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The state is facing a budget crisis, with economists estimating next year’s deficit as high as six billion dollars. The new state spending plan for 2010-2011 took effect today. Recommendation from Florida TaxWatch helped lawmakers find two billion dollars to balance the new budget. But the tax watchdog isn’t taking a break from crunching the numbers and looking for loose change. TaxWatch President Dominic Calabro called state and business leaders to Tallahassee to begin working on next years spending plan at the 2011 – 2012 Government Cost Savings Task Force in Tallahassee.

“We want to protect those core functions, those critical services, and help needy Floridians, but cut overhead cut administration, cut inefficiency,” said Calabro.

AT&T Florida President and Florida TaxWatch Board Chairman Marshall Criser says big savings start with small items.

“It starts with pens and paperclips it builds its way up into programs and hopefully it makes it way into entire programs and the way they are operated. So I think there is nothing you can afford not to look at,” said Criser.

The taskforce will meet several more times and present its recommendations to legislative leaders during the 2011 legislative session.

A ban on buying or selling Burmese pythons is just one of 140 new state laws taking effect today.
The state Is also giving the green-light to more red-light cameras. As Whitney Ray tells us, lawmakers hope the new regulations will cut down on traffic deaths… and stop the spread of the non-native reptiles.

52 Burmese Pythons have been hunted down or captured since the state declared war on the non-native species last summer.

Now the fight has been expanded to your local pet store. It’s no longer legal in Florida to buy or sell the Burmese and five other reptiles of concern.

“They don’t have to get rid of them. If they got them legally they can keep them, but if they do want to get rid of them, then we have some commercial guys who will be able to take them under the amnesty program,” said Scott Hardin, an exotic animal specialist with Florida Fish and Wildlife.

But not everyone is happy about the ban. Carol Hoover, owns a pet store. She hasn’t carried any of the banned reptiles for years… but thinks the state declaring them illegal will lead to more people buying them on the black market.

“If you ban something it makes it more desirable and those who might not otherwise want something like that, might go to do it just because it’s not allowed,” said Hoover.

There are only 350 people who hold permits to own or sell Burmese Pythons in Florida.

While people who want to buy certain snakes are getting the red-light, people who run red-lights are getting tickets in the mail. Cameras that catch red-light runners… can now be installed on state roads. There are also statewide regulations for enforcement and fines. Tallahassee unveiled two new red-light cameras Thursday.

“This is someone watching the light all the time and encouraging our motorists to drive safely,” said David McCranie with the TPD.

Anyone caught running a red-light by the new cameras will receive a 158 dollar fine in their mailbox.

A dangerous practice that didn’t get outlawed by state lawmakers this year is texting while driving. It’s still legal in Florida, but informational campaigns about the risk haven launched to try and changes driving habits.