Welcome to

The on again off again Special Session to cut the state budget is back
on. Lawmakers will meet at the Capitol beginning October 3rd to cut
more than a billion dollars from state spending. But as Mike Vasilinda
tells us, plans for making the cuts are still vague.

Session On Again

Blame the stagnant real estate market for forcing the budget cuts.
Initial plans called for lawmakers to dip into road construction money
to save schools and public safety from the budget knife, but that idea
is now all but scuttled. Lawmakers are moving closer to the idea that
every one, schools too, must share the pain.

All throughout this debate the governor has been saying he wants to hold schools and public safety harmless. Now he’s adding the words “as much as possible”. With his minor change in rhetoric, Charlie Crist is also reminding everyone who will listen that cutting the budget in most cases still means more money than last year.

According to Crist, “There are increases across the board I think you know your viewers need to know that the increases aren’t just quite as much as they as they would have been.”

The idea that all of government will see a rollback sits just fine with Harvey Bennett from Florida Taxwatch. “There’s every area of government service that can be cut, through economies, eliminating duplication; ways looking for ways to be more efficient. That do not effect core service, that do not effect service delivery. Do not effect in the case of our schools classroom instruction.”

Lawmakers are setting aside 10 days for the budget cutting session. Which means there is still plenty to be worked out.