Florida Senate President Ben Albritton on Thurssday told senators they will not be required to return to Tallahassee until after Memorial Day, as budget negotiations between the Senate and House remain at an impasse.

In a memo, Albritton said discussions with House leaders on joint budget allocations have been “productive” but not yet sufficient to start a formal budget conference.

“Over the past week, Chair Hooper and I have continued to have productive discussions with our partners in the House on joint budget allocations. I believe we are making progress; however, we are not in a position to begin budget conference next week,” said Albritton.

The directive follows weeks of stalled talks over a roughly $3 billion divide between the Senate’s and House’s proposed spending plans. The House, under Speaker Daniel Perez, is pushing for a large-scale sales tax reduction, while the Senate has taken a more restrained approach.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has also weighed in, opposing the House’s sales tax cut in favor of property tax relief and targeted economic incentives.

The session, originally scheduled to adjourn May 3, was extended by the House through June 30 to allow more time for negotiations. However, the Senate has not formally agreed to that extension, leaving the timeline for passing a budget uncertain.

Albritton acknowledged the strain of week-to-week scheduling uncertainty, stating the Senate would provide a further update before the Memorial Day weekend.

“Our goal is to bring the allocations discussion to a conclusion and announce a schedule for the budget conference as quickly and responsibly as possible, keeping in mind the priorities you are expecting Chair Hooper and I to advocate for in our budget,” he said.