S.Fla Budget May Give Education A Boost
TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/AP) – Faced with a new year and a $2 billion gap, Florida lawmakers head into their annual session this January with schools in mind.
While Gov. Rick Scott and other legislative leaders have ruled out raising taxes and fees this year, those with an already dwindling budget will have to get ready for another round of cuts while education gets a raise.
"There's no easy choices in this budget year," said House Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park. "It's a tough budget year and there's no magic bullet."
Gov. Scott has already given lawmakers his own recommendations that will likely be used as a building block for the final budget.
Under his recommendations, Scott pushed for a budget that would boost public school spending by about $1 billion while scaling back on tax cut proposals and Medicaid reimbursements. Scott also wants to shut down a handful of state prisons and eliminate some 4,500 state jobs.
Scott says he's heard from Floridians who want more money spent on education and is will willing to veto the entire budget and force lawmakers to do it over if they approve a budget that does not include a significant increase for schools.
While Scott was initially unwilling to say what he meant by a significant increase, he says he likes what he recommended.
"I think the right number is a billion dollars," Scott said.
Unhappy with Scott's proposal, Democratic legislators accused the governor of pitting seniors and prison guards against teachers. The move also drew fire because the Medicaid cuts would fall hardest on not-for-profit hospitals.
While his proposed budget was not well received , Senate President Mike Haridopolos R-Merritt Island, has called Scott's overall budget "very much reflective of what the Senate will be pursuing this year."
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