DeSantis warns Legislature about selling Everglades short in budget deal

By Bruce Ritchie | 03/17/2026 04:21 PM EDT

If funding is cut severely, the Florida governor said, “I would just call you back in for a special session to do the Everglades stuff.”

An airboat is seen in Everglades National Park.

An airboat is seen in Everglades National Park, Florida, on Sept. 30, 2021. Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images

TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Gov. Ron DeSantis is warning legislators they will have to come back to Tallahassee yet again if they fail to adequately fund Everglades restoration.

State House and Senate leaders have already said they expect to return to Tallahassee in mid-April to hammer out a budget deal.

After the legislative session ended Friday without a spending agreement, DeSantis suggested he could call for another special session if the Everglades funding comes up short in a future deal.

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“The thing is, yeah, you can do a budget and you can cut it by two-thirds — I would just call you back in for a special session to do the Everglades stuff,” DeSantis said during a press conference in Jacksonville.

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