Welcome to

Governor Rick Scott today proposed increased spending for Florida schools. A billion dollar increase in state revenues is allowing the Governor to make a lot of groups happy.

Florida schools would see a 542 million dollar increase under the Governor’s proposed budget. The increased would take schools almost back to pre recession per student allocations. The union representing teachers is cautiously optimistic. “The devil is in the details and where is that going to go, for what categories? Is it going just to public schools? Is it going to public charter? We have to see where all that ends up,” Joanna McCall, Florida Education Assn. VP.

For state employees, the Governor is suggesting performance bonuses of 25 hundred or five thousand dollars.

On the Environmental front, there is also money for cleaning up springs and the everglades. Like teachers, environmentalists are cautiously optimistic. “Every Governor has been for the Everglades, for land conservation and for taking care of our water supplies and I think this Governor is going to do that same thing,” Eric Draper, Audubon Florida.

Democrats are quick to point out that it was this Governor who quartered the tea party during his first budget cycle.

In his first year, Rick Scott unveiled and then signed the state budget at a tea party rally. Democrats say he no longer sounds like the outsider that got him elected. Screven Watson, Democratic Consultant says, “Floridians need to ask themselves this question: Who’s the real Risk Scott? Is it the tea party Rick Scott of his first year? Or this new and improved Rick Scott that we see now?”

When he ran for office, Rick Scott avoided editorial boards. As another sign of how he has changed, his official budget rollout will come before state newspaper editors gathered at the capitol on Wednesday.