Legislature Finds Accord On Budget

TALLAHASSEE - House and Senate budget leaders Monday finalized an agreement to cut about $1.l billion in state spending. The two legislative chambers will vote on it Friday in what should be a mere formality.

The two leaders resolved a couple of remaining differences between the House and Senate and put aside budget-cutting long enough to increase spending for a few issues including special elections, farm-to-fuel grants and roof repairs for a courthouse.

Friday's votes will close out a special session called in response to a shortfall in tax revenue that came after a slump in Florida's real estate market.

Even Democrats tempered their criticism Monday. Except for two senators, they voted in a bloc against bills to cut the $71 billion budget in both Republican-controlled chambers last week.

'I'm not outraged,' said Rep. Jack Seiler, of Wilton Manors, the ranking Democrat on the House Policy and Budget Council. 'I've got to be honest with you, I can't sit here and scream or cry foul. I think they've done the best they can.'

Democrats were unhappy that reserve funds were used to avoid cuts to education, health care and water projects, but GOP leaders said they tried to avoid reductions that would affect classrooms or people who depend on state services.

Seiler, though, agreed with exempting transportation and economic development projects from cuts in hopes that could stimulate the state's economy.

'Roads, airports, seaports have to work and they have to work well,' said House Policy and Budget Chairman Ray Sansom, R-Destin. 'You can't hold back in a growing state to keep the economy moving forward.'

Lawmakers, though, have rejected some spending proposals Gov. Charlie Crist suggested to stimulate the economy including expediting highway and school construction and using state money to help first-time homebuyers.

Senate Fiscal Policy chairwoman Lisa Carlton, R-Osprey, said lawmakers did increase state spending on one-time projects when they faced a short-term revenue shortfall in 2001.

'This is a little bit different situation in that our revenue estimators have told us that this could be a long-term recurring revenue loss - two or three years if not longer,' Carlton said.

Sansom and Carlton resolved a couple of issues that conference committees were unable to agree on last week. In one case, Sansom accepted a Senate proposal to use trust fund money for a special needs center in Brooksville.

The two budget leaders agreed to add $1 million for special elections, mostly to fill legislative vacancies caused by several resignations and the recent death of Rep. Mike Davis, R-Naples. They also added $50,000 for the farm-to-fuel grants and $1 million to fix the 3rd District Court of Appeal's roof in Miami.

With budget issues resolved, lawmakers are turning their attention to their next special session, which will deal with property tax relief.

No dates have yet been set, but it must be completed by the end of October to get a proposed state constitutional amendment on the Jan. 29 presidential primary ballot.

A judge has removed a previous amendment the Legislature proposed, ruling its ballot summary was misleading and inaccurate.

That Republican-sponsored measure would have phased out the Save Our Homes Amendment, which caps annual property tax assessments for primary homes at 3 percent, and replaced it with a 'superexemption.'