’Glades a big winner in budget

State spending plan would target South Florida opioid crisis, FAU

Gov. Rick Scott’s proposed $87.4 billion budget — a $5 billion increase over this year’s state budget — includes generous spending increases for many of Florida’s critical issues. But the big money doesn’t account for hundreds of millions of dollars in local projects that lawmakers routinely place in the budget every year.

More than 400 of these projects, worth more than $673 million, have already been filed in the House, and the legislative session doesn’t begin until January.

State representatives in Broward and Palm Beach counties make up about $55 million of that number. In most cases, requests from state senators mirror their House counterparts.

The largest single amount requested by a South Florida representative is $10 million for Florida Atlantic University’s Henderson school, the public K-8 school on the university’s campus. State Rep. Bill Hager, R-Boca Raton, whose district includes the university, made that request. Scott’s budget includes $8 million for the school.

Scott’s numbers would represent record spending in some areas that critics say have long been neglected under his administration, including the environment.

Scott’s budget dedicates $3.8 billion on the environment, including record funding for Everglades restoration, parks and restoration of beaches and springs.

The budget also includes $53 million to fight the state’s opioid crisis, which has hit Palm Beach County particularly hard.

Almost 600 people overdosed in Palm Beach County last year.

According to a new state report, overdoses from the opioid fentanyl are up 80 percent statewide, but they have skyrocketed more than 200 percent in Palm Beach County.

Although an increase over last year, Scott’s new spending includes only $15 million for the state’s substance abuse treatment system, meaning an additional 53 residential treatment beds statewide.

But the $5 billion spending increase over last year’s budget will find poor traction in the Florida Legislature, whose job is to actually craft the budget and need not take Scott’s recommendations into account.

State economists predict that the state will have almost no surplus over last year’s $82.4 billion budget.

House Speaker Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’Lakes, took the opportunity of Scott’s budget proposal to instead highlight his own priorities.

“We can produce a budget that cuts taxes, imposes accountability and transparency and ensures the future fiscal health of the state,” Corcoran said.

Scott’s budget would also mean $7,497 per student in K-12 education funding, $200 more than the present budget year.