It was with the utmost shock and disappointment that my husband and I read in the newspaper that Sen. JD Alexander proposed cutting state employees salaries by 5 percent due to the lack of state funds. State employees in Florida are already the lowest paid government employees. They have also been deprived of cost-of-living increases for over three years. ...more

March 31, 2009

Keeping inmates in other states might not be cheaper than keeping them here, but the state would be able to save the cost of building new prisons. ...more

March 7, 2009

Florida Senate President Jeff Atwater and House Speaker Ray Sansom obviously are in denial. In setting a January special session to deal with the state's financial crisis on Monday, they retreated to the same old way of doing business - pledging only to target "spending reductions and trust fund transfers." ...more

December 17, 2008

Sen. J.D. Alexander wrote Gov. Charlie Crist today demanding "a conceptual plan outlining your commitment to preserving the thousands of jobs that are in jeopardy" because of the $1.75 billion buyout of U.S. Sugar that Crist announced in July. ...more

August 25, 2008

"Mr. Ruth, you are a disgusting person," opined yet another loyal, loving, caring observer of this space. ...more

July 13, 2008

That was state Sen. Victor Crist's reaction Wednesday to the news conference Wednesday at which Sixth Circuit Chief Judge Robert J. Morris Jr. said planned state budget cuts probably would lead to furloughs of Pinellas and Pasco court employees in May and June. ...more

February 21, 2008

The session is scheduled from Wednesday through Oct. 12. The House, Senate and Gov. Charlie Crist are staking out their positions. Here is a look at what may be in store in major areas of spending. ...more

September 30, 2007

The state's brain trust of economists meets regularly to assess Floridians' spending habits and estimate how much revenue is coming in to state coffers. The news in early August was bleak: The $72 billion spending plan approved for the fiscal year that began July 1 would come up about $1.1 billion short, largely due to the slowdown in the once-red-hot housing market. Other collections have also been lighter than expected, from the sales taxes on purchases related to homes to corporate income taxes. State lawmakers return to the capital this week in a special session to slice and dice. A balanced budget is a constitutional requirement in Florida. It's not an easy process. Lawmakers already pushed back the session when House and Senate leaders decided they were too far apart to waste time in Tallahassee at a cost to taxpayers of about $40,000 a day. The session is scheduled from Wednesday through Oct. 12. The House, Senate and Gov. Charlie Crist are staking out their positions. Here is a look at what may be in store in major areas of spending. ...more

September 30, 2007

The economic situation is giving government no easy tax and spend options. ...more

September 4, 2007