Budget Cuts

Here's what's going to be the big issues (Note how many issues there are! these cuts are bad news):

Department of Agriculture: They want to cut licensing offices across the state. If you're not aware, pretty much all commerce in agriculture in this state requires licensing. Buying and selling plants and produce requires a license. So cutting these offices is something of a big deal to people in the industry - especially since there's a perception, even if its not true (I don't know yet) that these offices are paid for by the license fees.

FWC: 2 million to be cut from Red Tide research and prevention. Luckily for budget cutters, there's no red tide so far this year - if there is, at any point this year, expect it to blossom into a big issue. Also, cutting down number of patrol officers means less protection for manatees along with other duties - like rescuing people, issuing speeding tickets, etc.

Department of Corrections: If you haven't heard about Secretary McDonough's proposed budget cut/reforms, read up on them. This guy has a vision, and he's trying to use the budget cuts as a way of pushing it through. Of course, Republicans (and Democrats trying to appeal to Republicans) will never support a change from traditional punishment of criminals.

Justice: public defenders and state attorney's budgets are something like 95% salaries. So they'll have to cut salaries or positions. This means, of course, a slow down in the courts along with lower quality work, for both prosecution and defense. Cutting the DARE program is of course controversial even though the program doesn't work.

Juvenile Justice: Cuts will close facilities, resulting in overcrowding. Cutting The Guardian Ad Litem program, which is mostly tied to DCF, will cause over 3000 children in the foster care system to lose their guardians (people who make sure that the foster child is being taken care of in the foster family).

Other: candidate filing fees traditionally go in part to the the political parties. Now, the plan is to have all that income go straight to the state. Expect the parties to fight for the money.

Cutting the budget of the Division of Administrative Hearings will probably go straight to salaries or positions, and lack of workers will mean delays to worker's comp cases. The situation in Florida for workers comp is already pretty bad - another insurance problem.

Healthcare: 43 million from prescription drugs; 80 million from medicare payments to nursing homes - which counties will have to make up. The Rape Crisis Trust Fund could be totally cut.

The Agency for Persons with Disabilities has an interesting cut that would remove something like 75 million from the privatized Support Coordinator program. Support Coordinators apparently interface with government for disabled (mental and/or physically) people and provide other services. The agency wants to cut the program and have state employees do it at a reduced salary and greater caseload. Support Coordinators, of course, are fighting this tooth and nail, and getting the families of the people they help to fight with them.

Finally, education.

232 million from the university system, with no tuition increases.

102 million from community colleges, with increased enrollment and no tuition increases.

19 million from financial aid.

191 million from class size amendment funding - and now Republicans are claiming that the size requirement is only for average size, not max size for every class.

32 million from school readiness program, which will apparently result in 8200 children being "disenrolled."

And more! but too much to list here

BUT - no cut to controversial, and unwanted by teachers, merit pay programs

Now, these are from the 10% proposed cuts, when only 4% is necessary. So some of these programs will be saved, and other cuts won't be as deep. But everything mentioned here is on the cutting board, and needs to be defended. And I'm sure they will be - loudly in some cases, softly and behind the scenes in others.

How much of this looks like “government fat” that Republicans claim they need to cut? I think this round of cuts - or the next! apparently another 900 million needs to be cut from next year's budgets, and will happen in the regular session in March and April - will bring people around the the realization that Florida needs more revenue. Whether it's from an income tax, or cutting out the sales tax exemptions, or taxing corporations more, or reinstating capital gains taxes, or something else, Florida just needs more money to do what people want and expect it to do.

You got more? let me know what other controversial stuff is on the cutting wish lists.