By Tampa Bay Times Editorial Board  |  Tampa Bay Times

There is plenty to like in the governor’s spending plan for 2020-21. There’s also room for improvement.

The state budgets proposed annually by Florida’s governor should be taken with a grain of salt. The Florida Legislature can use it as a road map as it writes a state budget, or lawmakers can ignore it. But the governor’s proposed budget says a lot about the chief executive’s priorities. Gov. Ron DeSantis released his proposed $91.4 billion state budget for 2020-21 this week, and here are five pluses and five areas that need improvement.

 5 Pluses

1. Teacher pay 

DeSantis would spend more than $600 million to ensure every teacher makes at least $47,500. More than 101,000 teachers would get a pay raise. This is long overdue. While there are details to work out, the state would jump from 26th in the nation in starting teacher pay to second.

2. Affordable housing 

Since 2001, legislators have siphoned more than $2 billion from a trust fund that is supposed to be dedicated to affordable housing. DeSantis recognizes there is an affordable housing crisis in Tampa Bay and many parts of the state. He would fully fund programs that provide financing for developers building affordable rental apartments. He also would fully fund programs used by local governments to create more affordable housing.

3. Environment 

DeSantis remains on track to fulfill a promise to invest more than $2.5 billion over four years in protecting the environment. His $625 million proposal for 2020-21 includes more than $322 million for Everglades restoration and $150 million for water quality improvements.

4. Elections security

DeSantis would spend $1.3 million to hire 10 state workers to help county supervisors of elections improve cyber security. The secretary of state’s office has been seeking those positions for years.

5. Prisons 

Spending money on prisons isn’t popular, but it is necessary to improve a dangerous situation in many facilities. DeSantis would spend about $90 million to improve conditions, including hiring 292 correctional officers to start phasing out 12-hour shifts.

 

5 Minuses

1. Public schools 

DeSantis would short-change public school districts by cutting more than $130 million in revenue from local school property taxes generated by higher property values. He would waste another $300 million on an unnecessary teacher bonus program. And his proposed per student spending increase of $50 is less than the $75 per student increase for this year.

2. Colleges and universities

DeSantis would increase spending on colleges and universities by less than $25 million each. That’s too little to spread between 28 colleges and 12 universities, particularly when the governor recommends no increases in tuition.

3. Amendment 4

The governor does not propose spending any money on implementing Amendment 4, which voters approved with the intent of enabling most felons to automatically regain their voting rights after completing their sentences. If the state insists on creating roadblocks, it should at least spend money to create a database for felons to easily determine whether they are eligible to vote.

4. Land preservation

While DeSantis invests in restoring the Everglades and other initiatives, he would spend just $100 million on the Florida Forever land-buying program when it should be funded at $300 million a year.

5. No raises of state workers

In 13 years, state workers have received two modest raises. It’s past time for another one.

Article last accessed here on November 25, 2019. A print ready version is available here.