As the clock wound down on the 60-day session late Friday, legislators were able to get an auto insurance reform package to the governor, created a new state university and steered the state universities to attract more science, technology, engineering and math students.
Salvaging the states supposedly low-cost auto insurance option will come down to the final day of the legislative session.
With Gov. Rick Scott increasing pressure Thursday on legislators to pass a bill that he says will reduce fraud in the personal injury protection system, House Speaker Dean Cannon told members that he doesnt expect the Senates bill will be discussed until Friday.
Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam is confident that the Legislature will, for the first time in years, pass a comprehensive energy bill.
With passage of Floridas energy bill in the Senate, were one step closer to increasing diversity in Floridas energy portfolio, expanding energy production and creating jobs for Floridians, Putnam stated after the Senate approved its version of the bill, SB 2094, on Thursday.
The bill doesnt fully link with the House version and the two chambers must reach an agreement before the session ends sometime Friday.
Legislators are expected to cast the final votes on the $70.4 billion budget for the next fiscal year on Friday afternoon.
The 423-page plan, which includes an increase in school spending, money for a museum highlighting the Bay of Pigs invasion and an airport-to-Disney World transit line, is an increase from the $69.2 billion budget for the current fiscal year that ends June 30.
House Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, called the work a Herculean effort.
View the budget plan here.
Legislative leaders dont expect massive last-minute budget chaos to ensue from a disputed court ruling that could require refunding government workers 3 percent of their pay, with interest, that has been collected for their pension plans over the past eight months.
The state appealed the ruling Tuesday by Circuit Judge Jackie Fulford that the Legislature and Gov. Rick Scott failed to follow the state Constitution when requiring workers last year to start paying 3 percent of their salary into the Florida Retirement System.
Senators anticipate Gov. Rick Scotts desire to reform the states supposed low-cost auto insurance program will require late-night negotiations with theirHouse counterparts.
And with two days left in the regular session, some are bracing for a call back to Tallahassee because the differences in the House and Senate version of the efforts to remove fraud from the personal injury protection auto insurance program may not be resolved by Friday.
RELATED: Budget process unaffected, lawmakers say.
The governors office wasted little time filing an appeal to Circuit Judge Jackie Fulfords ruling Tuesday that requires all state employees to contribute 3 percent of their pay toward the pension program.
The Senate Budget Committee, which includes more than half the members of the Senate, approved a negotiated package Wednesday that would provide more than $120 million in tax credits to a wide range of businesses and consumers in Florida.
Committee Chairman J.D. Alexander, R-Lake Wales, said the package, HB 7087, was the product of negotiations between the House and Senate.
This represents the consensus between the House and the Senate on what the tax package would look like, Alexander said.
Reform of Citizens Property Insurance Corp. is apparently dead in the House after backers of the bill were unable to remove an unfriendly amendment added a day earlier by senators, including a number of Republicans again crossing leadership, intent on killing the reform effort backed by Gov. Rick Scott.
Rep. Jim Boyd, R-Bradenton, the sponsor of the legislation to reform Citizens, HB 245, said there isnt enough time left in the session to restart the effort to reduce the number of policies.
