Florida governor Rick Scott unveiled his state budget proposal to cheers and criticism Monday, none of which we could hear over the sound of Jesus firing his guns into the sky while riding a bald eagle.
His $79.3 billion "Florida First" budget, if lawmakers give it a thumbs-up, would benefit many people in the state — and by "many people" we mean a few corporations.
While boosting the amount of money for K-12 education significantly, his plan actually places most of the education budget burden — 85 percent — onto local school districts, which obviously means taxpayers will be on the hook for it regardless.
As one might expect, his budget also contains large cuts to the state's health and environmental agencies, though many of the jobs cut would be vacant positions anyway, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
Scott touted his budget as being "historic" in terms of the amount that goes toward environmental programs, including $62.8 million for Florida Forever, $188 million for the Everglades and Lake Okeechobee and another $50 million to help maintain the state's natural springs, according to the News Service of Florida. Environmentalists are saying the budget doesn't go far enough, especially in light of Amendment 1, which requires the state to buy up land for environmental protection.
The budget also doesn't include pay raises for forest firefighters, something that peeved Agriculture Secretary Adam Putnam.
Would there be job growth in any departments?
We are glad you asked.
In fact, the gov wants to add nearly 500 Department of Corrections jobs and a handful of other law and order-related positions, namely judgeships. But one thing it does not cover, though, is the 10,000-deep backlog of untested rape kits.
The budget also sets aside $250 million for Enterprise Florida, that public-private agency that is supposed to help lure corporations to the state. You know. The guys who spend crazy amounts of money on custom furniture and pricey restaurants.
Needless to say, Democrats think the budget is less about Floridians or the environment or the economy than it is about corporate love.
“This budget proposal is more about political payback than it is about sound fiscal policy and strong leadership," House Democratic Leader Mark Pafford, of West Palm Beach told the Tampa Bay Times.
This article appears in Nov 19-25, 2015.