Florida Statehouse May Turn Against State Workers for Cost Savings

The anti-union turmoil that is rocking statehouses in the Midwest could soon come to the Sunshine State as the next budget year draws closer.

In Florida, state lawmakers must fill a $3.6 billion shortfall in the upcoming budget year beginning July 1. The state’s overall budget is $70.5 billion, but about $3 billion of that is federal stimulus money that was given to states to stave off the growing economic crisis. That money will not be available to states for the upcoming year, so cuts must be made elsewhere. It is an issue that’s not limited to Florida, but the fallout could be just as monumental as in other states.

Gov. Rick Scott has offered proposals about what he would like to see cut in the state’s budget to close the shortfall. He wants to slash $3.3 billion in education and do away with over 8,600 state jobs, a seven percent reduction in state workforce. Only 2,000 of those positions are currently empty.

“I want to drive the size of state government down,” Gov. Scott said, according to The Miami Herald.

“I want to reduce the cost of state government. I want to make sure we put money back in the hands of taxpayers so they’ll build private sector jobs,” the former corporate executive added.

To justify the $5 billion budget reduction proposal, Gov. Scott says that his plan is a “jobs budget.” He is sowing the seeds of his campaign promise to create 700,000 private sector jobs in seven years.

Unfortunately, his plans for public cuts are being made in the face of a state workforce that hasn’t seen an across-the-board pay increase in five years. His proposal is also heavily weighted toward cuts in education that will require thousands of public school teachers to give up their jobs. Also, per student spending will be slashed by several hundred dollars.

Battle lines are being drawn by protesters gearing up to make their voices heard in Tallahassee when the Legislature resumes its session next week. Liberal groups such as Progress Florida and America Votes are planning what they call “Awake the State” protests. They will be joined by members of the Tea Party in Florida who support Gov. Scott’s attempts to reign in spending and bring order to the state’s finances.

If protests happen next week, Florida will join Wisconsin and Ohio in very public battles pitting state employees against Legislatures seeking to cut government spending. In those Midwestern states, the collective bargaining power of public union employees is under threat of removal. They are also facing deep cuts in salaries and benefits, not unlike the proposals in Florida.

The Florida Legislature resumes its session on Monday, March 7.

Matt E. Stevens is the creator and chief blogger of Prune Juice Media. The site takes a sarcastic and informative look at the issues of the day – namely politics and current affairs. The goal of the site is to share information and make people laugh, or at least think. Matt is a contributing writer for Politic365.

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One Response to Florida Statehouse May Turn Against State Workers for Cost Savings

1. Down South says:

   1:43pm March 4, 2011 at 1:43 pm

   Our governor is part of that radical view that firing state workers and diminishing their quality of life is good for the rest of the state.

   He talks jobs, but his plan is to fire 8-9,000 employees (some of those are vacant jobs). His idea of creating jobs is cutting corporate taxes, but Florida already has one of the lowest corporate tax rates in the country. The impact on job creation (that is, luring business to the cheap, low-tax, low-regulation South — hardly a fresh idea!) will be neglible. The impact on state government, especially education, will be profound.

   And that's what we know. With Rick Scott, there is so much we don't know. He's a wild card, and a true believer. What he does next is a mystery that has the state on edge. His foolish decision to reject high-speed rail — a tremendous opportunity for our state to move forward, and also to create thousands of jobs — tells us that his judgment is flawed.

   That, mixed with stubborn nature that crosses into obstinance, does not bode well for Florida's escape from the recession soon, or unharmed.

   The radical right's insistence on self-inflicted wounds is both comic and tragic. Governor Scott is the leader in this slice of crazy dogma.

   Reply