In yet another sign of the growing distance between the governor's office and the speaker of the Florida House, Rick Scott today vetoed a 3 percent state university tuition increase, telling reporters Florida's families can't afford for education costs to go up even a single percentage point.
"I worry about the cost of higher education, Scott said at a noon press conference announcing his signing ofthe Legislature's 2013-2014 Florida Families First Budget, after having vetoed nearly $370 million of what had been a $74.5 billion budget.
This is not a political decision, this is a decision for Florida families, Scott continued. Tuition cannot continue to go up the way it's been going up. I don't care if we're talking about a 3 percent tuition increase or a 1 percent tuition increase. We need to hold the line on tuition.
Floridas universities are already among the cheapest in the nation. The average annual in-state tuition (and fees) at a state college or university is $6,232 the 41st lowest state average in the country, while the national average is $8,655.
Tuition is still expected to rise 1.7 percent, to about $6,338, to keep up with inflation; under Florida law, the state's 12 public universities can still elect to raise tuition up to 15 percent, but such changes must be approved by the state university system's Board of Governors.
Among Scott's vetoes were two-thirds of items characterized by government watchdog Florida TaxWatch as "turkeys," appropriations inserted into the budget last-minute, without the usual public vetting.
"Florida TaxWatch applauds Governor Scott for thoughtfully and properly vetoing these budget turkeys, which are projects that did not receive the same analysis and deliberation as the rest of the budget," said Dominic M. Calabro, TaxWatch's president and CEO. "The $71.1 million worth of vetoed budget turkeys that could have been used by the Legislature to fund core functions and services will now enhance our state's budget reserves."
House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, who had originally wanted to raise tuition by as much as 6 percent, looked on the bright side ofScott's budget signing.
Governor Scott today signed the Legislatures balanced budget, which funds the states essential priorities without raising a dime in tax increases. By doing so, we provided Floridas education system with more than $1 billion in new funding and ensured all of Floridas high-performing teachers will receive a significant merit raise," Weatherford said in a statement shortly before Scott's press conference. "While we did not agree on every line item, he signed 95 percent of our budget, which is a resounding endorsement of the House and Senate work product."
Chancellor Frank T. Brogan, of the state university system, also sounded a conciliatory note.
By all accounts, this has been a remarkable legislative session for the State University System, Brogan said in statement issued shortly after Scott made his remarks. Nevertheless, we understand that the governor must make tough choices when evaluating the projects in the state budget, and we respect that. We look forward to continued work with Governor Rick Scott, Senate President Don Gaetz and House Speaker Will Weatherford as we all strive to elevate our universities to national prominence.
Scott has made affordable public education a key priority of his administration. In January, he announced that each of Florida's community and state colleges that offer bachelor's degrees have accepted his challenge to develop four-year degrees that cost $10,000 of tuition or less.
Scott's Monday veto of tuition increases represents the latest in a series of clashes with House Speaker Will Weatherford, including over Obamacare Medicaid expansion, parent empowerment legislation, and taxpayer subsidies for privately-owned sports stadiums.
Reach Eric Giunta at egiunta@sunshinestatenews.com or at (954) 235-9116.
