http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/gubernatorial/gov-rick-scott-unveils-budget-of-deep-cuts-to-spending-taxes/1150127Gov. Rick Scott's proposed budget: By the numbers
$65.9B: Total spending proposed, $4.6 billion less than current year's budget
$1.6B: Combined proposal to cut property and corporate income taxes in one year
8,700: Number of state jobs proposed for elimination, through layoffs and attrition
$703: Reduction to per-pupil spending in K-12 education
Highlights
On Monday, Gov. Scott released a proposed state budget that cuts almost
$5 billion in spending.
EDUCATION: Cuts the education budget by $3.3 billion by slashing $703 per pupil in state spending — a roughly 10 percent cut from this year's $6,899 in per-pupil spending. Current K-12 budget is $13.8 billion and includes nearly 3,000 public schools. Increases the amount spent on private-school vouchers by $250 million in 2012.
MEDICAID: Proposes $3 billion in reductions over two years, including $1 billion in cuts to provider reimbursement rates. Savings are expected by receiving federal approval to transfer all 3 million Medicaid patients into a managed-care program that would control costs and crack down on fraud.
PRISONS: Proposes eliminating 1,690 employees — more than 5 percent of its work force — from the Department of Corrections by closing two prisons, a move Scott said was made easier by the state having 8,000 excess prison beds. Corrections houses more than 100,000 inmates in 146 facilities, employing 18,200 people.
PROPERTY TAXES: Proposes trimming state-set school property taxes by $1 billion over two years. Scott had pledged a $1.4 billion cut in the first year, but is phasing in a lesser tax cut over two years.
CORPORATE INCOME TAXES: Corporate income tax would drop from 5.5 percent to 3 percent in 2011-12 and be phased out by 2018. The tax cut would save businesses nearly $1.5 billion over two years. The first-year savings would be $458 million statewide.
ENVIRONMENT: Proposes merging the Department of Community Affairs with the Department of Environmental Protection, eliminating 530 jobs over two years. DCA staff will decrease to 40 employees within two years; budget drops to $70 million.
PENSIONS: Proposes state workers pay 5 percent of their pension costs. There are 655,000 active members of the Florida Retirement System; another 304,000 retired workers receiving benefits. Projected $2.8 billion savings over two years.
What's next
The Senate Budget Committee will take up Gov. Rick Scott's budget recommendation at a hearing Wednesday, to be followed by the House Appropriations Committee on Thursday. At the same time, budget subcommittees on education, health care and other policy areas will begin to scrutinize various elements of the spending plan.
