According to a release from the governor’s office, “The Focus on Florida’s Future Budget totals $114.4 billion, more than $4.6 billion less than the current year budget, with $16.3 billion in reserves, leaving ample resources for any unforeseen economic issues.”
As for how technology comes into play, the governor’s budget recommendations highlight the following:
EDUCATION
- $10 million to enhance safety measures, hire school safety officers, upgrade safety equipment, facilities and technology, and increase security services at all Florida Jewish Day Schools
- $6.5 million to implement safe school technology systems
- $6.4 million to continue providing school districts access to a mobile panic alert system that is capable of connecting multiple first responder agencies
- $5.8 million to procure a statewide transparency tool to support the implementation of instructional and library materials
- $3 million to continue providing a centralized, integrated data repository and data analytics resources to improve access to timely, complete and accurate information
- $845,000 for the Florida Safe Schools Assessment Tool
WORKFORCE
- $80 million for the Florida Semiconductor Institute at the University of Florida to support workforce development for semiconductor manufacturing, research and development for advanced packaging, artificial intelligence and assurance
- $35.5 million for the Florida Center for Cybersecurity at the University of South Florida to strengthen the state’s cybersecurity industry by enhancing education, research and workforce development
ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES
- $20 million for harmful algal blooms mitigation, including implementing water quality treatment technologies in Lake Okeechobee
- $10.8 million to increase water quality monitoring, support the Blue-Green Algae Task Force and maintain the water quality public information portal
- $10 million for innovative technologies to aid in the prevention, cleanup and mitigation of harmful algal blooms
THE CITRUS INDUSTRY
- $5 million for the Department of Citrus to advance new research to help increase the production of trees and advance technologies that produce resistance to citrus greening
RURAL DEVELOPMENT
- $100 million to support broadband initiatives to expand high-speed Internet deployment and access throughout the state through the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program
ELECTIONS
- $2.5 million for Florida voter registration system modernization
CHILD WELFARE
- $25 million to continue modernization of the Florida Safe Families Network (FSFN) system
CORRECTIONS
- $12 million for security equipment, such as drone detection equipment, thermal fence cameras, drone support for K-9 operations and license plate readers
CRIME DATABASES
- $11.8 million for the second phase of the modernization of the Biometric Identification Solution (BIS) database
- $3.1 million for the technology enhancement of breath test instrumentation and associated software within the Alcohol Testing Program
- $3 million to increase the state’s Criminal Justice Network bandwidth
- $600,000 to implement a Statewide Sexual Assault Tracking System
EMERGENCY 911 CALL SERVICES
- $18.8 million for distributions to local governments to begin upgrading all 911 public safety answering points within the state to allow the transfer of calls from one local, multijurisdictional or regional E911 system to another
- $13 million for distributions and grant awards to local governments for E911 system maintenance, integration with the next-generation (NG) 911 system and implementation of text-to-911
- $10 million to continue supporting and improving the Statewide Law Enforcement Radio System (SLERS)
SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES E-RATE MATCH PROGRAM
- $5 million in grant funds is earmarked for the design, engineering, project management and construction-related costs to build or upgrade telecommunication and Internet access, such as broadband infrastructure
CYBERSECURITY
- More than $100 million for various state agencies for security intelligence, modernization, training and resiliency
