Ryan Ray
House and Senate budget conferees remain some distance away from reconciling their varying budget proposals, with a nominal $8 million and several line items standing between lawmakers and a unified budget proposal to send to Gov. Rick Scott.
The elephant in the room? Neither proposal circulating in the Conference Committee on House Transportation & Economic Development Appropriations/Senate Transportation, Tourism, & Economic Development has any money allocated for the $250 million Florida Enterprise Fund that insiders say is Scott’s No. 1 priority, perhaps even more so than the $1 billion tax package Scott and House Republicans have touted since before Session.
Conference committee Vice Chairman Sen. Jack Latvala said Friday that denying the funding would be “unconscionable.”
“To zero out this category is insulting and demeaning,” Latvala said after House budget chief Rep. Richard Corcoran observed nonchalantly he had no intention of meeting the governor’s request.
Latvala and committee Chairman Rep. Clay Ingram indicated the TED conference committee would meet again Sunday evening at about 8 p.m.
