TALLAHASSEE Fla.
Florida’s budget could shrink by about $1.1 billion and college students may pay higher tuition due to legislation passed Friday in response to a shortfall in tax revenue blamed mainly on a housing slump.
A compromise budget-cutting bill cleared the House 72-39 and the Senate 23-9 to close out the Legislature’s third special session of the year. About 10 minutes later lawmakers reconvened in a fourth special session to deal with property tax relief.
The cuts to Florida’s $71 billion budget passed on straight party line votes in both chambers Republicans for and Democrats against and now goes to Gov. Charlie Crist.
The bill (SB 2C) includes a 5 percent tuition increase for community college and state university students $55 per semester for a standard course load starting in January. Crist vetoed a 5 percent tuition increase earlier this year but now says he’s keeping an open mind.
Majority Republicans argued most of the cuts were just reductions in spending increases the Legislature approved when it passed the original budget.
“It’s an adjustment; it’s not cuts,” said House Policy and Budget Chairman Ray Sansom, R-Destin. “We are not cutting education.”
