Rick Scott Claims Victory Despite Final Budget Being $4 Billion Larger than His Proposal

Back in February, Gov. Rick Scott spoke at a tea party event in Eustis and unveiled his proposed $65.8 billion budget, which he claimed would give $2 billion back to Floridas taxpayers.

On Friday, in his weekly radio address, Scott declared victory as the Legislature was ready to pass a $69.7 billion budget closer to the one that then-Gov. Charlie Crist signed into law last year than the one released in Eustis.

During this legislative session, we have lowered taxes, streamlined government, and improved our education system. Florida is on the road to creating 700,000 private-sector jobs and turning our economy around, noted Scott on the radio. I promised during my campaign I would lower the property tax and phase out the business tax over the next seven years. In the first year we have phased out the business tax entirely for roughly half of those that paid it. That tax cut now frees up private-sector money for job creation and business expansion and makes Florida businesses more competitive.

We also delivered much-needed relief to homeowners by reducing property taxes by more than $200 million. I committed to making government more efficient and reducing wasteful spending. During this session we reorganized agency functions and optimized them for economic development, continued Scott. We eliminated the unnecessary red tape that slowed economic growth and we modernized our pension system. I promised to improve education, a vital component for personal success and for the success of the state. This spring we put our children first by passing the student success act, charter school and virtual school legislation that offer more choices for families.

I applaud the Senate and the House for taking these great first steps to move our state in the right direction, said Scott in closing. In the coming months, Ill begin putting these first pieces of my 7-7-7 plan into action. And together we can make the phrase Lets Get to Work! a reality for our great state.

Senate President Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, raised expectations early in the session, even expressing the thought that this was the most conservative Senate in Floridas history. With Republicans controlling 81 of the Houses 120 seats and 28 of40 in the Senate, there were no excuses -- and while this was an all right start, with the state facing a shortfall of almost $4 billion, Floridians who wanted and expected Scott and the Legislature to reduce the size and scope of state government can and should express some dissatisfaction.

Face it. Republicans control the governorship, every Cabinet office and have supermajorities in the House and the Senate --yet conservatives got a miniscule cut in the cost of state government.