Budget boosted by gambling money from Seminoles

A new gambling deal between the state of Florida and the Seminole Tribe is providing a large boost to the state’s finances.

State officials on Tuesday drew up new forecasts to predict how much the state will collect in taxes. State legislators will use the forecasts when drawing up a new state budget next January.

Economists now predict that state’s main budget account will grow by 4.5 percent during the fiscal year that ends next June. That same account is estimated to grow an additional 4.1 percent in fiscal year 2018-19.

But that total has been boosted by an extra $500 million the state is receiving the next two years due to a settlement reached between Gov. Rick Scott and the tribe that owns several casinos.