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Legislature Wraps Up Historic Session

May 9, 2011 | WMFE - Florida's 2011 Legislative Session is over with freshman Republican Governor Rick Scott's agenda doing well. Lawmakers cut nearly $4 billion dollars in spending to balance the $69.7 billion dollar budget. Thousands of teachers, health care workers and government employees at all levels will be laid off as the largest budget cut in state history takes affect.

As the session began in March, Governor Scott along with Senate President Mike Haridopolos of Merritt Island and House Speaker Dean Cannon of Winter Park laid out their conservative vision for the state.
High on the agenda was creating, what they said, would be a more favorable climate to encourage businesses to expand and relocate in Florida. 

Republican Senator JD Alexander of Lake Wales led the Senate in writing a budget and in negotiations with the House.  He said he believed closing a budget shortfall with spending cuts was a decision voters made last November. "All across this state, I think voters spoke and in most districts very conclusively, that they really didn’t want government to grow in size they wanted it to shrink in size.” Alexander said. “So I’m not afraid to do those things that I think it was pretty clear the voters wanted.”

But Democratic Senator Bill Montford of Tallahassee disagreed with the final outcome. He calculates a negative $77 million dollar impact from the spending cuts and lay offs of state employees. “I can’t support this budget because of the impact it will have on my constituents right here in these eleven counties.” Montford’s district includes Tallahassee and he represents many state government workers.
Fellow Democratic Rep. Joe Gibbons of Broward County protested spending cuts to public schools, changes in health care programs for the elderly and catastrophically sick and reductions in the number of weeks the jobless can collect unemployment.
“Why be mean-spirited.” Gibbons said. “Why go in that direction. You know we’re picking on those in the middle class and those who need the help the most.”

The Legislature also privatized state prisons in 18 south Florida counties and eliminated the Department of Community Affairs.
The budget goes into effect July 1st.

 

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