Florida schools to lose 10,000 more kids this year

The Legislature's Economic and Demographic Research has just released its projections on 2009-10 school enrollment, based on school district data and the results are in: Florida schools will lose 10,000 more kids to enrollment declines.

This will be the third year in a row that enrollment is expected to drop at Florida's schools and economists predict another 2,677 will drop from the rolls in the 2010-11 budget year. The declines began in the 2007-08 budget year, when schools lost 7,054 students. The decline continued in 2008-09 with 13,279 fewer students than the year before and in the 2009-10 year the drop is expected to be 9,999. More here.

Crist signs budget but restores pay to state workers

Saying the economy is on the upswing, Florida's ever-optimistic Gov. Charlie Crist signed the state's $66.5 billion budget into law Wednesday, making two changes to the bill passed by lawmakers.

The governor restored pay to state workers -- reversing the 2 percent pay cuts imposed by the legislature -- and he vetoed the raids on the concealed weapons trust fund.

"I believe that now is not the best time to reduce state employees pay and so we have made that modifcation,'' Crist said. Agency heads will "respect the legislature's reduction without reducing salaries."

He said that the 28,000 state workers "and their families are consumers too. I want them to have the ability to make purchases and stimulate Florida's economy.''

At a bill signing ceremony attended by the legislature's top Republican budget chiefs, Crist said the state budget is "not nearly as dismal as many expected it to be. There are no broad base tax increases, no plans to release inmates from prison.'' And he noted that Florida isn't making cuts as deep as other states.

Tallahassee brain drain

Take the lack of institutional knowledge caused by term limits, exacerbated of late by the early retirement of a veteran legislator like state Sen. Ken Pruitt and the cancer diagnosis facing another veteran, Sen. Jim King.  Add the worst budget crisis the state has faced in decades. And sprinkle with the massive political turnover created by five statewide open seats in 2010.

A recipe for disaster?

"We are going to be spending a huge amount of time on politics when we should be tackling public policy,'' said former state Sen. Rod Smith, who lost a bid for governor in 2006 and may take a shot at attorney general in 2010. "Anyone who says this is not a sad recipe for Florida is denying reality. This is a time when we need leadership.''

Smith said he's nearly made up his mind about his plans for 2010 but isn't ready to talk about them yet. "I enjoyed public life but I haven't missed it a lick,'' he said, sounding like a guy who's going to pass on a statewide campaign.

Two words why Charlie may not want to stick around: budget crisis

With two days to go before Gov. Charlie Crist announces his intentions to jump ship and reach for Washington, we lay out a few good reasons why no well-meaning politician would want to hang around Tallahassee -- especially if they have a good shot at the cushier confines of the U.S. Senate.

Economists seem pretty consistent that next year's budget will be as grim as this year's, and even House and Senate budget chiefs admit that next year's budget crisis may demand that legislators -- and the governor -- accept even more tax increases and spending cuts.

That raises a question: what kind of budgetary leadership can we expect from this governor, especially if he's a lame duck?

House passes budget 75-43, sine die to come

Closing the books on the 2009 legislative session, the House just approved the state's $66.5 billion budget by a 75-43 vote. It was a strict party line vote, with one Democrat (Kelly Skidmore) and one Republican (Ed Homan) not voting.

The House also voted 85-30 to raise the state's cigarette tax $1 a pack, with bill presenter Rep. Ellyn Bogdanoff, R-Fort Lauderdale, in the nay camp. And the to-the-wire gambling bill was approved 82-35.

Debate over two days had Republicans touting an education budget that increases per-student spending and Democrats attacking millions of dollars in new fees affecting practically all Floridians. 

"I find it troubling that the Republican Party, which touts fiscal conservatism and family values, has crafted a state budget that is held together by smokers and gamblers," said Democratic leader Franklin Sands of Weston.

Said Rep. Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland: "We made priority choices and in doing so, we have funded every single thing that was asked in regards to this budget."

Budget double-talk/debate redux

Only a few non lawmakers/media types in the Capitol today. Why come? The debate over the $66.5b budget won't have any really new points. What to watch for: Pithy quotes and how much Republicans and Democrats manage to contradict themselves to score political points against one another.

