Florida gives OK to $82.4B budget

Broward, Palm Beach get $9M for local water projects

The Florida Legislature passed an $82.4 billion budget Monday that would mean significant cuts to hospitals and colleges, and big boosts to university student aid and charter schools.

It next goes to Gov. Rick Scott, who could veto parts or all of the budget that gave short shrift to his priorities. If they have enough votes, lawmakers could override any veto by a two-thirds vote.

Legislators had to extend their session by three days to pass the budget, their only constitutionally mandated duty. They did so with just more than three hours before

the 11:59 p.m. deadline.

The budget gave South Florida its fair share of local water projects. With about 16 percent of the state’s population, Broward and Palm Beach counties got about $9.1 million of the $55.6 million in the budget dedicated to wastewater, septic-to-sewer and other water projects, or 16 percent of the money.

Road improvements and construction were another story. Broward and Palm Beach counties got about 8 percent of the $108 million dedicated to local road projects.

The budget itself was a largely uncontroversial vote — 34-4 in the Senate, 98-14 in the House — but one of the policy bills packed into the budget proved to be a much bigger fight.

An almost 300-page education bill, funding $420 million of education priorities, was presented late on Friday after being negotiated behind closed doors. It combined numerous education policies that had been discussed throughout the session but never as one piece.

These bills usually do not so deeply affect policy, and even the Senate’s chief budget negotiator, state Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, found it a tough bill to swallow.

“I’m sorry about what has developed here today, because I do know better,” said Latvala, who has served in the House and Senate for 15 years combined and is a possible contender for governor in 2018.

Democrats were more blunt.

“This piece of junk that we're being asked to vote on now, it’s a monstrosity,” said state Sen. Gary Farmer, DFort Lauderdale, who added that it would “hasten the privatization of public education.”

The budget includes a small $25 increase in PreK-12 schools’ per student funding, to $7,221; Scott had asked for $200 more in per student funds.

Senate President Joe Negron’s top agenda items were also part of the final budget. The spending calls for using $1.6 billion over three years to build a reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee to store polluted water and clean up South Florida waterways. His plan to boost higher education funding and expanding Bright Futures Scholarships to pay 100 percent of tuition, summer credit hours and a $300 stipend for textbooks is included as well.

The two chambers also voted on new, much lower funding levels for the state’s tourism marketing and business incentive agencies, Visit Florida and Enterprise Florida.

The Legislature cut Visit Florida’s budget to $25 million — less than the $27 million that comprised last year’s budget for the Fort Lauderdale Visitors and Convention Bureau.

Even Republican senators complained Monday at having to vote for a bill that cuts Visit Florida’s budget by $51 million, requires private contributions to match state dollars, caps employee salaries at $134,000 and requires legislative review of contracts worth more than $750,000.

Legislators also zeroed-out Enterprise Florida’s business incentive fund, used to offer money to companies to draw them to Florida, and slashed its operating budget to $16 million.

Visit Florida and Enterprise Florida were the governor’s top priorities, and he has been touring the state blasting the Legislature for attempting to cut them.

Scott’s priorities – even big tax cuts – didn’t make the cut.

GOP lawmakers have typically passed at least $100 million in tax cuts every year since Scott took office in 2011. This year, the tax cut package passed by the Legislature was just $90.7 million.

It’s unclear how South Florida hospitals fared in the budget. The budget includes $550 million in Medicaid cuts.

But those cuts could be offset by another Medicaid program, the low income pool, which pays hospitals for charity care. Scott secured $1.5 billion for the program, most of which is paid by the federal government, but how those funds will be allotted is yet to be determined.

If Scott vetoes the budget, the Legislature may have the votes to override. But with Senate support for the House’s education bill barely enough for a majority, the governor may wind up coercing lawmakers into making serious changes.

Scott has not said whether he would veto the budget. Until recently, he had brushed off such questions by saying he would look at the budget when lawmakers completed their work. But last week, he said vetoing the budget was “an option.”