If Rick Scott wins the close race for governor, what are the possible consequences for Florida?

1. No more high-speed rail?

As a candidate, Scott accused opponent Alex Sink of wanting to spend over $12.5 billion to implement her programs, and accused her of having to raise taxes to do so.

Sink vehemently denied his charges, and it led reporters to wonder where Scott was getting that dollar figure. It was later determined that Scott figured Sink would spend over $9 billion to help cover the state’s costs for a high-speed rail link from Orlando to Miami.

Although there is no reason to believe the state’s expenses for the rail project would ever run that high, Scott’s contention led reporters to question whether Scott as governor would kill high-speed rail, which other Republican candidates across the country have said that they would do if elected.

When asked specifically about this, Scott recently softened his stance, saying, “I would go through first and wait until we can see the feasibility study and see what it’s going to cost taxpayers. Then I would make the decision.”

2. Less money for education and local governments

This article appears in Oct 28 – Nov 3, 2010.