Watch the House. If Democrats are smart and organized, they're likely to pause before voting on both the budget and the tobacco-tax bill. That way, it ensures Republicans take the plunge first. It also could add a little drama and, perhaps initially, a defeat on one of the bills before someone moves to reconsider.

Hasner calls out House Democrats

 

House Majority Leader Adam Hasner, R-Delray Beach, just called out House Democrats for one after another standing up in debate today to oppose the state budget. (Photo by Times photographer Scott Keeler.)

"What has happened here today is the members in the back row have in unison said no," Hasner said, referring to Democrats seated in the back of the chamber. "They have become the party of no: no ideas, no solutions, and no alternatives. Friends, this is hard work. This is the hardest budget crisis that the state of Florida has ever faced and it is easy to criticize."

Hasner went on to list things Democrats would be voting against by voting no on the budget tomorrow and talked about the tough decisions ruling Republicans have had to make this year.

Before being cut off by the debate time clock, Hasner said, "The only responsibility you have in the back row is to become the majority party."

The screaming response was notable.

Rep. Jim Waldman, D-Coconut Creek, responded a few minutes later, saying Hasner forgot to mention that Democrats would be voting "no to a budget that doesn’t adequately fund the needs of the state," "no to a closed process," and "no to politics as usual because now it’s time to work together."

Budget turkey giblets: Leadership legacies, nicotine, machine guns, etc.

There wasn’t enough cash this year for rank-and-file legislators to submit hometown spending requests (aka “member projects” aka “turkeys” in some Tallahassee talk aka “pork” in D.C.). But legislative leaders are still writing a few priority issues into the budget:

$600,000 for a UF student dental clinic.  A priority of House Speaker Larry Cretul, it became a flashpoint when Miami Republican Rep. Juan Zapata tried to strike it from the budget, only to be over-ruled. Zapata said it was a priority of House Speaker Larry Cretul, which Cretul's office denies.

$1.7 million to help Marissa Amora who was horridly abused. This is a priority of Senate President Jeff Atwater, who successfully carried her claims bill last year.

$760,000 to help Kimberly Godwin, who was also horridly abused. This is a priority of former Senate President Ken Pruitt.

$6.7 million for the Prodigy program for troubled kids. The chairman of the Senate's criminal justice budget committee, Victor Crist, sits on the the board of one of the 13 nonprofits that form Prodigy. He says the decade-old program got cut this year.

$500,000 for charter schools in Lake Wales, home of Republican Senate budget chief J.D. Alexander.

$5 million extra for the University of South Florida’s expansion in Lakeland in Alexander’s home county of Polk.

$1,298 to help move the Department of Citrus from Lakeland to Bartow.

$250,000 for the FIU Democracy Conference at the behest of Miami Republican Rep. David Rivera, a House budget chief. Rivera, however, backed off special budget language limiting Cuba travel and stem-cell research.

$11 million more for FIU to complete a medical school, another issue championed by Rivera and (likely) Miami Republican Rep. Anitere Flores. They’ll face each other in a Senate race that also features the other House budget chief Marcelo Llorente, who helped back Jackson Memorial’s call to bank surplus hospital cash.

Specialty plate sneaks in, but it's not Jesus

Probably for the first time in Florida history, a specialty license plate has been approved as part of the budget process.

As House and Senate budget chairs worked through issues related to about a dozen budget conforming bills Tuesday, Senate budget chief JD Alexander, R-Lake Wales, accepted the House's proposal to include the "Supporting Autism Programs" plate in SB 1778/HB 5011.

Rep. David Rivera, R-Miami, said House Speaker Larry Cretul was "very reluctant to open the entire issues of license plates." (Buzz can't help but think he's referring to the controversy over Sen. Gary Siplin's Jesus plate and other ideas.) But "because there was such a correlation between budget cuts and the autism programs," Rivera said they thought this plate could have a "mitagating" effect.

Former state Rep. Susan Goldstein, R-Weston, has been helping wage a fierce e-mail campaign to sway Cretul. Proceeds from the plate will support state autism programs.

Senate wins: $66.5 billion budget

The proposed 2009-10 budget has been laid on the table. It weighs in at $66.5 billion, the amount the Senate wanted. That's $400 million more than the House original proposal. Read it here. 

One bleak note: 800 state workers could get laid off with this budget. Read today's story here.

The 72-hour cooling-off  period has begun. Lawmakers can vote Friday.