Rick Scott remains among the least popular governors in America, with pronounced, and unusual, dislike of him as a person, and 61 percent of Floridians are dissatisfied with the way things are going.
florida budget
Florida’s Juvenile Justice Eliminating 1,200 Jobs and Closing 3 Youth Prisons
The budget Gov. Rick Scott signed into law last week reduces juvenile justice’s budget 11 percent, and eliminates 700 jobs in addition to 500 vacant positions that will be abolished. The Legislature singled out youth prisons for closure.
Children as Billboards: From School Buildings to Buses, a Lunge for Ads and Revenue
The Flagler school district just broadened its advertising policy to allow ads in school buildings, websites and uniforms. State lawmakers are moving toward lifting the ban on ads on schoolbuses to make up for revenue the state is cutting.
Florida’s Deficit Grows by $135 Million, To $3.75 Billion, As Growth Remains Anemic
State revenue forecasters essentially tacked about $135 million dollars onto a budget shortfall that already stood at $3.62 billion, forcing lawmakers to consider deeper cuts as they craft a spending plan for the budget year that begins July 1.
All Business All the Time as Gov. Scott
Tells Lawmakers: “Don’t Blink”
Scott mentioned the word “job” or “jobs” 31 times in the 27-minute State of the State speech, lauded privatization, vouchers for private and parochial schools and the needs and virtues of business.
State of the State Tonight: Scott and Legislature’s GOP Keep Their War Civil–So Far
Don’t expect Gov. Rick Scott to deviate much from his frequent message as he delivers his first State of the State speech Tuesday night before a joint session of the Legislature: Budget cuts, tax cuts, potshots at Washington rather than his own dissenting GOP.
Scott Cutting $3 Billion Out of Education as Per-Pupil Spending Would Drop $300
Some 25,000 teachers’ jobs were saved by the federal stimulus in the past two years. Those jobs are now in jeopardy. Public colleges and universities are also hit hard.
Washington Oaks Gardens and Bulow Ruins Among 53 State Parks That Would Close
Similar proposals have been made before, but the state must close a $3.6 billion budget gap, and Gov. Rick Scott is not as friendly to the environment as Charlie Crist was.
Half of Flagler’s Legislative Delegation Listens to Local Pleas Without Quite Hearing Them
Sen. John Thrasher and State Rep. Fred Costello listened to 90 minutes of pleas and policy suggestions from Flagler County officials Wednesday in Bunnell. Whether they heard anything is debatable. And two of Flagler’s legislators didn’t show up.
Catch FlaglerLive on CNN
I’ll be on CNN Newsroom with Fredricka Whitfield during the 3 p.m. hour discussing the oil spill’s impact on local governments, and particular local school districts.