Florida Gov. Rick Scott Vetoes $461 Million From Budget

TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Florida Governor Rick Scott vetoed $461.4 million in special projects on Monday from the budget that the Republican-controlled State Legislature had approved last Friday. After Scott’s vetoes, the state budget included $77 billion in spending plus $1.2 billion in general reserves.

“Tax revenue is provided by Floridians working hard to provide for their families and we are committed to effectively using these dollars by investing them in areas with proven results,” Scott wrote in a letter transmitting his vetoes to Florida’s Secretary of State, Ken Detzner.

Brevard County projects that were vetoed today along with the reason given by the Governor’s office for the veto are:

$2.5 million to the Space Research Institute at Florida Institute of Technology. Vetoed because FIT raised student tuition 3.5% from 2014-15 to 2015-16.

$2,250,000 for a Historic Cocoa Village Playhouse Parking Structure. Vetoed because it circumvents established grant review processes, or funding is available through other sources.

$1.5 million for Cecil Field Spaceport Infrastructure. Vetoed because it: Circumvents the Space Florida due diligence and review process.

$1.3 million to Brevard C.A.R.E.S. Services to Youth At-Risk of Entering the Juvenile Justice System. Vetoed because it duplicates $29.1 million in increased funding for community-based care lead agencies.
 
$596,000 to the Economic Development Commission of Florida Space Coast. Vetoed because it circumvents current established review processes and funding is available through other sources.

$500,000 for an Emergency Operations Center in the City of Cocoa. Vetoed because it is a local project with no statewide benefit.

$200,000 to the US Space Walk of Fame Foundation. Vetoed because it circumvents established grant review processes, or funding is available through other sources.

$250,000 to complete a corridor study along Fiske Boulevard (SR 519) in the City of Rockledge. Vetoed because it circumvents the Transportation Work Program evaluation process.

$600,000 for the Max Brewer Causeway Beautification in Titusville, Florida. Vetoed because it circumvents the Economic Development Transportation – Road Fund evaluation process.

$500,000 to Eckerd and Brevard C.A.R.E.S. Vetoed because it duplicates already existing statewide programs.

$121,629 to North Brevard Telemedicine Initiative. Vetoed because the hospital can use the more than $11 million it is expected to receive in Low Income Pool funds and enhanced Medicaid payments to expand services to low income populations through this type of initiative.

$500,000 for an FAA Center of Excellence for Commercial Space Exploration at Florida Institute of Technology. Vetoed because participating entities should be responsible for funding this issue.

$750,000 for Crosswinds Youth Services.  Vetoed because they were not subjected to any process to validate that the programs would utilize evidence-based prevention programming with proven outcomes to prevent at-risk youth from entering the juvenile justice system.

Some of the projects that survived the Governor’s veto pen are:

$17 million for construction of a Health Sciences building on Eastern Florida State College’s Melbourne Campus.

$10 million for Brevard County Muck Dredging.

$2.2 million for an upland seawall and $400,000 to remove stormwater contaminates on Minuteman Causeway in Cocoa Beach, Florida.

$1 million for Field of Dreams in Palm Bay, Florida.

$800,000 for a Range Regional Training Complex in the City of Palm Bay, Florida.

$810,000 for the Melbourne Horse Creek Dredging Project.

$589,000 for Cape Canaveral’s City Park Ex-Filtration Project.

$425,000 for North Courtenay Parkway Sewer Main Extension in Merritt Island, Florida.  

$250,00 for the Palm Bay Basin 1 Stormwater Treatment Project.