Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that Florida is opting into a new tax credit scholarship program established by the Trump administration during a press conference in Valrico this week.
Under the Federal Education Freedom Tax Credit, Floridians can receive a credit of up to $1,700 per year for contributing to the program beginning next year in an effort to help K-12 students and their parents with educational expenses and other needs. The credit stems from the “One Big Beautiful Bill" signed by President Trump in July 2025.
"This will be something that will start in January of 2027 for taxpayers to be able to do," DeSantis said. "It will give parents more resources, more options - I think it'll supplement the great stuff we're already doing here."
Gov. DeSantis added that parents may use the additional funds to further their child's educational needs, including more private tutoring and educational supplies, such as books.
Under Gov. Ron DeSantis, Florida has led on school choice, including with the signing of HB 1, which expanded school choice options for students in the state.
“Florida is number one when it comes to education freedom and education choice, and today’s bill signing represents the largest expansion of education choice in the history of these United States," DeSantis said at the time.
The governor also highlighted Florida's leadership on school choice during a press conference at Florida International University, saying Florida students could succeed "regardless of where you're from, regardless of how much money your parents have, regardless of your ethnic heritage, regardless of whether you're male or female."
Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios “Stasi” Kamoutsas joined Gov. DeSantis for the announcement on Wednesday, which was made at Grace Christian Academy during National School Choice Week. Under Kamoustas, Florida has almost 1.4 million students participating in school choice, including 530,000 having scholarships and 400,000 in charter schools.
