from staff
Every year legislators across the state pass hundreds of bills, many of which are well-intended, properly-funded and appropriate on either a local or state level.
However, every year those same legislators pass bills that leave many scratching their heads and send Gov. Jeb Bush looking for his “Veto” stamp. At the end of every session, Florida Tax Watch releases its annual budget turkeys — bills the 25 year-old citizens watchdog group thinks Bush should veto for a variety of reasons.
This year, the list includes 489 budget turkeys that FTW contends would cost $295 million should Bush give them his approval. Leading the way was Dade County, which landed 100 bills on the turkey list. Locally, only a handful of bills made the list and they are listed below.
So, what constitutes a turkey? According to FTW, there are a variety of reasons bills end up on the list. Here are just a few:
• Projects that did not go through review and selection processes that are established in state law or rule.
• Appropriations that were inserted in the budget during conference committee deliberations, meaning they did not appear in either the Senate or House final budget.
• Subsidies to private organizations, councils or committees that can and should obtain funding from private sources.
The following are several local bills that FTW deemed turkeys:
Duval County
• Breast health initiative for teens; not recommended by the governor or agency
• Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder program; not recommended by the governor or agency
• Homeless supportive services (Clay, Duval and Nassau); not recommended by the governor or agency
• Baldwin waterline and valve replacement; does not meet statutory requirements for funding
• Jacksonville-Magnolia Gardens stormwater rehabilitation; added in conference, no CBIR, DEP has no information for review
• Treatment services for chronic misdemeanor offenders; not requested by agency or governor
• Project reconnect/habitual misdemeanor offender program; not requested by agency or governor; funded in 2005-06
• Davis Street community police sub-station and wellness clinic; not in OTTED’s or governor’s recommendation
• Education infrastructure Edward Waters; not requested by agency or recommended by governor
• After school student tutorial lab/program; not requested by agency or recommended by governor
• Schultz Center for Teaching and Leadership; not requested by agency or recommended by governor
• Mobility opportunities via education; Neptune Beach; not requested by agency or recommended by governor
• Baldwin-Park upgrades; local park did not go through the statutory FRDAP competitive grant process
• Baldwin-Skate Board Park; local park did not go through the statutory FRDAP competitive grant process
Clay
• Penney Farms wastewater treatment facility; does not meet statutory requirements for funding
• Small county courthouse facilities; 4th Judicial Circuit County Court Renovations (Clay, Duval, Nassau); added in conference
Nassau
• Community health services; outpatient mental health services; local project, not recommended by the governor or agency
• County sheriff administrative building; emergency op center; not requested by agency or governor
• Local services programs; Nassau Council on Aging; not recommended by the governor or agency
St. Johns
• Aid to local governments grants/aid adults with disabilities; First Coast Technical Institute; not in house, not in governor’s budget