Little for Monroe County to celebrate in Florida budget

Little for Monroe County to celebrate in Florida budget

Keys to take hits on

sewers, land acquisition

BY TERRY SCHMIDA

After months of bickering, Florida’s increasingly cantankerous legislature finally agreed to a $79 billion budget on June 19, but it contains precious little in a way of good news for Monroe County.

The agreement came at the end of a three week special session held to hammer out differences between the Republican-held state Senate and House, following the collapse of the the normal, 60-day budget session, back on April 28.

Area politicians and county staffers had been paying close attention to the process, with tens of millions of dollars for water quality and land conservation projects in the Keys at stake, as well as to see how the issue of Medicaid expansion, which affects the entire state, would shake out.

When the dust had settled, however, the county saw its expectations shattered, with anticipated sewer money left out – for the first time in years – and land acquisition cash likely to be ratcheted back, as well.

Instead of an anticipated $150 to $300 million in conservation money, just $17 million will trickle out to county governments to fund such programs, despite voter approval last fall of a ballot measure called Amendment One, which imposes a tax on real estate to raise conservation cash.

Some aren’t taking the news lying down, such as three environmental organizations, which at press time, had filed suit against the legislature, for defying a constitutional mandate. The suit seeks to change the way the state handles the issue in the future.

“Obviously, I’m very disappointed about receiving less Land Acquisition money through Amendment One, which the voters approved overwhelmingly during the last election,” said County Mayor Pro Tem Heather Carruthers, representing District 3. “And I’m also disappointed about the wastewater spending, and what’s happened with the [Department of Juvenile Justice] and Medicaid expansion.”

On Medicaid, a federal health insurance program for low income people, the conservative-dominated Senate shot down House compromise proposals aimed at securing money being offered by way of the Affordable Care Act, to the dismay of Democrats. The minority party also accused the GOP of thwarting the will of the voters on environmental funding issues, to no avail, as the fiscal year comes to a close at the end of the month.

The sewer money slashing could directly affect the Key Largo Wastewater District, which faces debt payments.

The Legislature did manage to put together a $400 million tax cut package, which Republican Gov. Rick Scott has already signed into law, as well as $300 million in local pork-barrel spending, referred to as “turkeys,” and aimed at smoothing ruffled feathers among disappointed pols.

Scott, however, has line-item veto power, to trim even more spending from the budget, should he wish to do so.

State Representative Holly Raschein of Key Largo, a Republican, has indicated that she would be trying to secure the county a sizable share of Florida Forever conservation money in the future. But for now, politicians such as Carruthers will have to settle for “the damage they didn’t do to us” as a consolation.