Gov. Scott To Propose 2-Year Fla. Budget To Slash Taxes
HOLLYWOOD (CBS4) - Gov. Rick Scott will instead propose a two-year budget for the state rather than an annual one, a spokesman said Friday.
In an appearance before a group of South Florida business leaders Friday Scott aimed to seek their support for his spending plan, which he said will slash business and property taxes by more than $2 billion.
Scott's communications director Brian Burgess wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press that the governor's business experience leads him to believe that it's best to look beyond the immediate impact of financial decisions, which is why he favors the two-year model.
The Florida Constitution, though, requires legislators to pass annual budgets. They are not bound by the governor's budget recommendations.
Scott plans to release his first budget proposal Monday at a tea party rally in Eustis.
The new Republican governor, a multimillionaire former hospital CEO, addressed a group of investors in Hollywood a day after giving a similar outline of his budget aims at a Tampa manufacturing plant.
He said it's all part of his plan to lure more businesses to the state. During his campaign last fall, Scott promised to create 700,000 additional jobs over seven years. Those jobs would be on top of about 1 million that economists expect to be created in that time as Florida's economy recovers.
"I'm calling companies all the time. People are very interested in coming to Florida," Scott told business leaders at the Florida Venture Capital Conference. "We are going to be the winner. We are going to be the state that's No. 1 in job creation."
Scott spent the week traveling the state giving glimpses of his budget recommendations. He wants to reduce spending in the $70.4 billion budget by about $5 billion.
He's said he expects to save $1 billion over two years by streamlining the government and consolidating agencies.
Scott also has proposed saving the state $2.8 billion over two years by cutting pension benefits for state workers, teachers and some local government employees and requiring them to contribute 5 percent of their salaries to the Florida Retirement System.
He's been vague about other spending cuts, though.
Legislative leaders have expressed skepticism about cutting taxes with a projected $3.6 billion to $4.6 billion budget shortfall. But Scott said his budget proposal will be balanced.
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