state. Gov. Ron DeSantis has been filling those seats since. The Senate’s new proposal suggests another round of expansion may be coming.

The chambers did agree on several set-asides, including $1.63 million for appellate judicial suite staffing and roughly $462,000 for courthouse security.

But the Senate also proposed more than $10 million in additional Justice Administrative Commission funding the House did not include, including $5.49 million for statutorily required reimbursements and $4.8 million for jury expenditures.

Budget negotiations began Tuesday and are expected to run through May 29.