Florida Governor DeSantis Vetoes Nearly $6 Million in State Funding for Public Broadcasting

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has eliminated nearly $6 million in recurring state funding for National Public Radio (NPR) and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) stations across Florida. The cuts, part of his line-item vetoes before signing the $115 billion state budget for Fiscal Year 2025-26, took effect on July 1, 2025. This move aligns with a broader national effort, championed by former President Donald Trump, to defund public media outlets citing concerns over perceived bias.

The vetoes specifically targeted $1.3 million allocated for public radio stations and approximately $4.4 million for public television stations. This amounts to $100,000 for each public radio station and over $370,000 for each public television station, according to WGCU, an NPR and PBS affiliate. DeSantis's office had previously indicated a desire to defund both NPR and PBS, with his communications director stating, "Defund NPR."

Governor DeSantis publicly celebrated the action, posting on social media platform X:

"Done in Florida."

This amplified a call from former President Donald Trump, who had urged Republicans to:

"DEFUND THE CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING (PBS and NPR), which is worse than CNN & MSDNC put together." The governor's administration views certain journalistic content as "woke indoctrination" and biased, justifying the cessation of state financial support.

The Florida cuts mirror ongoing federal discussions, where the U.S. House of Representatives recently passed legislation to claw back $1.1 billion in approved Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) funding for the next two fiscal years. Public media executives, including NPR CEO Katherine Maher and PBS CEO Paula Kerger, have voiced strong opposition, warning of devastating impacts on local stations, especially in rural areas, and the potential loss of essential services like emergency alerts. A lawsuit has also been filed by CPB, PBS, and NPR against the Trump administration over efforts to control CPB's board.

While some station executives, like John Labonia of WLRN, expressed disappointment, they also indicated plans to absorb the loss and continue operations. David McGowan, President of WJCT, called the decision "extremely disappointed." Public media advocates emphasize that federal funding, which comprises a small fraction of overall budgets, is crucial for local news, educational programming, and emergency communications, particularly in underserved communities. The Florida Public Radio Emergency Network's funding, however, was not affected by the state's vetoes.