Michael Moline
Florida TaxWatch on Thursday welcomed a rosier new state revenue forecast, but said the extra money won’t pay for big-ticket investments sought by Rick Scott and legislative leaders.
“Money will be tight this year and lawmakers who are concerned about a tough budget year should find ways to cut costs and save money,” TaxWatch President and chief executive officer Dominic Calabro said in a written statement.
Earlier this week, Florida’s Revenue Estimating Conference predicted the state would collect $119.3 million more during this fiscal year, ending on June 30, than expected.
The conference, comprising top state economists, increased its forecast for the subsequent fiscal year by $22.6 million.
Still, those experts also expect weaker economic growth, TaxWatch said in its latest Budget Watch report.
Additionally, the state’s response to Zika and two hurricanes has cost $100 million thus far — and that doesn’t account for any lost taxes if Zika fears drives down tourism, the report says.
Meanwhile Gov. Rick Scott is pressing for $85 million for economic development, plus tax cuts. House Speaker Richard Corcoran wants to hold the line on property taxes for schools.
And Senate President Joe Negron wants to boost higher education by $1 billion during the next two years.
Calabro pointed to an official Government Efficiency Task Force report in June that recommended 29 ways to save “upwards of $2 billion in savings and cost avoidance, making a tough budget year little easier to navigate.”
Those recommendations include prison reforms intended to reduce incarceration of nonviolent offenders; consolidating management and construction of state facilities; and shifting all state workers into defined-contribution retirement plans.
