Florida lawmakers sprinkled the new state budget with projects to take to the folks back home.
But when Gov. Rick Scott issued $368 million in budget vetoes Monday, he raised pointed questions about whether state taxpayers should pay for local projects -- and what kind of return the state should get for its money. Also, he singled out some projects that did not go through normal review processes or that had been tailored to private organizations.
Scott, in a 58-page veto letter, raised the questions about projects big and small.
As an example, he singled out a series of projects that would have set aside money for local law-enforcement projects in Flagler, Nassau, Liberty, Palm Beach and Gadsden counties, including sheriff's department building projects.
"The following is vetoed because funding to purchase or lease a county administrative building is the responsibility of local government,'' the veto letter said about a proposal to spend $100,000 on the replacement of a Liberty County sheriff's administrative building.
In another part of the budget, Scott whacked dozens of water-related projects in communities stretching from South Miami to Chipley in the Panhandle.
"The Department of Environmental Protection and the state's five water management districts provide funding to protect the quality and quantity of Florida's water supply,'' the veto letter said in explaining Scott's vetoes of the projects. "These agencies work to ensure that Floridians' tax dollars are spent in a manner that will provide a demonstrable improvement statewide. While some water projects may also contribute to a statewide objective, not all projects demonstrate an ability to contribute to a statewide investment."
Scott issued the line-item vetoes while signing a $74.1 billion budget for the fiscal year starting July 1. Many lawmakers defend earmarking state money for local projects, saying members of the House and Senate are elected to make budget decisions and that they know the needs of their particular areas.
Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, and Senate Appropriations Chairman Joe Negron, R-Stuart, have been particularly outspoken about the issue, though Gaetz released a muted statement Monday after Scott's vetoes. But Senate Minority Leader Chris Smith, D-Fort Lauderdale, blasted the governor.
"The 40 members of the Senate all represent the front lines of diverse regions, diverse people, diverse ideas, and diverse opportunities,'' Smith said. "Yet the governor managed to find a questionable justification to veto many of the priorities unanimously supported in the budget we passed. Given the precarious state of our economic recovery, I suspect it is a move he will regret."
Some of Scott's heftiest vetoes dealt with projects that had not gone through normal reviews or prioritization. For instance, he vetoed $50 million for the "Coast to Coast Connector," a multi-use trail system that would stretch across the state from St. Petersburg to Titusville. He pointed to the fact that the budget item would be outside the Department of Transportation's normal prioritization system, which is known as a work program.
"The following is vetoed because the transportation work program includes more than $57 million in statewide funding for transit greenways for the movement of pedestrian, bicycle and specialized transit greenway vehicles,'' the veto letter said. "The worthwhile project contemplated by the Coast to Coast Connector can be built incrementally and consistent with a prioritization of gaps in the existing trail system."
Also, he took issue with some projects and programs that would send money to private organizations or facilities. For instance, he vetoed a series of community mental-health projects that involved specific providers.
"The following is vetoed because this proviso (budget language) has earmarked a localized area for a specific provider of services with no statewide benefit; approval would circumvent the competitive bid process,'' the veto letter said of a proposal to spend $1 million on a crisis stabilization unit at Fort Walton Beach Medical Center.
Scott also targeted dozens of projects and programs in the education budget, questioning how they would fit into the state's education system.
"The following are vetoed because they do not provide a core education mission for state government or they will not result in a widespread, uniform system for all students to obtain a high quality education,'' the veto letter said, referring to a list of 20 projects that he vetoed in one part of the budget.
But Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown criticized the veto of one of the projects, a program called "Learn2Earn" that gives high school students a college-immersion experience. Brown said Scott's veto of $500,000 for the program "let down hundreds of Jacksonville families and children."
"We have worked very hard to educate Governor Scott and his team about this critical program,'' Brown said in a prepared statement. "We provided them with ample information about how it benefits at-risk Jacksonville high school students who dream of going to college."
