Florida politicos should expect the 2015 special session to end slightly early. Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, said Wednesday he anticipates wrapping up budget negotiations by Tuesday, June 16. That means state lawmakers will vote on the final budget next Friday, June 19, a day before the scheduled end of session.
Legislators have been chugging ahead with budget negotiations since the beginning of the month, working into the weekend for meetings deciding allocations in various areas of the state budget.
The last two weeks have been a stark contrast to the way this year's regular legislative session ended. Once the House killed the Senate plan to expand Medicaid, most budget negotiations seemed to go smoothly.
"We feel pretty good about the dialogue and we are ready to go," said Gardiner.
Gardiner also said the 6 p.m. rule would remain in effect regardless of whether budget chairs Sen. Tom Lee, R-Brandon, and Rep. Richard Corcoran, R-Land O'Lakes, reached an agreement. Gardiner explained the two would likely come to a budget agreement Thursday morning.
The Orlando Republican also said the Senate would meet at 9 a.m. Friday.
The state was dealing with a $1.3 billion surplus for the 2015-2016 fiscal year, but talks of the extra cash for some of Gov. Scott's biggest campaign promises have fizzled out.
Scott promised to funnel big bucks into state education, a promise that both the House and Senate are unlikely to fulfill due to a shortfall. That shorfall comes as a result of the tug-of-war over Medicaid expansion. The state's surplus narrowed quickly as a result of having to push money to hospitals that will lose federal funding expiring this year.
The two chambers proposed a 3 percent increase in education funding for the 2015-2016 fiscal year, a number which still falls short of one of Scott's biggest proposals during his re-election campaign.
Sen. Don Gaetz conceded the funding wasn't going to match the governor's numbers.
"We are left with the consequences of all that has gone on," said Gaetz, R-Niceville, Senate chair of the Appropriations Committee on Education. "I wish we could do more."
Final budget numbers have yet to be determined. The new fiscal year begins July 1.
