Lawmakers steer $500M to schools for construction
TALLAHASSEE — F l o r i d a lawmakers on Wednesday approved a $500 million list of school construction and maintenance projects, including $207 million for state universities and $115 million for state colleges.
The Public Education Capital Outlay program, which is part of the $83 billion budget agreement, is smaller than this year’s $625 million education construction program and does not use any bonding.
The 12 state universities will receive $161 million for construction projects. The largest projects include $19.4 million for Norman Hall at the University of Florida; $16 million for an earth ocean atmospheric sciences building at Florida State University; $15 million for the School of International and Public Affairs at Florida International University; $15 million for the School of Integrated Watershed and Coastal Studies at Florida Gulf Coast University; and $12 million for the Morsani College of Medicine project at the University of South Florida.
The 28 state colleges will receive $77 million in construction projects. The largest projects include $10 million for an allied health center at Hillsborough Community College; $6.5 million for a student center at St. Petersburg College; and $10.4 million for two projects remodeling classrooms, labs and a gym at Miami-Dade College.
The Legislature’s budget plan also includes $45.6 million in maintenance funding for universities and $38 million for state colleges.
In the kindergarten through high school system, public schools and charter schools are each slated to receive $50 million in maintenance funding.
A half-dozen small rural counties are in line for $57 million for local school projects.
The Florida School for the Deaf and Blind in St. Augustine will receive $2.2 million for maintenance work, while Florida public broadcasting facilities will receive $3.1 million.
Among the special projects, the FSU laboratory school in Tallahassee will receive $7.5 million for an arts and sciences building and the city of Hialeah will receive $1.8 million for an education academy.
The construction and maintenance projects are subject to Gov. Rick Scott’s review, and last year he vetoed more than $53 million in university and state college projects.