Florida TaxWatch released 125 recommendations to cut about $4 billion from the state budget Wednesday -- days after the state's expected budget shortfall of $3-to-$3.5 billion was announced for the next fiscal year.
Dominic Calabro, president and CEO of Florida TaxWatch, presented the report to incoming Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll, who accepted on behalf of incoming Gov. Rick Scott. More than 40 Floridians from the private sector, higher education and government worked six months on the report.
We now know that the budget deficit will likely exceed $3-to-$3.5 billion and the state will owe billions more to the federal government through the unemployment compensation fund, said Calabro, making his presentation on the Capitol's fourth floor, in front of the Senate chamber. Now, more than ever, recommendations like these to save taxpayer dollars and contain costs are vital.
Calabro stressed that the report transcends politics, calling it bipartisan and nonpartisan. Underscoring the point, Republicans like Carroll, Rep. Will Weatherford of Wesley Chapel,as well as state CFO Alex Sink -- the Democratic gubernatorial candidate who lost to Scott last month -- joined Calabro and the TaxWatch team to support release of the recommendations. Both Sink and Weatherford served on the task force that assembled them.
In the report, TaxWatch calls for the state to bring the public pension system more into line with practices used in the private sector; review the criminal justice and correctional systems; increase managed care in Medicaid; and reduce travel costs for state workers.
The full report is already available on TaxWatch's website.
This report identifies how the state can cut spending without harming core services, said Jacksonville businessman David Smith, the task force chairman. Smith, a past chairman of Florida TaxWatch, retired as chairman and CEO of PSS World Medical. The task force has spent the last year looking under every rock to find the right kind of savings for the state.
Smith added that the recommendations would help increase government efficiency without taking away from the services expected by Floridians.
Both Smith and Carroll stressed that the recommendations can help boost employment in the state, which remains above the national average.
Having these recommendations will be critical to implementing our 7-7-7 plan and our jobs plan, said Carroll, speaking on behalf of the Scott administration.
These recommendations will not only help close the budget shortfall this year but protect Floridians from waste in state government services and programs, said Sink.
Many of these issues are very important to the state of Florida and I look forward to working with the House speaker and Senate president on exploring efficiency-enhancing reforms that will help trim the cost of government and benefit the taxpayers, said Weatherford, who is in line to become House speaker after the 2012 elections.
He noted at the media event Wednesday that the recommendations could not come at a more opportune time.
The state of Florida is at a crossroads, said Weatherford. You cant walk down the street without talking to someone affected by the economy of the state of Florida.
Nor is TaxWatch finished making recommendations. Calabro said that the group released its recommendations three months ahead of last years report to allow more time for leaders to study the ideas presented. He added that the group would release recommendations on streamlining education expenses before the legislative session opens in March -- most likely in January.
Other members of the task force who did not attend the media event at the Capitol praised the recommendations.
I want to applaud Florida TaxWatch for their extraordinary work in their third iteration of the Government Cost Savings Task Force Report, said Barney Bishop, president and CEO of Associated Industries of Florida. The report contains valuable information which will help our lawmakers identify areas in state government that could be cut without adversely impacting Floridians.In these challenging financial times, we must find fundamental and effective solutions to help Floridas economy. The ideas presented in this report have the potential of creating significant savings for our state -- savings that could not come soon enough.
The recommendations should have support when the Legislature opens in March. Sen. J.D. Alexander, R-Lake Wales, who chairs the Budget Committee, served on the task force and expressed his support of the recommendations. House Appropriations Committee Chair Rep. Denise Grimsley, R-Lake Placid, said the recommendations would prove helpful.
I commend the efforts of the task force in finding dozens of ways to reduce the cost of government and improve government efficiency, especially at a time when Florida faces a projected multibillion-dollar budget shortfall, said Grimsley. I look forward to working with Florida TaxWatch, Speaker Dean Cannon and the legislative leadership to discuss ideas like those in the task forcereport to realize cost-savings for Florida families and businesses.
The Legislature will be looking for new and innovative ways to balance the budget this year, and the initiatives proposed by Florida TaxWatch and this task force provide bold and constructive recommendations to assist us in these continuing historically difficult times, noted Rep. Stephen Precourt, R-Winter Garden, chairman of the Finance and Tax Committee. But it is at times like these that our collective leadership can make the biggest difference, and I look forward to doing so.
Carroll said that the Scott administration would study the recommendations as they craft the budget. Well be considering and looking through the recommendations, she pledged.
---
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
