The Florida Supreme Court has approved a 2023-24 judicial branch budget request that includes tens of millions of dollars for salary increases and $50 million to build a courthouse for the newly created Sixth District Court of Appeal.

The state’s Trial Court Budget Commission recently formalized the budget requests, which include $22 million for pay hikes for court reporters, interpreters and attorneys, plus $5 million to retain and recruit attorneys. The funding requests come as court officials report a larger-than-normal number of vacant positions due to pandemic-related employee resignations.

An identical proposed capital outlay for the new courthouse was vetoed earlier this year by Gov. Ron DeSantis, who at the time expressed spending concerns amid rising inflation.