Gabrielle Russon
The House is considering overriding four line-item vetoes by Gov. Ron DeSantis to reinstate more than $5 million to fund government infrastructure projects, the Corrections Department’s automated staffing system and a program to help veterans.
Lawmakers plan to take up the issue on the floor Wednesday, the House announced via its agenda calendar.
In February, House Speaker Daniel Perez created “combined workgroups” to review DeSantis’ vetoes in a sign that the Legislature was standing up to DeSantis. The workgroups were developed as lawmakers publicly feuded with DeSantis about returning to Tallahassee for a Special Session on immigration reform.
The projects that could potentially get reinstated are:
— $2.5 million for Rockledge Advanced Water Treatment Phase 1 sponsored by former Rep. Thad Altman, an Indialantic Republican. The money would be spent lowering nutrient loads on the Indian River Lagoon and removing 29,106 pounds of nitrogen per year.
— $1.53 million for the Baldwin Sanitary Sewer System Rehabilitation and Water Main Replacement on Main Street sponsored by Rep. Dean Black, a Jacksonville Republican. “This vital project will make critical improvements to the Town’s aged and deteriorated water and sewer systems. In the last year, Town Staff has been in a perpetual state of making costly emergency, and often dangerous, repairs to the Town’s water and sewer mains,” the appropriations request said. “This project would ensure the portions of the water and sewer mains that are susceptible to failure are replaced or rehabilitated, resulting in significantly increased safety and reliability to the water and sewer infrastructure.”
— $1 million to fund the Corrections Department’s automated staffing, time management and scheduling system.
— $360,000 for Florida Senior Veterans in Crisis Fund sponsored by former Rep. Sam Killebrew, a Winter Haven Republican. The money would be spent to “keep our senior veterans off the street and in a protected environment by obtaining the VA Pension Plus Aid and Attendance benefit for Wartime Veterans,” the appropriations request said. “Florida has the 3rd highest Veteran population in the US and without these VA benefits many are forced to go on FL’s Medicaid program, live in nursing homes or even worse become homeless. Our goal is to save the State of FL approx. $5-$6 million in Medicaid funds by shifting these expenses to the Federal VA programs — a great ROI for FL.”
